"Following the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pius IX, which took place on 8 December 1854, the pontiff decide to celebrate the event with a cycle of frescoes. The large room adjacent to the Raphael's Rooms was chosen, and the task was assigned to Francis Podesti (1800-1895), a painter originally from Ancona but rooted in the Roman artistic and academic panorama. The artist, along with his team of workers, worked on the commission from 1856 to 1865...

Click here to visit the Vatican webpage to read more & to view the room. Be sure to click on the video at the bottom of the webpage which gives closeups of the Immaculate Conception room.