Martha Stewart slammed for ‘rich privilege’ behavior during Sistine Chapel visit on Thanksgiving vacation

VATICAN CITY, ROME: Martha Stewart, 83, has sparked controversy after sharing a series of photos from inside the Sistine Chapel during her Thanksgiving vacation in Rome.

Despite the Vatican's strict ban on photography and filming in the sacred space, the lifestyle mogul posted 14 images on Instagram, which quickly drew criticism from her followers.

Martha Stewart posts photos of Sistine Chapel from Rome vacation

Martha Stewart, who spent Thanksgiving with her family, including her grandchildren, shared the images on Instagram on Sunday, December 1, with the caption: "Just a few iPhone photos of what we saw during our quiet hour in the Sistine Chapel! I love the painting and the biblical history that is portrayed in the Chapel. This should definitely be on your bucket list."

The Sistine Chapel, located in the Apostolic Palace and famously adorned with Michelangelo's masterpieces, prohibits any kind of photography or video to preserve the artwork.

The official website explicitly states, “Taking pictures and filming videos in the Sistine Chapel is strictly prohibited.”

Martha Stewart's Sistine Chapel photos spark outrage online

Martha Stewart’s photos immediately drew backlash from her 2.4 million Instagram followers, with many calling her actions “disrespectful” and “disappointing".

One user said, "It must be nice to have special privileges. The rest of us are NEVER PERMITTED to take photos."

Another added, "Wow! My husband and I were there a few weeks ago and all tourists were told we were not allowed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel. I love Martha but this is a prime example of the privileged and wealthy having special treatment. Very disappointing."

Someone else noted, "Martha, you a baddie! You can’t take pictures in there."

A follower remarked, "The rules of NO PICTURES should apply to everyone. Those flashes can ruin the paintings. Please abide by the rules so the next generation can see it too. IJS"

One comment declared, "Why is that they let you take pictures? It’s just wrong!"

Another user observed, "So she’s allowed to take photos in there but regular people aren’t? That’s kind of bulls**t."Vatican Museums

As one person explained, "Amazing! We were told no Pics! But who dares to tell THEEE Martha Stewart that!"

Another simply stated, "Rich Privilege."

Martha Stewart shares glimpse of exclusive early morning Vatican tour

Earlier that day, Martha Stewart shared another post revealing that she and her family had secured an exclusive early morning tour of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel. Accompanying a photo of someone holding a set of keys, she wrote:

"The keys to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican museum — we went very, very early, 6.30 am, to visit the chapel in the quiet of the early morning. We had a one-hour guided tour of all the rooms and galleries and saw the treasures of the Vatican prior to viewing the chapel itself."

Stewart described the experience as “glorious,” noting that their guide was “eloquent and informative".

Stewart spent her Roman holiday exploring iconic landmarks with her family.

On Thanksgiving, she shared photos of the Trevi Fountain and mentioned a “night visit” to the Pantheon, marking the holiday with a distinctly Italian twist.

Out of several other posts, one read, "Wonderful after hours tour of the Coliseum in Rome Complete with cat sightings, stories of the ancient games and rituals we all loved the hour spent touring above ground and below!!"

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