Thousands of Australians are about to visit the Sistine Chapel - without travelling to Rome.
Instead, they will view the world's most iconic ceiling on the grounds of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney after the Vatican granted permission for high-resolution images of Michelangelo's frescoes to be projected digitally.
"That's the first time (permission) has been given for an exhibition like this," project curator Lawrence Qummou told AAP.
"This is the first time that the Archdiocese of Sydney has put together an artistic exhibition using technology and something on this grand scale.
"I think that there are a lot of critiques we can make about technology … but we want to use technology for the good, to honour things."
As the Catholic Church in Australia faces declining attendance at mass, social media has provided impetus to connect with younger generations.
Some 13,000 school students will visit the exhibition, which project lead Juliette Khoury says has been designed to educate people about the chapel's significance.
"We've made the Sistine Chapel accessible in an innovative way," she told AAP.
"So we've married art with innovation to make it accessible … breaking down those walls and presenting it in a way that's digestible."
Built between 1473 and 1481, the Sistine Chapel is famous for artworks such as Michelangelo's Creation of Adam and for being the location where new popes are elected.
Ms Khoury and her team spent years communicating with the Vatican to build trust and confidence in their vision for the exhibition.
The result is a new way to experience the Sistine Chapel, visited by millions of people each year.
The exhibition, in a large structure at the front of St Mary's Cathedral, features more than a projected recreation of the interior of the chapel, which is part of the Vatican Museums.
Visitors walk through different spaces and learn that Michelangelo's love of stone came from his wet nurse; the artworks' colours came from minerals mined in the mountains of Afghanistan; and the works are not layers of paint on the ceiling but, like a tattoo, have been ingrained permanently.
Once inside the digitised Sistine Chapel, visitors are allowed to do something not permitted in Rome: lie down.
"Our story starts in darkness - a silence so deep it had no name," a voice recounts as the walls darken and a theatrical experience unfolds.
The Sistine Chapel: Revelations runs from Saturday until July 19.
