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PHOTOS: Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

The 115 cardinals responsible for electing a new Pope are currently inside the most beautiful chapel in the world, holding the most furiously guarded conclave on the planet.

Inside the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, the cardinals will cast their secret vote and choose a new leader for the 1.2 billion strong Roman Catholic population.

We bring you some breathtaking images from inside the Sistine Chapel -- a venue also known for the timeless masterpieces of mighty Italian painters like Raphael and Michelangelo.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

A member of The Swiss Guard closes the gate at the Arch of the Bells at St Peter's Basilica. 

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Cardinals and Bishops attend a concert by the Augsburg Cathedral Boys Choir and the Munich Residenz Orchestra in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Part of the Sistine Chapel is pictured at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

A security guard stands inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

People sit under the statue of St Peter, which is depicted holding the symbolic keys to the Roman Catholic church, after the Cardinals went into the Sistine Chapel for the conclave.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Newly installed tables for the ongoing conclave stand under Michaelangelo's frescoes in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Michaelangelo's frescoes line the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, after workers readied the premises before the conclave.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Journalist admire frescos by Sandro Botticelli (Left), Domenico Ghirlandaio and Cosimo Rosselli (Right)  December 10, after a news conference to present the fully restored 15th-century frescoes of the Sistine Chapel after completing a 20-year revamping of this famous chamber where cardinals huddle to elect their new Pope.

The operation, to clean marble works and frescoes on the side walls telling the stories of Moses and of Christ, enabled scholars to say with greater precision who painted what.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Part of the Sistine Chapel is pictured at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Security guards stand inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Frescos adorn the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

The Sistine Chapel is pictured at the Vatican

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Members of the fire and rescue service set a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Workers prepare the Sistine Chapel for the conclave at the Vatican.

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Inside the SECRET chamber of power at the Vatican

Staff at the Victoria and Albert Museum hang a tapestry designed by Raphael titled 'The Healing of the Lame Ma' in central London, September 3, 2010. Four of ten tapestries designed by Raphael for the Sistine Chapel are on show for the first time ever alongside their full sized designs; known as the Raphael Cartoons; which have been on display at the V & A since 1865.

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