How high is the ceiling in the Sistine chapel?

Michelangelo was commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He was reluctant to take on the work because he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. The pope was adamant, leaving Michelangelo no choice but to accept the commission. However, a war with the French broke out, diverting the pope's attention, and Michelangelo fled from Rome to continue sculpting. In 1508 the pope returned to Rome victorious and summoned Michelangelo to return and begin work on the ceiling. He spent the next 4 years filling the ceiling with frescoes illustrating stories from Genesis, the narratives for which are flanked by the prophets, sybils, ignudi, pendentives, and ancestors of Christ. The project was harmful to his health; he suffered neck and back problems the rest of his life from looking up while painting (contrary to popular belief he was standing, not lying on his back). He also encountered throat and vision problems from the drippings of the wet plaster onto his face. At Michelangelo's behest, a design which had originally called for a dozen figures eventually comprised some three hundred. The frescoes were completed by 1512.