Rafael Sanzio da Urbino (April 6 or March 28, 1483  April 6, 1520), The School of Athens, or Scuola di Atene in Italian, is one of the most famous paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1510 and 1511 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms now known as the Stanze di Rafael, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.