An Italian word signifying room, chamber, apartment. In English the term is chiefly used for Raphael's celebrated Stanze in the Vatican Palace, four in number, the walls of which were frescoed by Raphael and his pupils. The paintings in these chambers by Raphael's own hand belong to the most sublime monuments of Italian art, and rank with Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. For a description of the paintings consult the articles Raphael; Vatican.