Jason Momoa has sparked a backlash after posting a series of photos from inside the Sistine Chapel – something tourists visiting the iconic landmark are not allowed to do.

The 42 year old man The iron ThroneThe actor posted several photos from inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Instagram to his 16.9 million followers, the first photos taken in front of The last judgement fresco by Renaissance artist Michelangelo, two videos showing the picturesque views outside, and another video of him touching one of the sculptures.

“I LOVE YOU ITALY, what a beautiful start to the day to enjoy ROMA.” he wrote for the caption of the post.

Any type of photography or filming inside the chapel is prohibited – but not for the reason you might think…

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Some think the ban is related to protecting famous works of art from flash photography, but that’s not true. The real reason is that in the 1980s the Vatican decided to let companies bid for access due to the high cost of a much-needed chapel renovation.

In the end, it was the Japanese company Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan that provided the funds and thus obtained the exclusive rights of photography, film and television for the renovations which lasted twenty years, according to Mental Floss.

This agreement did not allow ordinary tourists to take photos – although Nippon’s exclusive rights expired in 2019, photography and filming are still prohibited.

Due to this ban still in place, fans were surprised and disappointed to see Momoa able to break the rules and criticized the Aquaman actor in the comments.

One person said: “We can’t take pictures but of course celebrities can, nothing against Jason (love him) but that’s not fair.”

“So they left the rich and famous movie there, but we peasants can’t,” another person wrote.

Someone else added: ‘A little tired of the elite double standards that are imposed on us ordinary people.’

“You don’t touch the sculptures! So disrespectful,” replied a fourth person.

After receiving disapproval from people over his Sistine Chapel photo shoot, Momoa’s original post is still there, but he responded by posting an apology video on Instagram where he expressed his love for the Italy and explained how fans approached him, wanting a photo.

“I also just wanted to say, if you ever felt that I was disrespecting your culture, that was not my intention,” he said.

“I came here when I was 19 or 20 to really experience the Sistine Chapel and to come to the Vatican, and the Pieta is one of my favorites. I always wanted to, and now that I can, I made a wonderful donation to bring my friends and my team because we only had a few days off to discover these places.”

“And then I found out that people really wanted to take pictures with me, which was very strange, on a trip to the Vatican with all this wonder and they want to take pictures with me, which I don’t understand , but whatever, I did it,” the actor explained. “So I was very respectful and asked permission for what I thought was OK.

“I would never want to do anything to disrespect someone’s culture. So if I did, I apologize. It was not my intention,” Momoa added.

“I definitely paid to have this private moment and made a lovely donation to the church. I love you. I’m sorry if I offended you. My apologies.”

“I just want to send my absolute admiration for Italians and this beautiful country. [I also] I want to apologize for any disrespect,” Momoa wrote in the post’s caption and added, “I love your culture and your history.”

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