Choose Gnosis or St Peter's Christianity from the Sistine Chapel?

I wrote in my book at my discovery of a peculiar ceiling fresco in the Vatican museum and how I was unable to find it again despite visiting the Vatican on further occasions. I had assumed that I must have been lost at the time. It was a fresco of a woman sitting on a throne held aloft in the sky by cherubs. In one hand she holds a staff and in the other she holds ouroborous. The latter being a snake swallowing its own tail and forming a circle. It symbolises eternity and rebirth and is a symbol used in many esoteric settings. Above the woman's head is a pyramid containing the 'all seeing eye' also known as the eye of providence. This is the same symbol used on the US one dollar bill and throughout freemasonry.

On a recent return to the Vatican (both pleasure and business) I realised why I had failed to find it again. Within the world famous Sistine Chapel there are two exit doors. The right leads to St Peter's Basilica and the left leads back into the Vatican museums. On each visit previously I had taken the right hand door and not the left or sinestra (Italian). Sinestra means left but also sinister and is where the English word originates. So what was behind this sinister door? Gnosis. Almost immediately the ceiling frescos show a woman on a throne. It is the same woman as described earlier and in my book. In the first fresco she is wearing a large sun medallion or broach and in the second it is as described earlier with the pyramid, all seeing eye, and ouroborous. The alcoves feature various depictions of scenes and writing underneath referring to the pursuits of astronomy, philosophy, poetry, painting, algebra and so on. This was all clearly about human knowledge or Gnosis.

Here are some of the images.










I can only conclude that this is another contrast or contradiction. Take the left or sinister door to Gnosis? Take the right door to St Peter's Basilica and Christianity?

So here are my reflections and caveats. I do not know who the woman really is. I have some ideas only. I do not know who painted this nor when. I do not know if these two exit paths were conceived deliberately to create a form of knowledge versus faith contrast or choice. I'd be pleased to discuss theories however.

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