A World of Art and Faith
Monday, December 7, 2009
Msgr. Terence E Hogan
On Saturday, November 21, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI gathered with some 260 representatives from the world of art. The Holy Father wanted to assure them of his desire that there continue to be an alliance between the world of culture and the Church. The meeting took place in the magnificent Sistine Chapel and these collaborators in the world of art and faith were surrounded by the works of Ghirlando, Botticelli, Perugino, and of course the splendour of Michelangelo’s Creation of the World and the Last Judgment.
For centuries, especially since the establishment of the Vatican museums by Pope Julius II in 1506, the Church has been the patron of artists. Over the centuries artists have been encouraged to express their talents so as to draw people toward a higher beauty leading them to the Eternal Truth. Painters, sculptors, poets, musicians and others have been engaged by the Church to sue their talents for the betterment of mankind.
The Vatican Museums is a collection of many various types of art, and remains a treasury of works not only from the distant past, but also from contemporary times It is visited by nearly 17,000 people each day. In order to maintain this priceless collection, the Vatican has established Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums whose purpose is to fund the restoration of the works found throughout the Vatican.
The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums (www.vaticanpatrons.org) is a most generous group of benefactors dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the vast and unique collection of art contained in the Vatican. The Patrons come from North America and Europe and have been in existence since 1982 when a major exhibition of Vatican art toured the United States. Restoration of the art contained in the exhibition was made possible by donors recognizing the unique opportunity to participate in the work of the Vatican Museums. One year later, the Patrons organization was officially launched. Since then Patrons worldwide have generously restored precious works of art and artefacts of history, thus allowing future generations to be inspired by the one of the world’s greatest treasures of art and culture.
Since its formation the Patrons have also been involved in other exhibits that travel from the Vatican to North America: Angels from the Vatican: the Invisible made Visible; and Saint Peter and the Vatican: the Legacy of the Popes, both of which came to South Florida.
There are countless examples of restoration that can be found on the Patron’s website. For example, the recent restoration of the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace is a grand testimony to the dedication and generosity of the Patrons. It was originally dedicated in 1540 by Pope Paul III and has been a place where popes were elected, the divine mysteries celebrated, and where Michelangelo painted his last two frescoes: the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter. The current restoration, inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI on July 4, 2009, took nearly four years to complete and was one of the most complex in the history of the Vatican Museums.
For example, the restoration laboratories of the Vatican Museums conducted a fluorescent UV investigation of the Chapel’s entire interior surface, revealing many intricate layers of the frescoes and stucco surfaces. In addition to the general overall restoration of the Chapel’s vaults, presbytery and altar, all important frescoes and painted marble designs were cleaned. This is but one example of the generosity of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums who assist the Church in continuing to maintain cultural and artistic treasures at the service and inspiration of the Church and of the world.
Msgr. Terence Hogan
North American Chaplain, Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums and
Archdiocesan Director, Office of Worship and Spiritual Life
