Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijani First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva met Pope Francis as part of her visit to Italy on June 2.

Aliyeva hailed the relations between Azerbaijan and the Vatican and called for expansion of the bilateral cooperation in preserving two sides' cultural heritage.

During the meeting, the first lady also provided an insight into Heydar Aliyev Foundation's projects both in Azerbaijan and abroad.

She said the foundation had carried out considerable works in a number of areas, including social and humanitarian ones.

Aliyeva highlighted what had been done to improve the social conditions of the Azerbaijanis who became IDPs and refugees as a result of the Armenian military aggression.

She recalled the historical visit of late Pope John Paul II to Azerbaijan in 2002, noting the visit contributed to developing bilateral cooperation between the two sides. Aliyeva also invited Pope Francis to visit Azerbaijan.

Pope Francis accepted the invitation and noted he was well aware of the multifaceted activities of Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

He lauded the personal initiative and role of Mehriban Aliyeva in projects implemented by the foundation.

Pope Francis said Vatican was interested in expanding bilateral ties with Azerbaijan and praised the activities of Mehriban Aliyeva on this front.

Pope Francis hailed the contributions of Heydar Aliyev Foundation to restoring the Holy Roman catacombs.

The first lady noted such projects would continue in future, adding she would try her best to expand the scope of the foundation`s activities in Vatican.

First Lady views Vatican Apostolic Library

As part of the visit, Azerbaijani first lady made a tour of Vatican Apostolic Library.

Director of the Vatican Apostolic Library Jean-Louis Brugues informed the first lady about the library's activities.

It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. The library, formally established in 1475 - though it seems much older - has 75,000 codices from throughout history.

Vatican announced that NTT Data Corporation and the library concluded an agreement to digitize approximately 3,000 of the library`s manuscripts within four years on March 20, 2014. There is also a plan to digitizing another 79,000 of the library`s holdings. They will be available in high-definition images on the library`s website.

Today, the library holds some 75,000 manuscripts and over 1.1 million printed books, which include some 8,500 incunabula. The Vatican Secret Archives were separated from the library at the beginning of the 17th century. They contain another 150,000 items.

Among the most famous holdings of the library is the Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209, the oldest known nearly complete manuscript of the Bible. The Secret History of Procopius was discovered in the library and published in 1623.

The Vatican Library is a library for researches on history, law, philosophy, science and theology. It is open to anyone who is searching in related areas. Photocopies of pages from books published between 1801 and 1990 can be requested in person or by mail for private study.

The library closed on July 17, 2007, but reopened on September 20, 2010. A school of Library Science is set up near the library.

In 1959, a film library was established. This is not to be confused with the Vatican Film Library, which was established in 1953 at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 2012, plans were announced to digitize a million pages of material from the Vatican Library in collaboration with the Bodleian Library. The London-based Polonsky Foundation has allocated a specific budget for pressing ahead with the project.

Mehriban Aliyeva was also briefed on the library`s activities, technical resources, as well as the projects implemented jointly with Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

A number of manuscripts, including those related to Azerbaijan and Caucasus region were restored with the support of the foundation.

Vatican presented the first lady the restored versions of about 50 ancient manuscripts.

The Vatican Secret Archive is adjacent to the Apostolic Library and houses important historical collections of the Congregations and Offices of the Roman Curia, as well as noble Roman families and, since 1660, the correspondence of the Secretariat of State. A Vatican school of Paleography, Diplomacy and Archive Administration is associated with the Archive.

In 2012, copies of letters featuring correspondence between the rulers of the Azerbaijani dynasties of Elkhanates, Eldiguzids, Ag Qoyunlu and Safavids with the Rome Popes, as well as secret reports of the Vatican missioners about the political movements in Azerbaijan were donated to Azerbaijan.

A total of 60 ancient manuscripts about Azerbaijan were found at the Vatican Apostolic Library.

Azerbaijani first lady and director of the Vatican Apostolic Library then signed an agreement on "Restoration and digitalization of manuscripts in 2015-2016".

Brugues thanked Aliyeva for this initiative, and expressed hope that the bilateral cooperation would continue to develop even further.

Aliyeva said Heydar Aliyev Foundation was pleased to support the restoration of the ancient manuscripts.

First Lady meets President of Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology

Mehriban Aliyeva also met President of the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology Gianfranco Ravasi on June 2.

Ravasi noted, he enjoyed an excellent hospitality during his visit to Azerbaijan. He recalled President Ilham Aliyev's conferring Friendship Order upon him for his contributions to developing cultural relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See.

Ravasi praised the contribution of Azerbaijani First Lady and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva to developing Vatican-Azerbaijan relations and restoring the Holy Roman Catacombs.

Aliyeva said she was pleased to be visiting the Vatican, stressing her meeting with Pope Francis would contribute to expanding bilateral relations between the two sides.

Calling Cardinal Ravasi a friend of Azerbaijan, the first lady conveyed President Ilham Aliyev's greetings to him and invited him to visit Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani first lady hailed joint projects with the Holy See, saying the foundation attached particular importance to restoring universally important monuments around the world.

Roman catacombs under restoration with the support of Heydar Aliyev Foundation

The first lady also familiarized with the mausoleum of St. Helena and the Roman catacombs in the Vatican, under restoration with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Mehriban Aliyeva was informed that the mausoleum was built in honor of the mother of Emperor Constantine - Empress Helena. The mausoleum demonstrates many interesting exhibits.

Antiquities relating to the time, as well as belonging to Saint Helena, were discovered during the excavations in the catacombs of the mausoleum. These items are of great importance from a historical perspective are preserved now.

After getting acquainted with the Roman catacombs Aliyeva said the catacombs of saint Marcellino and Pietro that occupy a special place among the ancient Christian monuments are not yet fully investigated from historical and architectural point of view.

Among the nearly 60 catacombs located around Rome, these catacombs are the most important monuments of the Christian world. The ongoing restoration increases further the importance of the catacombs, which are fine examples of artistic heritage of Rome.

This project is regarded as a contribution of the Muslim world to the holy sites of Christianity.

The contribution of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation acting in a Muslim country in art and spiritual values ​​of the Christian world is the first event in the history of Rome, and it is connected with the historical role of Azerbaijan in the dialogue between religions and cultures.

The restoration of Holy Roman catacombs is carried out in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed in 2012 between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Holy See.

The efforts of the foundation are regarded by Italian media and the public as one of the most important contributions to the development of interreligious and intercultural dialogue.