Azerbaijan, Vatican sign two agreements
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijani First Lady and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva visited Pio-Clementino Museum in Vatican as part of her visit to Italy on June 3.
The first lady also met Secretary General of Vatican Governorate, Archbishop Vergez Alzaga who expressed confidence that cooperation between Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Vatican Museum would be expanded.
The sides signed two agreements on restoration of a monument to Zeus, and reconstruction of Sistine Chapel at Vatican Museum.
The Pio-Clementino Museum originally contains pieces from the Renaissance and antique ages.
The nucleus of the pontifical collections of classical sculpture is part of the original collection of Pope Julius II dating back to 1503-1513 which was housed in the Cortile delle Statue. Today they are held in the Octagonal Court.
During the second half of the 18th century, the pontifical collections were enormously expanded both as a result of excavations being carried out in Rome and Lazio, and by donations from collectors and antiquaries.
The influence of Enlightenment philosophy resulted in the inauguration of a museum in the modern sense which was open to the public and explicitly charged with the task of safeguarding antique works of art. It also promoted researches on them.
The Museum was called Pio Clementino after the two popes who oversaw its foundation: Clement XIV Ganganelli (1769-1774) and Pius VI Braschi (1775-1799).
The museum consists of several large exhibition halls. The founders combined pre-existing rooms with new constructions both within and adjacent to the small Belvedere Palace of Innocent VIII (1484-92).
The antique sculptures were brought into the museum and ancient Roman pieces were often restored. The neo-classical architecture was completed under the direction of Alessandro Dori, Michelangelo Simonetti and Giuseppe Camporese. It was embellished by a large number of painters and decorators.
Based on the Treaty of Tolentino, the Papal States were forced to hand over original masterpieces to Napoleon in Paris. Much later, following the defeat of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna and thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Antonio Canova, the greater part of the works were recovered.
The Vatican Museums are the museums of the Vatican City and are located within the city's boundaries. They display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.
Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century. The Sistine Chapel with its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo and the Stanze della Segnatura decorated by Raphael are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums. The Vatican Museums broke attendance records in 2011 with just over 5 million people.
There are 54 galleries or salas, in total, with the Sistine Chapel, notably, being the very last sala within the Museum.
First Lady meets Rome Mayor
Mehriban Aliyeva has also met the Mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino on June 3.
The Mayor of Rome praised Italy-Azerbaijan relations. Marino said the two countries enjoyed wide relations in a variety of fields, including humanitarian, economic, political and energy ones.
He said Azerbaijan was a country of ancient and rich culture, and praised what the Heydar Aliyev Foundation had done to promote culture.
Moreover, Marino praised the Heydar Aliyev Foundation`s contribution to repairing the Hall of the Philosophers at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
In turn, Aliyeva stressed the importance of the meetings she had during her visit to Italy and highlighted the foundation`s projects in Vatican.
The first lady once again thanked mayor of Rome for the erection of a monument to Nizami Ganjavi in the Italian capital.
Aliyeva invited Marino to visit Azerbaijan, and the mayor accepted the invitation.
The sides discussed prospects for expanding Azerbaijan-Italy relations.
The first lady was informed of the archaeological excavations recently launched on the Alezandrina Street in Rome. Marino said they wanted to implement the project in partnership with Azerbaijan.
Aliyeva said the Heydar Aliyev Foundation is interested in carrying out projects in the fields of science and culture in Italy.