Famed Vatican passageway is getting its first major restoration in over 500 years

Famed Vatican passageway is getting its first major restoration in over 500 years The Vatican Museums announced Wednesday the launch of a five-year, $5.5 million initiative to clean and restore the Raphael Loggia - Bookmark A historically significant passageway within the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, adorned with intricate decorations attributed to Renaissance master Raphael and traversed by popes and presidents, is set to receive its first major restoration in over 500 years. The Vatican Museums announced Wednesday the launch of a five-year, $5.5 million initiative to clean and restore the Raphael Loggia. This 65-meter long, 4-meter wide corridor is celebrated as a pinnacle of Renaissance figurative art. Though not public, the windowed second-floor corridor offers a unique experience for select visitors to the pope or Secretariat of State. As they proceed to audiences, they are treated to stunning biblical scenes from both Old and New Testaments, alongside delicate botanical motifs in painting and stucco. Pope Leo XIV, who moved back into the Apostolic Palace after Pope Francis famously stayed away, has his private apartments upstairs and walks along the corridor when going to audiences. Raphael conceived the loggia's elaborate decoration between 1517 and 1519, one of his final commissions for Pope Leo X. It stands alongside his more recognized works, such as the recently restored Raphael Rooms and his tapestries, major attractions at the Vatican Museums. Deep within the Holy See’s inner sanctum, the passageway’s 13 arched bays are considered an extraordinary example of figurative painting, inspiring numerous copies, including a full-scale replica at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Until 1813, the Raphael Loggia was exposed to the elements, suffering damage from rain and environmental factors, according to Paolo Violini, head of painting restoration at the Vatican Museums. Even after windows were installed, artworks deteriorated due to trapped heat and humidity, resulting in a fragile state demanding specialized care. Restorers will employ hand-held lasers for a "dry" cleaning method to treat the stucco and wall paintings. This approach is crucial because the paints are water-soluble and would be further damaged by traditional cleaning techniques or chemical solvents, Violini explained. The restoration is a collaborative effort with the World Monuments Fund and is financed by the Stephen A. Schwarzman Foundation, a New York-based philanthropy. Stephen A. Schwarzman revealed the foundation's total contribution exceeds $14 million. This sum includes the $5.5 million for restoration, with the remainder allocated to digitizing images for public access, funding a documentary, and establishing an art restorer training program at a Swiss university. In conjunction with the restoration, the Vatican also plans to replace the loggia's arched windows with special glass designed to filter out harmful sun rays, ensuring long-term preservation.