News

Preservation works carried out with the contribution of the Northwest Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums

A day dedicated to studying the bronze statue of Hercules Mastai at the Vatican Museums

Hercules Mastai, the colossal bronze statue named after Pius IX, who included it among the collections of the Vatican Museums, has undergone a complex intervention to preserve it. The restoration project was possible thanks to the contribution of Rick and Lisa Altig of the Northwest Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. On Tuesday, 3 December, the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage held a workshop dedicated to furthering knowledge on “Hercules Mastai – From its Finding to its Restoration”, and to providing details of its restoration.

An interview with Antonio Boemo, coordinator of the project for the construction of the nativity scene from Grado, which will be on display in Saint Peter’s Square

Jesus is born in a lagoon surrounded by fog

The setting for the representation of the Nativity of Jesus in Saint Peter’s Square for Christmas 2024 is a lagoon filled with almost stagnant water, with swamp birds including mallards, seagulls, herons and sea swifts, and local flora, small islands and the unfaltering fog. The nativity scene is a replica of the evocative landscape of the Island of the Sun, where Grado is located. The town in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, is known as the daughter of Aquileia, but the mother of Venice.

Unveiling of a stamp to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chile

A dispute resolved with the mediation of the Holy See

The Governorate of Vatican City State has issued a stamp to commemorate the narrow escape of a conflict between Argentina and Chile over the sovereignty of islands in the southernmost tip of South America, which was resolved thanks to the mediation of the Holy See.

The stamp recalls the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chile, on 29 November 1984, in Vatican City, and pays homage to the unforgettable masterpiece in diplomacy achieved by Cardinal Antonio Samorè, personal envoy of John Paul II to the mediation.

Signing ceremony for two ambulances donated to the Directorate of Health and Hygiene

Two new fully-equipped mobile health vehicles for the Jubilee

With the official signing of the deed of gift for two new ambulances, the Governorate’s Directorate of Health and Hygiene is continuing its preparations for the upcoming Jubilee. The two emergency vehicles were donated by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and by the Futuro Salute ETS per nuovi modelli di welfare Foundation. The official ceremony took place on Friday morning, 22 November, at the Palace of the Governorate. The deed of gift was signed by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate, and by the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fra’ John Dunlap, and the President of the Foundation, Mr. Roberto Favaretto.

Christmas tree arrives in Saint Peter’s Square

On the morning of Thursday, 21 November, a 29-metre tall red fir tree from the Municipality of Ledro in Trento Region, was delivered to Saint Peter’s Square by special transport organized by the Santoni firm.

It will be raised on Friday, 22 November, and will be decorated with ornaments and lights by the Directorate for Infrastructures and Services of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

At the conclusion of the Christmas Season, wood from the tree will be used to make an art piece that will be displayed at “Ledro Land Art”,  which showcases installations made with natural materials, in the heart of Pur’s pine forest in Val di Ledro.

21 November: Presentation Of Mary To The Temple, Pro Orantibus Day

The witness of the Benedictine community residing in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery

On 21 November, the Church celebrates the Presentation of Mary to the Temple, which commemorates the Apocryphal Gospels’ account of the consecration of Our Lady to service in the Temple of Jerusalem. According to tradition, she was accompanied by her parents Joachim and Anne, and remained there until she was12 years old. The date of 21 November coincides with the day of the consecration of the New Church of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem, initiated by Byzantine Emperor Justinian 1, and completed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Peter.