Chapter History

For centuries, the Vatican Pontiffs have enacted a system of patronage of the arts in order to facilitate the creation of some of the most significant masterpieces in the history of art. One calls to mind Pope Julius II, who employed Michelangelo and Raphael to create the iconic frescoes of the Sistine Chapel and the School of Athens at the height of the Renaissance, the will to support an artistic legacy has always been at the heart of the Vatican’s idea for humanity.

Our PAVM Chapters trace their roots to Pope Paul VI and his desire to create a Vatican Collection of inspired Modern art. In 1969, Monsignor Pasquale Macchi, then secretary to Pope Paul VI (Later Archbishop of Loreto) came to the United States to curate such a collection. To assist the Vatican Museums in securing the art that the Vatican Museums’ curators wished to acquire, a committee was formed in New York City. The key person for this project was Executive Vice President Larry Fleischman, who successfully encouraged artists, art collectors, and foundations to contribute desired works. The work of the Committee in collecting art thinned after fifty-four acquisitions as space was limited in the Museums, but interest was already circulating in art conservation.

These same friends who aided in the acquiring of modern art for the Vatican also undertook the building of the first state-of-the-art marble restoration laboratory in the Vatican Museums. The second project of this committee was to inaugurate a great Vatican art exhibition in the United States. This exhibition happened from 1983-4 in New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco, and was a major success.  

Following that exhibition, several persons of goodwill and generosity interested not only in modern art but also in the conservation and restoration of older pieces wanted to help the Vatican Museums. To accommodate that work, a California group under the leadership of the Archbishops of San Francisco and Los Angeles was formed. It was Walter Persegati (Vatican), Monsignor Clark (New York), Father Miles Riley (California), and Father William Lion (Chicago) who toward the end of the tour decided that if the Friends of the Vatican Museums had remained dedicated to the Vatican Museums for nearly ten years and continued to do excellent work through generous donors, then there was room for an organization capable of attracting others inspired by the recent Vatican Museums exhibition who were prepared to help in the permanent support of patronage.

In 1983, the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums were formed in California and New York. In the following time, local patron chapters in sixteen states and nine countries were established. Through the generosity of over two thousand donors over a history of more than thirty-five years, the Patrons have accomplished the restoration of some of the most monumental works of art and architecture in the Vatican Museums, most notably the famous frescoes of the Raphael Rooms and the Gallery of the Maps, the Pauline Chapel, the Gallery of the Candelabras, the Vatican Gardens, the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs, and currently, Bramante’s Pinecone Courtyard.  In addition to these extensive endeavors, the Patrons have also restored hundreds of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and decorative arts. We support over 70% of the budget of the six different restoration laboratories in the Vatican Museums and apply our efforts and resources to all artistic aspects of the Holy See, such as the frescoes in the vaults of the Holy Stairs sanctuary, or the archaeological site unearthed beneath the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls.

In 2018 our chapter leaders from around the globe met with Pope Francis for a private audience in honor of our organization’s thirty-fifth anniversary. Acknowledging the significant contributions the Patrons had made in this period in restoration and conservation, the Holy Father said: “Your generosity over these years has contributed to the restoration of numerous art treasures held in the Vatican Museums. In this way you have continued a centuries-long tradition, imitating the achievements of those who contributed to the Church’s history through art. These works include the frescoes and sarcophagi in the catacombs, the great Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, and the masterpieces of Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini and Canova...In today’s troubled world, unfortunately so often torn and damaged by selfishness and the thirst for power, art represents, perhaps even more than in the past, a universal need because it is a source of harmony and peace.”   

 

Chapter Mission

The Patrons of the Arts are passionate about the arts’ ability to inspire, elevate, and reveal the human spirit. Our mission is to promote, restore, and conserve the artistic patrimony of the collections and buildings of the Vatican Museums. As an interfaith nonprofit organization, patrons are organized into regional chapters that further their members’ knowledge of these works of art through local events and Vatican Museums activities.

Patrons are dedicated to sustaining one of the oldest and most unconventional museums in the world. Unlike other major museums, the Vatican Museums receive no tax revenue from sponsoring the restoration of its treasures and therefore rely significantly on the generosity of our Patrons.

The Patrons enable the Vatican Museums to:

• Restore and conserve the works of art of the Holy See; 
• Convey the cultural, spiritual, and historic patrimony of the Vatican Museums; 
• Improve, enrich, and expand the Vatican Museum’s facilities and collections.

 

The annual membership fee is a tax-deductible donation used for restoration work, conservation projects, equipment for restoration laboratories, capital improvements, and the acquisition of art. You can become a member by check or money order using the Membership Form.