World Monuments Fund to Restore Vatican City’s Loggia of Raphael

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has initiated its first extensive conservation effort for the Loggia of Raphael in Vatican City, a significant milestone in the organization's 500-year history and its first collaboration with the Vatican City State. Leading a group of 20 conservators, chief restorer Paolo Violini employs advanced laser-cleaning techniques alongside a dry cleaning process to eliminate centuries of dirt while safeguarding delicate paint layers. The Loggia, finished in 1519, spans about 210 feet in length and 12 feet in width, featuring 13 vaulted bays adorned with Biblical imagery—12 from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament—created by Raphael's assistants Giulio Romano, Giovanni da Udine, and Perin del Vaga. This restoration will introduce new glass windows to minimize ultraviolet radiation and heat, as well as a new lighting system. This effort is part of a larger five-year project, Legacy of Raphael: The Vatican and Beyond, which also aims to restore High Renaissance wall paintings at Villa Imperiale in Pesaro, Italy. The Stephen A. Schwarzman Foundation has contributed $5.5 million, with support from Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.