RESTORATION OF THE VATICAN NECROPOLIS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 29, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Virgilio Noe, president of the Fabric of St. Peter's, and Franco Tato, managing director of ENEL (the Italian national electricity company), presented the recently completed restoration and illumination work in the tomb of St. Peter and the Vatican necropolis.

Peter's tomb lies within the Vatican necropolis, which is situated below St. Peter's Basilica. The work was undertaken with the aim of conserving the walls, stuccos and frescos, and of giving prominence, through suitable illumination, to the tomb of the first Pope and the other mausolea.

ENEL, through its "Light for Art" program, has financed the project, which has taken more than two years to accomplish. The results will allow visitors to see, in a different and more profound way, the colors and forms that were previously obscured.

A series of innovative technical solutions has made it possible for the illumination to be less intrusive, thus minimizing the process of photosynthesis. Another new system enables the illumination to be regulated, adapting it to the historical and architectural complexity of the site.

The websites www.enel.it and www.vatican.va will contain further information on the restoration and illumination works.

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