The opening of the Vatican catacombs of Saints Marcellino and Pietro, restored on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, took place on February 23rd. The restoration of the Holy Roman catacombs was realized on the basis of a bilateral agreement signed in 2012 between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Holy See. The First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva attended the ceremony. Professor Fabrizio Bisconti expressed her special gratitude for the attention to the restoration of the Roman catacombs. After telling about the history of the catacombs, Bisconti said that they have great significance for the entire Christian world. "With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation we have managed to preserve the historic area,'' Bisconti said.
The Chairman of the Vatican Council for Culture, Cardinal Ravasi Dzhafranko, stressed that the Marcellino and Pietro Catacombs are of great spiritual value to world culture, especially for Christians. The Heydar Aliyev Fund of Azerbaijan provided great support from the Muslim country for the preservation of spiritual values. Cardinal Ravasi said that he addressed Christians all over the world in connection with the restoration of the catacombs, which were faced with the threat of destruction, but he didn't receive a positive response. Only the Heydar Aliyev Foundation responded to this call.
"Azerbaijan and the Holy See established a very good brotherhood, friendship. The cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of the Vatican in the humanitarian sphere is part of our mutual cooperation." Cardinal Ravasi has a special role in strengthening this cooperation. He proposed the restoration of the catacombs of Saints Marcellino and Pietro, and we have brought this project together to completion. In 2014 I was lucky enough to see the catacombs, and I experienced unforgettable feelings. I received information about restoration works carried out there and saw how to use modern technologies and the delicate handiwork of the people who worked there. Taking this opportunity into account I want to express my deep appreciation to all who participated in the restoration of the catacombs, especially Professor Bisconti," Mehriban Aliyeva said.
She recalled that Azerbaijan has always been a place of contacts and communication of different cultures and civilizations. The geographical location influenced the cultural diversity of the country, located between Asia and Europe. Throughout history, representatives of different religions, cultures and ethnic groups lived on this ancient land in peace, brotherhood and respect. This atmosphere was forming for thousands of years and it was preserved in the Azerbaijani society.
Today, Azerbaijan is a multinational, multi-religious country, and ideas of tolerance are very strong in the community once again. There has never been and never will be confrontations on religious grounds. The government's policy is that religious relations are built on very healthy grounds. "Together we conduct all religious events and holidays. Our religious leaders always demonstrate unity. Certainly, the prevailing social atmosphere of tolerance is a way of life of the Azerbaijani people. Unfortunately, recently inter-religious relations have been experiencing crisis and we see a strengthening of such tendencies as islamophobia, xenophobia and anti-semitism. Bloody clashes, conflicts on religious grounds take place. Thousands of innocent people are killed, millions of people forced to leave their homes, become refugees and internally displaced persons. At the same time, borders are closed and anti-immigrant tendencies are reinforced. I am sure that these things bother all of us and today's message from Azerbaijan is that multiculturalism is possible,'' Mehriban Aliyeva said.
People who belong to different religions and nationalities, representatives of different cultures can live together in peace and brotherhood, as in Azerbaijan. The country is not only an integral part of the Muslim world, but it also maintains strong ties with European countries. Azerbaijan is one if the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Council of Europe. This year was declared in the country as the Year of Multiculturalism and the 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations is to take place in Baku in April.
The first European Games successfully took place in Baku in 2015, which were attended by over 6000 athletes from 50 European countries. In 2017 Baku will host the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games. It proves the fact that we have the same approach to western and eastern values and make no distinctions.
"I am very happy that today we are completing the project, and at the same time we give a start to the next one. It means that our cooperation continues. I believe that such relations and ties have the most effective and noble form of inter-religious relations. Today I am proud that Azerbaijan contributed to the restoration of the catacombs of Saints Marcellino and Pietro, which have a particular place among the Christian monuments due to its history and cultural values,'' the First Lady of Azerbaijan said.
After the presentation she familiarized herself with masterpieces in the Museum of the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, one of the most famous museums in the Italian capital with classical collections of world art. There are samples of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, coins and gold embroidery relating to the period of the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD of the Roman culture. The history, mythology and everyday life of ancient Rome can be seen in the museum. Among the valuable exhibits are ancient Greek statues and portraits relating to the period of the Republic and the Empire, the sculpture of August Pontiff Massimo. Exhibits reflecting the design of the houses of the rich Roman estates, as well as collections of coins, jewels and furniture of that time are represented in the museum.
The First Lady of Azerbaijan and Cardinal Ravasi cut the ribbon that symbolized the opening of the catacombs after their restoration.
Restoration works carried out since 2012 were done at the highest level. Innovative methods and modern technologies were used during the restoration.
The catacombs of Saints Marcellino and Pietro from the viewpoint of history and architecture have a special place among the oldest Christian monuments. Almost 60 catacombs near Rome are considered to be the most important and interesting monuments for the Christian world. The restoration works have increased the value of the catacombs, which are considered as examples of the artistic heritage of Rome. Funeral galleries, located in Rome at the St. Sebastian's Church, were formerly known as the catacombs. In general, the most famous catacombs were in Italy during the period of early Christianity. Roman catacombs had very ancient networks. According to estimates, the length of the catacombs were about 150-170 kilometers, about 750,000 people were buried here. The catacombs attract attention due to the interesting building style. People were buried according to their statuses and positions in society. After the 9th century the number of visitors to the Roman catacombs fell. There was no information about them for 600 years. The study of the catacombs resumed in the 16th century. Workers who performed excavation works in 1578 found stone slabs with inscriptions and images.
Since the 19th century research works were widely resumed in the catacombs. According to historical sources, the catacombs were used in the 2nd to 4th centuries by Christians for worship and funeral ceremonies.
The implementation of the project by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation regarding the restoration of the catacombs is regarded as a contribution of the Muslim world to the holy sites of Christendom. Thus, the contribution to the art and spiritual values of the Christian world by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation that operates in the Muslim world, is the first such event in the history of Rome. This is due to the historical role that Azerbaijan plays in improving relations between religions and cultures.
