https://cdnimg.rg.ru/img/content/190/18/58/6p_vatican_d_850.jpg

In this unusual and unfamiliar for the legendary storage period, the correspondent “RG” was the first journalist who managed to meet an extended interview with the Director of the Vatican museums by Barbara Attai.

Ms. Yatta, how do you personally and your headed the Museum survived the 80-day lockdown, which covered all the inhabitants of Italy so suddenly and so mercilessly? Was there a point of confusion and misunderstanding in which direction to move on?

Barbara Yatta: I tried to use this difficult time to as much time to spend with the family. I was able to combine household chores and work in the Museum.

during the lockdown, the government of the Vatican and personally Pope Francis gave us great support and we built our activities in accordance with the taken decisions. Fortunately, the number of infections in the territory of the Vatican was a minor. We all had to slow down, not so that in our small state have any insurmountable problems, but because the whole world stopped for a while.

However, de facto, the Museum is not closed for quarantine, the majority of our employees all worked remotely from home, with the exception of Keeper of the keys, some guards and management. Almost every day we came to completely empty, a bit like a Ghost store, which I confess we sometimes even charmed. However, we admired such only at first, then came the realization that the mission, which serves as a Museum, is no more.

of Course, it is difficult for us to recover from this blow from the psychological point of view, our hearts are filled with fear. We have seen every day as people are dying, some of whom I was familiar, we never for a moment did not depart from the TV to be updated with the latest news. But then step by step we started to think about how to organize our work in a new environment. In the end, I decided to take this forced break to finish things, which haven’t always reached, for objective reasons, the hands have established work on the online catalog, our conservators were able to finish their reports and graphical sketches.

we were faced with a difficult question, how to transfer exhibition that was planned, as well as those who have already opened. In order not to put anyone else at risk of infection, was made a willful decision to keep our exhibits in the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, where just five days before the announcement of the quarantine, has opened the biggest exhibition of the year dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the death of the great Raphael.

Over the past months, we have been able to see that even such a powerful force, like a pandemic culture to not break ��ability. How did you manage to maintain contact with the audience, which, perhaps more than ever needed to switch to something light?

Barbara Yatta: oddly enough, we actually had to make special efforts in this direction. Thanks to the timely efforts of my colleagues, our site was already saturated with all the necessary information. Take, for example, virtual tours, of which we have on an online platform loaded with around 70. By and large, we had only to remind users about sections of the site that existed long before the pandemic. But the quarantine still inspired the creation of this wonderful initiative in Instagram “Art that soothes”. Within its framework every day we posted a new work, telling the story of its inception and other interesting details.

Museums of the Vatican occupy the fifth position in the ranking of the most visited museums in the world and even in the worst nightmares, few could have imagined that one day their long hallways are almost completely empty. You have already had the opportunity to count the damage caused by the coronavirus?

Barbara Yatta: Damage, no doubt caused impressive, but we have not yet counted, and frankly, I do not see in it special sense. I want to note that we were able, instead of a voucher, to bring our visitors real money that they spent to purchase tickets before the official announcement of the quarantine. We have done tremendous work, that to implement this plan. Glad that many of our guests decided to donate these funds to another of Saint Peter’s (financial assistance in favour of the Catholic Church – approx. “RG”).

Since the opening of the Vatican Museums has been more than 10 days. At the cash register when entering the store I saw a crowd of 40-50 people, which for obvious reasons does not go to any comparison with the former stream of tourists. A year ago, in critical periods, the number of art lovers could reach up to 40 thousand a day. You are satisfied with the new attendance?

Barbara Yatta: Data on attendance, in my opinion, very comforting. Of course, they reflect postpandemic reality, but we are very happy with the way passed the first day, and positive. The residents of Italy have a unique opportunity to enjoy priceless masterpieces from the papal collections in a relaxed environment, without having to Wade through the crowd. I fully admit that many of them probably never been in our store, so now is undoubtedly the best time to visit the Vatican museums!

at the entrance to the museums I have measured the temperature in the halls of the installed containers of disinfectant hand gel. What other measures have been adopted to guarantee the security of pposetitelei? How would You recommend guests to prepare for the trip to the vault?

Barbara Yatta: Visitors need only come to us masked and pre-book a visit online. The only way we will be able to regulate the flow and avoid excessive congestion. Maximum number of people that are allowed to enter every 15 minutes to the Museum, should not exceed 100. Everything else, regarding the implementation of hygiene standards and security, we take completely for themselves. For the strict implementation of all rules with us following the service health and hygiene of the Holy see. But well aware that in this good work it is also important not to overdo it. To this end, we formulated “the 10 commandments”, which clearly spelled out what not to do. For example, we are strongly opposed to abuse of disinfectants, overuse of which can harm not only our exhibits but also the people.

what about social distance? Thought the Florence Duomo, which has developed a special neck device indicating that the Museum staff about her abuse?

Barbara Yatta: Think that the devices we at this stage do not need, due to the lack of continues flows of tourists. In addition, we have a sufficient number of guardians who monitor compliance with social distance. So let’s say they are our most effective “device” (laughs).

I Remember in the old days, the Vatican museums have developed special routes, to cope with the flow of tourists. I guess now the question arose about creating the most safe from a medical point of view corridors, considering that the total length of the galleries is about seven kilometres?

Barbara Yatta: Brand all of our routes can now confidently be called safe. We were able to prepare properly and to leave open all the halls that functioned to quarantine.

Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed that the Vatican museums should be accessible to all. Before it was decided to provide free access to the vault for the doctors and nurses. Do you have any plans to expand this event, because not everyone today can afford to pay for a ticket 17 Euro?

Barbara Yatta: recently we have abandoned pre-collection size is four euros, which was levied when purchasing tickets online. I can guarantee that this allowance will not be long. In fairness, I note that the cost of visiting any other Museum to our level to much more expensive take, for example, the Louvre or Metro��liten. Nevertheless, I do not exclude that in the near future there will be initiatives similar to that which we proposed to our doctors.

2020 was supposed to go down in history as the year of Raphael. What activities you plan to implement in the remaining months?

Barbara Yatta: just a week before the announcement of the quarantine, we were lucky first for several centuries to put in the Sistine chapel all 10 precious and carefully guarded tapestries, created based on sketches by Raphael. And although they managed to enjoy an incredible amount of people, to our great joy, not one of them was infected. If for a moment rewind the tape back and think about what consequences it could bring, there is no doubt that we really were saved by the hand of God. Now all ten tapestries that are protected by special panels are placed in the eighth hall of the Pinakothek Vatican museums. With a new lighting you can see them much better than before.

June 1 after five years of restoration we opened the hall of Constantine, included in the so-called Raphael’s rooms. Our research confirmed what is stated in some historical sources. Two figures (allegories of Justice and friendship) at the Grand size and scale of the mural, which occupies three walls and is dedicated to the Roman Emperor Constantine, made in different technique and they managed to make Raphael before his sudden death in April 1520.

we had also scheduled an international conference and a series of presentations dedicated to Rafael that we were forced to move to the next year.

In the record of the Vatican vaults is successfully implemented, the project Tretyakov gallery. I know that you are in close contact with Mikhail Piotrovsky. It is hoped that in the foreseeable future will be born joint initiative of the Vatican Museums and the Hermitage?

Barbara Yatta: I managed recently to talk with Piotrovsky, during the online conference, which was attended by Directors of major museums around the world. Not yet ready to reveal all the cards, but we with Mikhail Borisovich working on a joint project, which was to be held in 2021, the year. Let’s see how things will develop….

these days, increasingly-repeated phrase: “our life will never be the same as before.” This also applies to the art world? How do you see the future of museums “podkarantinnoy” times?

Barbara Yatta: Many of my colleagues in the different countries concerned by the lack of financial support. Now each of us is forced to focus on the work inside their stores and on the valorisation of its collections and enhancing their value, including because of pandemic we will have some ��time can refuse to transfer art to other museums for temporary storage. It’s just a phase, which I hope will not last for the rest of our lives. But I am convinced that we need to use this time to review our vision.

Personally, I always struggled to Vatican museums visited would be a little less people than usual. This would allow the store to open up fully in front of your guests. Now is a great time to share our wealth with the locals. Therefore, I do not rule out that the completion of a pandemic might entail for the sector including positive changes. This experience may help us finally to appreciate the wonderful objects within our countries, which, given the futility of our lives, we had not previously noticed.