VATICAN CITY — The long tradition of Vatican patronage of the arts has given rise to such monuments to Christianity as St. Peter’s Basilica and Renaissance masterpieces including the Sistine Chapel.
Under Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy See is seeking to revive its cultural role, with plans to mount its own pavilion at the 2011 Venice Bienniale, the premiere international contemporary art festival, and start a “dialogue” with contemporary artists that hasn’t existed for decades.
