All that money to restore something that only a select few will get to see. And meanwhile Catholic churches in Massachusetts are being closed due to lack of funds. Of course the frescos should be restored. But it just doesn't seem right for the Vatican to beg for restoration money and then greedily keep the results to itself.

I enjoyed reading your blog,
Gienna
 

That's like asking everyone in the world to donate money to paint a mural in a bathroom somewhere- not many people are gonna see it.
 

Vatican City is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. If they want to restore PRIVATE frescos, they should pay for it themselves. I do love Da Vinci and his frescos should be restored, but why should the public pay if the public will never see the results?
 

Vatican City is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. If they want to restore PRIVATE frescos, they should pay for it themselves. I do love Da Vinci and his frescos should be restored, but why should the public pay if the public will never see the results?
 

I love art, and I married a Catholic but this type of thing just really burns my boots. Sure get the frescos renewed but for crying out loud, if the church was really behaving in a true Christian manner they would be selling those works to private collectors letting THEM recondition the frescos then give the proceeds of their sales to the poor and the ill.
Who knows, maybe they will sell them. One can only pray.
 

whatever the costs are... believe me, if you've been there, it's worth every penny. it's one of the most brilliant works ever made.
 

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oh... Megs, it's created by Michaelangelo and not, as you think, Leonardo da Vinci!
 

I disagree that only a select few will benefit from the restoration of Michelangelo's work in the Pauline Chapel. That might have been true at one time, but restored works such as these will be widely disseminated across the internet, and thus, to the world.

The cleaning of Michelangelo's Sistine frescoes caused scholars to re-evaluate his use of color, thought for so long to be muted. It was only after cleaning that we realized he actually used bright. vivid colors which were dimmed by smoke from the oil lamps within only a few decades of painting.

Who knows what newly cleaned Pauline frescoes will reveal? The Sistine Chapel after all was at one time the pope's private chapel. Perhaps the Vatican will put the Pauline Chapel on the tour as well if enough people demand it. Things do change, you know.

If the Vatican wants to solicit money specifically for such restoration, should people not be allowed to spend their own money how they want? If they're willing to give for that purpose, then that's where their donations should go.