The Association
Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums is a voluntary and non-profit association, established under the aegis of the Holy See, which aims to finance the conservation and restoration of works from the papal collections. Its main headquarters is in the Vatican and secondary headquarters are in three continents: North America (16 chapters), Europe (4 chapters, including ours) and Asia (1 chapter).
Our Chapter is located in the south of France, in Menton and brings together the territories of the Côte d’Azur and Monaco.
The Côte d'Azur (in Occitan: Couosto d'Azur [ˈkɔst' daˈzyʁ] or [ˈkwast' daˈzyʁ]) is an invention of literary origin designating a portion of coast to the east of the French Mediterranean coast including the Principality of Monaco .
To describe the Côte d’Azur it is enough to quote Claude Monet: “It’s so beautiful here, so clear, so luminous! We swim in the blue air, it's even scary. I live in a magical land. I don't know where to turn, everything is superb and I would like to do it all; also I use and waste a lot of colors, because there are tests to be made, this country is a whole new study for me”.
Being a non-administrative name but of literary origin, the Côte d'Azur does not have a clear and indisputable delimitation, but it is established in a conventional way and includes the territory which goes from Menton to Marseille, Monaco included. .
At the beginning, our association was headquartered in Monaco, a country with a philanthropic vocation. In 2024 it established its headquarters in France, in Menton, to cover a larger territory.
Headquarters
The Palais des Ambassadeurs is a prestigious Belle Époque building built in Menton in 1865 by Gustave Eiffel. Our Association is headquartered here, but also the Biennale of Contemporary Sacred Art. This Palace is the setting for numerous art exhibitions which take place throughout the year and a Spiritual Book Fair which takes place every year in September.
The president
Liana Marabini, Italian resident in Monaco since 1992, is president of the Association. Philanthropist, writer, editor, director and film producer, she loves art in all its forms and helps artists around the world. She is president of the Biennale of Contemporary Sacred Art (BACS) www.biennale-bacs.com
She considers the Church to be the greatest patron of all times and believes that we must help this institution continue to be so: “I love the Church and its capacity to be such a wonderful benefactor. Yes, the Church is the greatest patron of all time: who would Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Bramante and many others be without the works they did for the Church?
Helping the Vatican Museums preserve the papal collections brings us into eternity, in a way: this eternity that only the Church can offer. We must be worthy of her.”
Liana MARABINI, president of the Monaco Chapter of Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums