(ZENIT News / Rome, 04.12.2025).- Professor Elvira Cajano has been appointed President of the Permanent Commission for the Protection of Historical and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See. The announcement was made on April 10 by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, marking a new chapter for the century-old institution charged with safeguarding some of the most treasured sites and artworks in Christendom.
Cajano, an esteemed architectural historian born in Parma in 1955, brings decades of expertise to her new role. With an academic background that bridges architecture, history, and conservation—earned at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”—she has long stood at the intersection of scholarship and public service. Her leadership roles within the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Heritage of Umbria, coupled with her tenure as a visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, position her uniquely to take on the complex responsibilities of the Commission.
More than an administrative role, the presidency of the Commission represents a stewardship of memory and meaning. Cajano succeeds Francesco Buranelli, a former director of the Vatican Museums and a leading figure in art conservation. Under Cajano’s direction, the Commission will continue to serve not only as a regulatory body but also as a cultural conscience for the Vatican—evaluating restoration projects, overseeing architectural developments, and shaping the ways sacred art is preserved and presented both within Vatican City and in extraterritorial sites under its jurisdiction.
The Commission itself has a long and evolving history. Founded in 1923 by Pope Pius XI, it was expanded under Pope Paul VI in 1965 to include oversight of the loan of art treasures for exhibitions—an increasingly vital task in an age of international collaboration and global audiences. In 2001, under Pope John Paul II, its responsibilities were further formalized and broadened with the enactment of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Today, the Commission operates at the nexus of theology, aesthetics, and public engagement, ensuring that the symbols and spaces of the faith are preserved not as relics of the past, but as living witnesses to a continuing tradition.
Professor Cajano’s academic work has consistently championed a nuanced understanding of restoration—not merely as repair, but as dialogue with time. Her writings emphasize the need to conserve without erasing history’s scars, and to honor the layered narratives that each monument silently carries.
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