Pope Benedict XVI announced that the Holy See intends to collaborate with contemporary artists. In the new churches built by the most advanced architects of our time, soon may have the religious works of art created by today's participants ArtBazelya. Pontifical Council for Culture has established a commission responsible for selection of artists that will be order of the religious content. These works will be shown at the next Venice Biennale, which runs from June 7 to 22 November 2009. Holy See for the first time will participate in the Biennale, which earlier called «disaster», demonstrating «breakdown of art of our time».

Now Holy See is seeking sponsors who would agree to fund this ambitious project. They say that one is already found. On it is known only that he lives in the UK.

Monsignor Gianfranco Ravazi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, spoke of the need to establish links between the Holy See and the world-famous contemporary artists. Support reputable artists will help bring a new flock in the church.

Christianity inspired artists to create great works of over fifteen hundred years. 500 years ago, Pope ordered the great works of artists who, in turn, become objects of worship. For example, Pope Julius II hired the great Michelangelo painted the ceiling for the Sistine Chapel. But with the rise of atheistic tendencies and the emergence of nefigurativnogo art collaboration between the Church and contemporary artists of equal opportunities for all '. In late 1960, Pope Paul VI made an attempt to reconcile the Holy See and contemporary art. In 1973, in the museums of the Vatican was opened department of contemporary art. In his collection, you can see works on religion, created by the great modernists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Gauguin, Auguste Rodin, etc., as well as mixed with the Christian point of view the work of Salvador Dali, the Italian Futurists, Francis Bacon . Paul VI also propose to use the works of contemporary artists at the time of the liturgy, but this idea has not found support among traditionally-minded priests.

Now, the Holy See again wants to inspire artists to create Christian works. Participation in the Venice Biennale will help create a context for the art. Works by contemporary artists will decorate the new church, such as Паломническая the Holy Father Pius Church in central Italy, built by the project in Paris's Pompidou Center Renzo Piano.

Monsignor Ravazi not yet opened, what specific artists will participate in the Biennale of the Holy See. But he said that the committee is looking for products that are similar in spirit to the work of British sculptor of Indian origin Anisha Kapoor. Kapoor is famous above all sculptures of simple forms of giant size and are often integrated into the architecture. Holy See is ready to accept not only traditional forms of art, but also its new varieties, such as video art. In 2005, in Milan Cathedral videos Via Dolorosa, shown without sound stage of The Christ film Franco Dzeffirelli «Jesus of Nazareth». The author of this project, Mark Uollinger may also take part in the Biennale of the Holy See.

Recently, increasingly contemporary art exhibitions are held in temples. The curator and journalist Dzhils Uoterfild said that places of worship would be the ideal place to display many works of modern art. According to him, one of the pieces worth the temple could be called The Weather Project (the project «Weather») - a giant sun, which is an artist from Iceland's Olafur Eliasson installed in 2003 in the turbine hall of Tate Modern gallery.

Of course, the idea of friendship with the Church of modern art is a mixed response. Many traditionally-minded Catholics are unhappy with the prospect of seeing the work of fashionable painters of their temples. Last year at the famous Cologne Cathedral appeared stained glass work of German artist Gerhard Richter, which caused controversial reactions. Stained-glass windows made in the abstract style, reminiscent of a set of pixels. Interestingly, the location of these pixels were computer generated. According to Richter, the artist in the process of non-placement of colorful squares Layout stained glass, symbol of the divine will, that defines how the product will look. But not all, such an approach is pleasant. Catholic Cardinal of Cologne Joachim Mayzner said that the decoration is suitable for a mosque or any house of prayer, but not for the cathedral.

However, that representatives of the Holy See will be a lot of artists willing to collaborate, little doubt. Now the Catholic Church attracted many new followers, thanks largely to the current Pope Benedicto XVI (acquire more and more popular after his recent visit to the United States) and his predecessor, John Paul II. Considerable interest in the «spiritual in art» also observed: for example, now at the Center Pompidou hosts large-scale exhibition «Traces holy» ( http://www.artinvestment.ru/news/exibitions/20080603_exhibition_in_pompidou.html ).

Sources: http://www.independent. co.uk , http://www.roma2000.it