(MENAFN- AzerNews) On October 17, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, visited Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City to review the progress of restoration work carried out with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of Saint Peter's Basilica, provided First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva with detailed information about the Basilica and the restoration process there.

The largest church in the world - Saint Peter's Basilica is considered the religious center of the Catholic world and is one of the four Papal basilicas in the Vatican. In terms of architecture, the church is one of the most outstanding buildings of humanity. While its foundation was laid in the 4th century, the current building represents the 16th-17th centuries.

The head of the Church is the Pope, and the management of the Vatican City State is entrusted to a Cardinal appointed by the head of the Holy See. That cardinal also holds the status of archbishop of the Vatican City State. Since February 20, 2021, Italian-born Cardinal Mauro Gambetti has been the head of Saint Peter's Basilica.

On February 28, 2019, an agreement was signed between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Saint Peter's Basilica on the restoration of the bas-relief of the "meeting between Pope Leo I and Hun Emperor Attila" located in the church and the "Tullius Zetus" mausoleum in the basilica's necropolis. Restoration work on the project has been completed.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archbishop of Saint Peter's Basilica, expressed his deep appreciation to First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the high-level and rapid implementation of the restoration work carried out in the church.

MENAFN18102025000195011045ID1110213661