The World Monuments Fund and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Foundation are backing the conservation of one of the High Renaissance's most significant decorative cycles.The Vatican Museums have announced a major restoration of the western wing of the Second Loggia - known as the Raphael Loggia - in a project that will run for five years and is funded to the value of $5.5 million.  The launch was presented on Wednesday 24 June at the Galleria Lapidaria of the Vatican Museums. Raphael Loggia Designed by Raphael and decorated between 1517 and 1519 by his workshop for Pope Leo X de' Medici, the loggia is 65 metres long and four metres wide, divided into 13 bays each adorned with four biblical scenes on the vault.   The first 12 bays depict episodes from the Old Testament, the last from the New. The principal decorators were Giulio Romano, who was responsible for the biblical scenes, and Giovanni da Udine, who executed the botanical motifs, much of the grotesques, and the antique-style stucco work, with further grotesques attributed to Perin del Vaga.   The structure's condition has deteriorated significantly over time. In 1813–14, the eastern arcades were glazed under the supervision of Antonio Canova. This altered the loggia's microclimate, preventing adequate air circulation and causing moisture from the upper floor to stagnate.   The particular fragility of the painting techniques employed - dry applications on Roman stucco for the grotesques, tempera and lime finishes over fresco bases for the festoons and azurite grounds - has left the surface in a precarious state.   A pilot study on the sixth bay, conducted in two phases between 2019 and 2024, established the appropriate methodology for the full intervention. Laser technology Paolo Violini, head restorer at the Vatican Museums' Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings and Wooden Materials, has confirmed that laser cleaning technology - specifically an "active fibre" model - will be used to treat the delicate surfaces without the risks associated with chemical procedures. A team of more than 20 restorers will work across around 1,300 square metres of decorated surface.   The project is made possible through an agreement with the World Monuments Fund (WMF), supported by the Stephen A. Schwarzman Foundation, which has donated $14.275 million to WMF's broader initiative, "Legacy of Raphael: The Vatican and Beyond."   This wider programme encompasses the restoration, digital documentation, public outreach and a training programme in mural conservation for heritage professionals from around the world. Additional support for new lighting and glazing - which will filter ultraviolet rays and reduce heat - is being provided by the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.   Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, described the intervention as "a defining moment in the history of restoration as well as in the history of Italian Renaissance art," and expressed gratitude for the $5.5 million donation.