7:34PM BST 16 Oct 2014
Pope Francis has for the first time allowed the Sistine Chapel to be rented out for a private corporate event, with the proceeds to go to charities working with the poor and homeless.
The concert, to be performed amid the splendour of Michelangelo's frescoes on Saturday, will be attended by a select group of about 40 high-paying tourists who have signed up to an exclusive tour of Italy organised by Porsche.
But as the unprecedented deal was announced, the Vatican announced that it would limit the number of visitors allowed inside the chapel to the current total of six million, amid fears that the frescoes are being damaged by the breath and sweat of so many tourists.
The Vatican would not divulge how much it will earn from the event, but the five-day tour of Rome arranged by the Porsche Travel Club costs up to 5,000 euros per head, meaning an overall price of 200,000 euros.
Participants are promised "a magnificent concert in the Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo".
The concert will be performed by a choir from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, which traces its origins back to the 16th century.
They will then sit down to a "gala dinner" in the midst of the Vatican Museums, "surrounded by masterpieces by world-famous artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael".
"It's a one-off event and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," a spokeswoman for the Porsche Travel Club told The Telegraph. "It will be the highlight of the trip."
The Pope is keen to put the Vatican's incomparable cultural heritage treasures to good use for the benefit of the needy.
Shortly after he was elected in March last year he called for a "poor Church for the poor".
Monsignor Paolo Nicolini, the administrative director of the Vatican Museums, said firms like Porsche would be asked to make a donation for the use of the Sistine Chapel, with the money then passed onto Catholic charities of the Pope's choice.
"It is an initiative which will support the Pope's charity projects. It is aimed at big companies which, through the payment of a fee, can contribute to charity activities," he said.
Concerts have been held in the Sistine Chapel before, but they have been for private Church audiences, including events held in honour of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
It is believed this is the first time that the chapel, which was built by Pope Sixtus IV between 1473 and 1484, has been leased out to a company for a commercial event.
The Vatican would not say whether it was planning to strike similar deals with other companies.
The restriction on visits to six million a year could mean the introduction of a reservations-only booking system, rather than the current free-for-all in which tourists can book visits online, through travel agencies or queue outside the gates of the tiny city state.
"I am convinced that the Vatican Museums, in particular the Sistine Chapel, have reached the maximum number of visitors possible," said Antonio Paolucci, the director of the Vatican Museums.
The chapel has been fitted with new lighting and climate control systems which are designed to reduce the damage to the delicate frescoes.
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