The commitment of the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services of the Governorate

In preparation for the Conclave: the Sistine Chapel

The entire Church and the entire world are observing what is happening these days in the most famous and well-known chapel: the Sistine Chapel. To adapt it for the functions of the Conclave, not a single detail is left to chance. There is considerable expertise and professionalism behind its preparation, a monumental task requiring energy, organization and workers, including carpenters, electricians, plumbers, blacksmiths, constructors, fitters, upholsterers, cleaning staff – professional teams whose coordination is entrusted to the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services of the Governorate. Engineer Silvio Screpanti, Deputy Director of the Infrastructure Sector of the same Directorate, talks about it in this interview with www.vaticanstate.va  

What tasks await you in preparing for the Conclave?

The Directorate of Infrastructure and Services is heavily involved before, during and after the Conclave. Firstly, two main activities develop simultaneously: on the one hand, the preparation of the accommodations of the Cardinal electors with their support staff and on the other, the preparation of the Sistine Chapel for the administrative and collegial functions of the Cardinal electors.

The first activity begins in close collaboration with the head of the Domus Sanctae Marthae in identifying the available buildings and accommodations, followed by the preparation and updating of the floor plans, identifying details of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance including utilities to make the rooms fully adequate for accommodating the Cardinals, providing necessary furnishings and sanitation for all the rooms.

On this historic occasion, the commitment of the Directorate is particularly intense because the number of Cardinal electors has increased significantly, rising to more than 130. It was therefore necessary to determine and prepare a significant number of additional rooms and to study - together with the Master of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff - a layout of the floor plan of the Sistine Chapel that could accommodate the maximum number of voters, while ensuring compliance with the protocol and the comfort of the participants.

The other activities of this Directorate will concern the preparation of the famous stove that signals the election of a new pope, the blocking of the windows of the Apostolic Palace, the deactivation of all the technological devices and sensors that in recent years have been installed in the Sistine Chapel for the protection of the frescoes and the safety of visitors, and sealing all accesses to the perimeter of the Conclave. Finally, the Directorate will make its own service personnel available during the Conclave.

How many staff and what qualifications are required?

Management is currently employing over 40 internal workers, including carpenters, blacksmiths, constructors, fitters, upholsterers, cleaning staff, as well as approximately 20 support workers, from external companies. Over a dozen technicians are involved in the design, supervision of the works and coordination of worker safety, while the administrative staff accounts for costs and manages purchase orders.

During the event, 5 electricians and elevator operators, 5 heating and plumbing technicians and 2 upholsterers will be present in the Conclave. They all take an oath and will be in full-time service, staying overnight in the Vatican, without having contact with their families. Both experienced colleagues, who have participated in previous Conclaves and know the regulatory procedures and logistics, and younger colleagues, to whom they will “pass the baton” for the future, have been selected.

How does the work of your representatives take place, before, during and after the conclave?

The activities include the clearing, the painting and systems revision and the extraordinary cleaning of the accommodations assigned to the Cardinal electors and the support staff at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Ex Ospizio Santa Marta and the Ethiopian College, for a total of approximately 200 rooms.

In each building, the compartments are then created to ensure the isolation of the participants, using partitions, temporary doors and temporary blocking of some windows to eliminate intrusiveness.

Finally, the management takes care of setting up all the necessary furniture, at least the minimum equipment necessary to satisfy the needs of the occupants (bed, bedside table, wardrobe).

Inside the Sistine Chapel, with just one week available, all the technological systems are checked and a floor is installed to regularize the dimensions of the Chapel and allow the setting up of the furnishings required by the ceremonial. The tables for the Cardinal electors and the support staff are then set up. Both the floor and the tables are covered by the Floreria upholsterers. Support is provided for setting up the audiovisual system for the microphones and cameras of Vatican Media.

The stove is set up in the position foreseen by protocol and the flue is connected to the outside supported by a tube and joint truss.

The management staff also takes care, as per tradition, of the darkening of all the windows of the Apostolic Palace in the areas intended for the Conclave.

The day before the start of the Conclave, the management staff provides support for affixing about 80 lead seals to block accesses surrounding the Conclave.

The Floreria, in the meantime, prepares the entire setup of the window of the Hall of Blessings from which the new Pontiff will exit to greet the public, once elected and confirmed.

As mentioned, 12 people including technicians and upholsterers remain in the Conclave for technical support to guarantee the functionality of the electrical, lighting and thermo-hydraulic systems both in the Sistine Chapel and in the accommodations; they also provide assistance to the Masters of Ceremonies in the use of the stove and movement of furniture.

After the Conclave, both the Sistine Chapel and all the accommodations are dismantled just as quickly to allow the reopening of the Vatican Museums to the public and the return of the normal residents of the Domus Sanctae Marthae and the College who gave up their rooms during the Conclave. In the meantime, St. Peter’s Square is already being set up for the first solemn Mass with the new Pontiff.

What does it mean for you to contribute logistically to this historic event?

This special department of the Governorate proudly preserves the traditions for the preparation of the Conclave, which together with the Papal Funeral constitutes a key moment in the life of the Catholic Church and is always ready to make available its skills, passed down from colleague to colleague over the years, to ensure maximum timeliness, professionalism and effectiveness in the short period of time in which the work must be carried out.

What feelings animate those involved in this preparation?

It is particularly exciting to witness the dedication with which all colleagues carry out their work, each in their own field of expertise. Everyone has the perception of the fact that at this moment the Catholic Church presents itself to the world, and it is a source of pride to contribute to the image of sobriety, dignity and efficiency that must accompany the spiritual significance of the event.

Who takes care of the famous stove and if there is a problem who intervenes?

The Masters of Ceremonies have been trained in recent days by the management staff to use the stove correctly, and all the necessary smoke tests have been carried out with discretion. In any case, one of our expert technicians, locked in the Conclave, will remain for the entire duration of the voting in a small technical room near the Sistine Chapel, with a remote control for the stove (which is now activated electronically), ready to intervene promptly in case of need, so that no unforeseen event can hinder the famous and long-awaited white smoke.