Order of St Henry

ROM

In collaboration with the Catholic Church in the Vatican and the Pontifical Institute Santa Maria dell'Anima, the Order organised a historical and cultural trip to the Eternal City. The programme included a visit to the Holy Father's Wednesday audience in St. Peter's Square and a visit to both the Vatican Museums and the gardens.
At the invitation of Prince Prospero Colonna, visit to the Colonna Palace with its famous collection of paintings and the gallery, which at 73 metres long is considered the largest Baroque hall in the world. It is several metres longer than the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles! The Prince personally guided us through the marvellous rooms of the museum. After the tour, we were invited to a brunch on the terrace of the palace.
The delegation was invited by the Rector of the Anima to a gala dinner in the library. On this occasion, Rector Franz Xaver Brandmayr was honoured with the St. Heinrichsnadel by the Lord of the Order. In addition, Patricia Bouchenot Dechín from Paris was also awarded the pin for her services in designing and organising the exhibition "Splendeurs de la Cour de Saxe: Dresden a Versailles" in 2006 and her book "Le Roman de la Saxe", which was specially written for the occasion. The successful novel was intended to familiarise the French population with the history of the Wettins and Saxony. The dinner speaker was the young journalist Jan Benzt from Vatican News, who spoke about the customs of the Vatican under Pope Francis.
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