On April 3, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. An exhibition of Marc Chagall's works from the Vatican collections is planned to be organised in Vitebsk. This initiative was put forward by the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, who met with the leadership of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee today, BELTA correspondent reports. "The works of this world-renowned master are kept both in the Vatican and in Germany and France. We will gladly organise such an exhibition," said the Archbishop. Claudio Gugerotti stressed that one of the most important goals of his trip is to pay tribute to Belarusian culture by honouring the memory of Marc Chagall, a native of Vitebsk and a world-famous artist. "On behalf of the Pope, I would like to lay flowers at his monument and visit the House-Museum to emphasise that for many centuries, the Belarusian land has been hospitable to various cultures and peoples," said the Vatican representative. The Archbishop's initiative was actively supported by the Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Vladimir Terentyev. "This is a wonderful proposal. We will gladly implement this project," said Vladimir Terentyev. The IV National Exhibition of Naïve Art Insita-2012, held today, marked the start of celebrations in honour of the 125th anniversary of Marc Chagall's birth in Vitebsk. Among the many events dedicated to the anniversary, the main ones will be the XXII Chagall Readings and Chagall's birthday itself, which will be celebrated in Vitebsk on July 7 and 8. The organisation of two plein-air painting sessions, a jubilee exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery, and a scientific conference at the Hermitage are also planned. -0-

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