The Mosaic Restoration Laboratory was established at the end of the 1930s not only for the conservation of the works within the Vatican Museums, but also for the protection of all the mosaics present in the territory of the Holy See, with the exception of those in St. Peter’s Basilica, which are instead the competence of the Reverend Fabric of St. Peter.
The first director of the Laboratory was the mosaicist Romualdo Mattia, followed in 1952 by his brother Pio, with the collaboration of his nephew Renato, who succeeded him after his death in 1971, remaining in the role until 1978.
In 1993 the restorer Roberto Cassio, heir to a long family tradition in the art of mosaics, took on the role of leading and coordinating the Laboratory up to the present day.
The new management gave a renewed impetus to the structure through the study and adoption of different restoration methods, according increasing importance to the work and its conservation with respect for its originality.
The Laboratory is composed of the coordinator and another two professional restorers.