Pope Clement XI
![Portrait by an unknown Italian School artist, 18th century, [[Vatican Museums]]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Portrait_of_Pope_Clement_XI_Albani_%28Vatican_Museums_-_Musei_Vaticani%2C_Vatican%29.jpg)
Clement XI was a patron of the arts and of science. He was also a great benefactor of the Vatican Library; his interest in archaeology is credited with saving much of Rome's antiquity. He authorized expeditions which succeeded in rediscovering various ancient Christian writings and authorized excavations of the Roman catacombs. Provided by Wikipedia