The Vatican Secret Archives which was officially founded by Paul V in 1612 is renowned as the world's most important and renowned historic research centres with an abundant and huge range of sources spanning centuries. An event of unprecedented scientific and media importance, the revealing of the Vatican Secret Archives is an event scholars and history fanatics have been waiting for.
One hundred original and priceless documents- antiquities, manuscript codices, parchments, strings and registers- from the archives will be housed and displayed at the Capitoline Museums in Rome; it'll be the first and probably the only time in history in which those antiquities will leave the confines of the Vatican City walls. Treasured in the Vatican Secret Archives for centuries, those antiquities are records of an extraordinary historical value, which date back to a time-span that stretches from the 8th to the 20th century.
Dubbed "Lux in Arcana," this exhibition is an attempt by the Vatican to explain and describe what they Pope's archives are and how they work, thereby "making the invisible visible." Some of the antiquities on display are a new discovery to the world, in the sense that they were never published and are often documents that recount history, and historical events that passed. Enriched by multimedia installations and a historical narration guide, the exhibition will allow visitors to experience some famous events from the past and to "relive the documents that will come to life with tales of the context and the people involved."
Of the documents on display, some of the most facinating are documents that describe the inquisition of Galileo Galilei, documents that order for Martin Luther's excommunication, and the case against the Knights Templar. Also on display is a parchment that was found hidden in a Vatican Chair in 1926 that was communicated from 83 English Lords that seek annulment for King Henry VII so he could marry Anne Boleyn; the Papal Disapproval of this event led to the Reformation in Britain.
It's not just another historic exhibition, it's a piece of history that is being revealed for the first time to the masses. This exhibition will end September 9th 2012. A must for anyone visiting Rome!
For more information, check out their website.
– Staff Writer
Image Credits: Lux in Arcana
