100 priceless documents from the Vatican secret archives that date back to the eighth century, and span over more than a millennium, are to go on public display in Rome in February of 2012.The rare papers include confidential correspondence of princes, popes and some of the most significant historical figures, including Henry VIII and Martin Luther.
Most of the documents have been shielded for centuries in climate-controlled rooms in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, as well as a high-security underground bunker.
The unprecedented exhibition is to be held at Rome’s Capitoline Museums, and will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Secret Archives in their present form.
Lux in Arcana – Vatican Secret Archives
The exhibition has been named “Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed”, which translated means “Mysteries of Light”. It has been cited by organizers as an event that will “recount history through its sources”.In a report about the impending exhibition in the British broadsheet newspaper, The Independent, Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican’s spokesperson, said:
“It’s an exceptional event. Never have so many documents from the Secret Archive been allowed to leave the Vatican.”The Vatican is currently the smallest state in the world, and of course it is the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, with priests and nuns of varying nationalities making up the majority of the residential population.
The Vatican secret archive has also been a popular setting for many a fictional books and movies, encouraged, no doubt, by the religious romanticism of the place, and the many imposing buildings of the Vatican.
Will the Documents Set the Record Straight?
The most famous of those novels is Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”, whereby the author portrays the Holy Grail as containing the truth behind the bloodline of Jesus Christ.
It is this mystery and intrigue that will likely make this exhibit particularly appealing to the public. This historically unique exhibition is a place where visitors will be able to explore and prove or disprove the various legends and theories about these highly secretive documents.
From a British perspective, perhaps one of the most exciting documents to be featured in the exhibition will be a letter written by Mary Queen of Scots to Pope Sixtus V in November 1586, just a few weeks before she was executed for her alleged involvement in the plots against Elizabeth I.
According to The Independent, the letter, which was written in French, not only recounts the suffering Mary Queen of Scots had undergone during nearly 20 years of imprisonment in a number of castles and manor houses in England, but also that the tribunal that had condemned her to death for her alleged involvement in three plots to assassinate Elizabeth, had been illegitimate.
The life of Mary Queen of Scots, brimming with mystery, treachery, murder and an execution, has all the ingredients of a Hollywood thriller, hence the overwhelming public interest in this ancient letter. The letter will also be on public display for the first time ever during the “Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed” exhibition.
King Henry VIII and The Church of England
England’s King Henry VIII, who lived from 1492 to 1548 and had six wives who were each beheaded, was one of the most intriguing, fascinating and re-enacted monarchs in history.In 1507, Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was divorced so that the King could marry Anne Boleyn.
In 1530, the parchment document was sent to Pope Clement VIII, but failed to resolve the dispute, which eventually led to a schism and the founding of the Church of England.
Given the amount of interest and intrigue that has been maintained surrounding King Henry VIII and his six wives, an appeal by Parliament asking the Pope to annal Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, is expected to be another star attraction in the collection.
According to the “Lux in Arcana” website, the main objective of the exhibition is:
“The light [lux] piercing through the Archive’s innermost depths enlightens a reality which precludes a superficial knowledge and is only enjoyable by means of direct and concrete contact with the sources from the Archive, that opens the doors to the discovery of often unpublished history recounted in documents.”These never shown before documents from the Vatican secret archives will be on display from February until September this year, and will be enhanced by multimedia installations narrating the history of these truly fascinating ancient documents.
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