Vatican Library

The Vatican Library is recognized as one of the largest libraries in the world. Its full name is the Vatican Apostolic Library. It has a rich history, which is covered in secrets and mysticism, which attracts the attention of people from all over the planet. It is believed that it appeared in the 4th century.

History of the Vatican Library

It was formed when archival documents, scrolls and handwritten church books began to be collected in the Lateran Palace of Rome, which was then the residence of the popes. But the official year of the library’s establishment is considered to be 1475, when Pope Sixtus IV issued the corresponding bull, that is, a decree sealed with a special seal.

In the 6th century, the Vatican secretary began to monitor the collection of manuscripts, and in the 8th century, a special position of the Vatican librarian appeared. At the beginning of the 17th century, the library had a separate building with secret materials, access to which was limited to most people. The length of the bookshelves of the Vatican Library is about 85 kilometers. They say in society that even the papal curia itself does not fully understand what secrets are kept there.

Secrecy of the Vatican Library

Not everyone is still allowed into the archive: to gain access to a number of sections, you need to write a motivated request explaining what you want to find in the library. No more than five thousand scientists get inside each year, each of whom is first inquired about. Such secrecy gives rise to a lot of rumors about the tomes stored in the mysterious library.

In 2012, some of the documents were declassified and put on public display at a special exhibition. This exhibition not only lifted the veil of secrecy, but made us wonder what was left behind the scenes. Among the interesting exhibits of the Vatican Library were such ancient documents as the protocol of the interrogation of Galileo, the verdict passed on Giordano Bruno, and the suicide letter of Marie Antoinette. The exhibits gave rise to even more rumors and legends about the artifacts stored on the shelves of this ancient library. Legends attribute to the Vatican Library the possession of the first Bible, secret documents of the Masonic lodge and even mysterious books of Indians containing evidence of aliens visiting Earth.

What secrets does the Vatican Library keep

Even without taking into account mysterious speculation, the library contains truly rare bibliographical items, for example, manuscripts with poems by Virgil, Homer and Aristotle. In addition to a rich collection of books, the Vatican Library contains coins more than two thousand years old, ancient frescoes and manuscripts. Among the interesting exhibits are Botticelli's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. Despite the fact that the secrets of the library were carefully guarded at all times, some volumes were still stolen. In 1996, an American art history professor was convicted of stealing several pages from an ancient volume of Petrarch's poems. The only person who can take books outside the library is the Pope. Now the building is equipped with multi-level alarm systems.

In 2010, a large-scale project began, during which library manuscripts are digitized and posted on the website digi.vatlib.it . The work is mainly carried out with specimens that are most in demand by scientists, as well as with valuable exhibits that are in danger of being lost. Among the digitized manuscripts on the site you can find, for example, Aztec writings and Japanese watercolor drawings of the 17th century.