Step inside the Vatican Apostolic Archives

Letter from Mary Queen of Scots

Included in the archives is a letter from Mary, the Queen of Scots, addressed to Pope Sixtus V. The letter was sent to the Pope months before her scheduled execution, where she requests him to save her life and free her from prison. Unfortunately, the Pope decided not to interpose and Mary was executed in 1587. 

Catholic Church’s excommunication of Martin Luther

Martin Luther was banned from the Catholic Church in the year 1521. The Vatican Archives contains a letter written by Pope Leo X on behalf of the papal bull, barring him from the Church. 

Minutes of the trials against the Knights Templar

During the Crusades, the Knights Templar enjoyed a prestigious life of wealth and privilege, which eventually came to be seen as a liability. Following this, Philip IV of France ordered all the Knights to be arrested on October 13, 1307. After being tortured for years, many declared themselves guilty of the crime and were burned at the stake. Minutes from the trial that lasted for several years were documented and kept in the archives. 

Notes from the trial against Galileo

One of the world’s most renowned scientists, Galileo, was the first to question the Catholic Church’s view about the movement of the earth. His observations led him to state that the Earth revolves around the sun for which he was arrested and spent the rest of his life imprisoned. The archives contain notes from his trial.  

Letters from Michelangelo 

The Vatican Archives contains a letter written by the renowned artist Michelangelo to the Pope warning him that the Vatican guards had not received their payment for three months. He also mentioned that as a result of this, the guards were threatening to quit. What happened as a result of this warning by the artist remains unclear. 

Henry VIII’s request for annulment from wife Catherine of Aragon 

One of the most treasured documents inside the archives is a letter from Henry VIII requesting the Pope for an annulment from his wife Catherine of Aragon. Henry was in love with Anne Boleyn and wished to marry her. His letter was also signed by 85 members of the clergy, including the Archbishop of Canterbury. Unfortunately, the Pope denied his request, after which he started his own church and gave himself a divorce. 

French Seizure

Late 18th Century

When Napoleon conquered states in Italy during the late 18th century, he demanded that the Pope submit pictures, statues, manuscripts, and more to the French Republic. These were to be chosen by French Agents, following which a treaty called the Treaty of Tolentino ordered for many other works to be handed over. When he became the Emperor in 1804, he had the complete archive transferred to Paris. 

Restoration of the Archive

After 1815

Fortunately, after Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the documents were returned to the Vatican. The French government, however, provided inadequate funding because of which the Vatican officials were forced to sell chunks of material to raise the money for transportation. It is believed that about one-third to one-fourth of the archives were not included in the documents that were returned. 

19th Century

Towards the second half of the 18th century, prefects of the Vatican Archives began publishing collections of documents. Eventually, scholars were granted access to the material, including manuscripts relating to the trial of Galileo. This was briefly interrupted during the dissolution of the Papal States in order to maintain restricted access to the archives. 

Pope Leo XIII appointed Cardinal Josef Hergenröther as the official archivist, who then went on to grant historians access to the archives. This access, however, remained limited to protect the Church from slander against Protestant researchers. In April 1883, Theodor von Sickel, the German Protestant historian, used documents in the archive to defend the Church against charges of forgery. Pleased by this outcome, this ultimately led to the archives being open to any research that was impartial and critical.  

Modern Era

Carlo Ginzburg, a respected historian, wrote a letter to Pope John Paul II in 1979 asking for the archives of the Holy Office to be opened. It was believed that this letter was crucial in the Vatican’s decision to open up its archives. 

The Vatican had developed several policies to limit access to certain records. One of these policies was that access to the archive would be granted only 75 years after the resignation of a Pope. Exceptions were made in certain situations, where scholars were allowed to look through relevant documents. 

Pope Francis in 2018 opened the archives to a group of journalists following the release of the movie Angels & Demons based on the novel by Dan Brown. This was done to disprove the depictions of the archives in the film. During that same year, the archives were accessible to look into the case of the former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was accused of having affairs with and sexually molesting young priests. Additionally, in 2002, scholars were also allowed to access documents relating to the Church’s involvement with the Nazi Party. 

Publications

The Vatican Apostolic Archives published a series of collections to aid and contribute to research and history. Collectanea is one such series published in 1968 which are closely related to the Archives itself with regard to its content and history. Digitization has also resulted in the reproduction of some of the oldest series of papal registers from centuries ago. 

Conservation and Restoration 

It is only natural that physical documents begin to degrade over time. With the aim of protecting the materials within the archive, the Restoration and Conservation Laboratory was established in 1958 and perfected its process in 1982. Using methods to physically restore documents, in addition to creating rooms with suitable lighting, temperature, and other factors have resulted in a successful process of conservation and restoration of the archives. 

Digital Acquisitions

For a while now, the Vatican Archives has been involved in the process of digitization of documents. This entails the acquisition, digitization, and classification of all the material. Doing this will not only make research easier, but it also means longer preservation of the archives without having to physically refer to them. 

Projects 

With the aim of preserving and documenting the massive information that resides in the Vatican Archives, several projects have been undertaken in recent years. These include collaborations with cultural organizations, companies, foundations, and the like, that are in keeping with the aim of restoration, digitization, and more of the documents.