Medieval History
With millions of documents filling almost 53 miles of shelf space, the Vatican Secret Archives obviously still hold some secrets.
Despite the aura of mystery surrounding the archives, the Vatican actually encourages academics to research its holdings and has worked with a Belgian publishing house to bring 105 of the most important, or curious, documents to the public.
The coffee-table book, The Vatican Secret Archives, was published by VdH Books in Dutch, English, French and Italian.
Cardinal Raffaele Farina, the Vatican archivist, wrote in the introduction that he knows popular books and movies love to imply there are deep dark secrets intentionally hidden from public view.
But, as Bishop Sergio Pagano, prefect of the archives, explained, the "secret" in the archives' title comes from the Latin "secretum," meaning "personal" or "private."
In fact, Pope Leo XIII ordered the archives opened to researchers in 1881, and currently 60 to 80 scholars work there each day, poring over the parchments, ledgers, letters and texts.
Of the 105 high-quality reproductions there are 19 of which have never been published before. Among the documents reproduced in this volume are:
- Book Review: The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale Of Mystery, Death And Salvation
The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death and Salvation By Jon M. Sweeney Published by Image Books, 2012 Reviewed by Michael Walsh During the late Pope John Paul II?s long, drawn-out illness, one of the FAQs was, inevitably, can...
- Letters From Medieval Vatican To Azerbaijan Decoded
Three of the letters brought from Vatican archives to Azerbaijan last December were interpreted. Chief of translation and information department of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Institute of Manuscripts Farid Alekberli told APA. The letters...
- Jeremy Irons On Finding The Good Side Of Bad Guys
Jeremy Irons looked up from the latest tiny cigarette he?d rolled and raised an eyebrow. It?s amazing how much meaning some people can convey with one bit of facial hair. We?d been talking about the licentiousness of Rodrigo Borgia, the character Irons...
- Letter Of Sir William Wallace To Be Studied By Historians
A group of historians and archivists will be taking a closer look at a letter widely believed to have been in the possession of the medieval Scottish warrior Sir William Wallace. Scotland's Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop has asked the Keeper of the...
- Apologia For The Templars' Dissolution (without The Apology)
According to Reuters, the official papal transcripts of the Templars' trial will soon be released. They were recently "discovered" in the Vatican's Secret Archive in 2001 due to a misfiling of the documents. Don't rush to your local bookstore...
Medieval History
Book reproduces famous documents from the Vatican Secret Archives
With millions of documents filling almost 53 miles of shelf space, the Vatican Secret Archives obviously still hold some secrets.
Despite the aura of mystery surrounding the archives, the Vatican actually encourages academics to research its holdings and has worked with a Belgian publishing house to bring 105 of the most important, or curious, documents to the public.
The coffee-table book, The Vatican Secret Archives, was published by VdH Books in Dutch, English, French and Italian.
Cardinal Raffaele Farina, the Vatican archivist, wrote in the introduction that he knows popular books and movies love to imply there are deep dark secrets intentionally hidden from public view.
But, as Bishop Sergio Pagano, prefect of the archives, explained, the "secret" in the archives' title comes from the Latin "secretum," meaning "personal" or "private."
In fact, Pope Leo XIII ordered the archives opened to researchers in 1881, and currently 60 to 80 scholars work there each day, poring over the parchments, ledgers, letters and texts.
Of the 105 high-quality reproductions there are 19 of which have never been published before. Among the documents reproduced in this volume are:
- A 13th-century letter from the grandson of Ghengis Khan to Pope Innocent IV includes, in its seal, one of the earliest examples of written Mongolian. In the letter, the Mongol emperor orders the pope to "pay service and homage to us" (an invitation Innocent did not accept).
- One of the many reminders of the papacy's once-great geopolitical role is found in a 1493 bull of Pope Alexander VI, granting Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella dominion over the New World discovered by Columbus the previous year.
- A 1586 letter to Pope Sixtus V from Mary, Queen of Scots, was written a few months before she was beheaded for plotting against her cousin, England's Queen Elizabeth I. Mary asks forgiveness for her sins and warns the pope of treacherous cardinals.
- In a 1550 letter, Michelangelo complains that a long papal conclave has interrupted his work on the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, and he needs money.
- Book Review: The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale Of Mystery, Death And Salvation
The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death and Salvation By Jon M. Sweeney Published by Image Books, 2012 Reviewed by Michael Walsh During the late Pope John Paul II?s long, drawn-out illness, one of the FAQs was, inevitably, can...
- Letters From Medieval Vatican To Azerbaijan Decoded
Three of the letters brought from Vatican archives to Azerbaijan last December were interpreted. Chief of translation and information department of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Institute of Manuscripts Farid Alekberli told APA. The letters...
- Jeremy Irons On Finding The Good Side Of Bad Guys
Jeremy Irons looked up from the latest tiny cigarette he?d rolled and raised an eyebrow. It?s amazing how much meaning some people can convey with one bit of facial hair. We?d been talking about the licentiousness of Rodrigo Borgia, the character Irons...
- Letter Of Sir William Wallace To Be Studied By Historians
A group of historians and archivists will be taking a closer look at a letter widely believed to have been in the possession of the medieval Scottish warrior Sir William Wallace. Scotland's Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop has asked the Keeper of the...
- Apologia For The Templars' Dissolution (without The Apology)
According to Reuters, the official papal transcripts of the Templars' trial will soon be released. They were recently "discovered" in the Vatican's Secret Archive in 2001 due to a misfiling of the documents. Don't rush to your local bookstore...