Curiosities

Behind the scenes, anecdotes and insights about the Vatican Secret Archives.

Golden seals in the Vatican Secret Archives

The calendar reform

Two pattern-books among political dispatches and diplomatic documents

The quill

The documents purloined by Napoleon Bonaparte

The papal matrix of
Benvenuto Cellini

What are seals made of?

The “heaviest” Archive item

The restoration of ink-related damage on paper

The keys for the coffer: the Schedario Garampi

Words that leave a mark: inks

What are seals?

The most ancient solemn papal document: the privilege

The importance of registers
of papal letters

The Tower of Winds

The Italic Hour

«Precious» drawings from the Borghese household

Ciphered Letters

Papal bulls

Archive sand

Regesta into the mud

An unusual find