As of November 2018, the Vatican Museums’ archive had launched an online digitization project making rare manuscripts, prints, and drawings freely accessible to the public. The initiative represents a broader trend among major cultural institutions worldwide to digitize collections, following similar efforts by the Royal Collection Trust, MoMA, and the Prelinger Archive.
The Collection and Its Scope
The Vatican’s archive contains approximately 80,000 manuscripts, 150,000 prints, drawings, and matrices, and 9,000 incunabola, among other holdings. Notable items include papyri containing the oldest known versions of the Gospels of Luke and John, Petrarch’s Canzoniere written in the poet’s own hand, and Dante’s Divine Comedy illustrated by Botticelli.
Progress and Timeline
The digitization project began in 2013 through Digita Vaticana, a nonprofit organization responsible for fundraising and implementation. By November 2018, the project had reached 10 percent completion, with 9,000 manuscripts digitized and approximately 7,000 already available on digitavaticana.org. According to Digita Vaticana, completing the entire project requires an investment of 50 million euros and approximately fifteen years of work, though the organization anticipated the timeline might extend further.
Accessing the Archive
The online platform allows users to search the current catalog by author, title, or catalog reference, and to conduct detailed searches using keywords or page opening phrases. The searchable interface provides free access to all digitized materials.
Frequently asked questions
Which historical documents are included in the Vatican archive?
The collection includes papyri containing the oldest versions of the Gospels of Luke and John, Petrarch’s Canzoniere in the poet’s own hand, and Botticelli’s illustrated Divine Comedy, among thousands of other manuscripts, prints, and drawings.
How much of the Vatican archive has been digitized?
As of November 2018, approximately 10 percent of the archive had been digitized, with 9,000 manuscripts converted to digital format and about 7,000 already available on the digitavaticana.org website.
What resources are required to complete the digitization project?
Digita Vaticana reported that completing the full digitization requires an investment of 50 million euros and approximately fifteen years of work.
