The Vatican Apostolic Archive
85 km of shelves containing 12 centuries of papal records — renamed from 'Secret Archive' in 2019, with much still restricted.
Overview
The Vatican Apostolic Archive (Archivium Apostolicum Vaticanum), known until October 2019 as the Vatican Secret Archive (Archivium Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum), is the central repository in Vatican City for all of the acts promulgated by the Holy See. Containing 85 linear kilometers of shelving, it has been accessible to qualified scholars since 1881 (opened by Pope Leo XIII). Documents from after February 1939 (pontificate of Pius XII onward) are partially restricted; Pope Francis opened the Pius XII archives in 2020.
Timeline
- 1612Established by Pope Paul V.
- 1810–1814Napoleon forcibly transfers archives to Paris.
- 1881Pope Leo XIII opens archive to qualified scholars.
- 2019-10-28Pope Francis renames to 'Apostolic Archive.'
- 2020-03-02Pius XII archives opened to researchers.
Evidence on Record
- 01Direct researcher access via written application
- 02Indici (finding aids) published since 1881
Theories & Disputes
Persistent claim of suppressed gospels and Knights Templar records — partly substantiated by 2001 Chinon Parchment discovery.
Inquisition records (Archivium of the Holy Office) opened in 1998 — revealed extent of Galileo trial documents.