The Treasures of the Vatican in Mexico to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations
The Treasures of the Vatican in Mexico to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations

The Treasures of the Vatican in Mexico to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations

20 June – 28 October 2018
Mexico City

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Mexico, the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso of Mexico City will host from 20 June to 28 October the exhibition “Vaticano: de San Pedro a Francisco. Dos mil años de arte e historia”, organized by the Vatican Museums in collaboration with the Fabric of Saint Peter, the Vatican Apostolic Library and the Papal Sacristy. More than 180 works from the Vatican Collections will be displayed in the Mexican capital – including 30 masterpieces conserved in the Pope’s Pinacoteca by artists such as Tiziano, Raphael Sanzio, Veronese, Bernini, Guido Reni, Melozzo da Forlì, Barocci - to offer the public the opportunity to retrace the origins and traditions of the Church of Rome through the artistic creations that bear witness to devotion and faith in a 2000 year-long journey through history.
The “treasures” that will disembark in the ancient land of the Aztecs include the triple Papal Tiara of Pope Leo XIII and the Lateran Casket that belongs to the Treasury Museum of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

The exhibition, jointly curated by Adele Breda, Pietro Zander, Sandro Barbagallo and Alessandra Rodolfo, follows a thematic itinerary that unfolds via six main groups: the first is Vatican: from Saint Peter to Francis; and the second, The foundations of the Church, followed by the third, The Blood of the Martyrs, which consists of 29 pieces including a first century marble bust of the Emperor Tiberius and the first representations of the Apostles in oil lamps and some tombstones. A fourth group of works is devoted to A Millennium-long Church: from the fourth to the fifteenth century; a fifth, The Church in modern times: the contemporary Church; and finally, The Church, an apostolic succession.

The exhibition, to which entry is free, is also enriched by various masterpieces conserved in Mexican museums, universities and historical archives.