In 2008, following the new Regulations of the Vatican Museums, the office of the Superintendency of Architectural Heritage was created, entitled Department of Architectural Heritage since 2025.

The Department is responsible for the real estate present in the territory of the Holy See, which, with its 44 hectares within the Vatican Walls and its extraterritorial properties, is characterized by buildings that have marked the history of architecture, accompanying all the vicissitudes of the Church from its origins to the present day.