Archive of the Vatican Museums is online and can be consulted comfortably from home, from your electronic device and for free. A full range of wonders. Priceless masterpieces. From papyri containing i first Gospels up to Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri superbly illustrated by Sandro Botticelli. One of the oldest and most precious cultural heritage just a click away. Discovering the wonders of the Vatican Museums Archive thanks to the project of onlus Digita Vaticana.
Archive of the Vatican Museums: digitization
The Vatican Museums hold an inestimable wealth. A highly prized and one of the oldest heritage. Thanks to new frontier of digitalization, which involved museums from all over the world, it is possible to consult theonline archive with just a few clicks. The conversion work began in 2013 and was made possible by the non-profit organization Type in Vaticana. The (non-profit) project is ongoing and more than 9000 manuscripts are currently available. You can read the papyri containing the first Gospels, the Canzoniere handwritten by Francesco Petrarca and also the Divine Comedy illustrated by Sandro Botticelli. L'the site's graphical interface is simple and intuitive. Using the search engine, just enter the author or title of the work you want to consult. The site also allows you to browse the entire catalog and do a detailed search. You can insert sentences, words, passages, incipits or what you remember of a manuscript.
There are thousands of images and photographs, from the Sistine Chapel to the finds of theAncient Rome. A rather interesting section is the one dedicated to coloring book. The books, here, can be downloaded in PDF format, printed and colored! Currently only 10% of the works contained in the Archives of the Vatican Museums are available, but the digitization work is tireless and constantly updated. The pages are translated into five languages (Italian, English, French, German and Spanish) for worldwide use. For those who, on the other hand, want to make a virtual tour of the Vatican Museums, can do this via the official site of the museums. Thanks to an entire dedicated section, it is possible to virtually discover and visit the various locations. On the site, in addition, you can buy tickets for guided tours.
A treasure to defend, a heritage to spread
Fortunately, the digital age has brought many benefits. The digital museum archives are a masterpiece of our time. The book material is very delicate. It is sensitive to light, humidity and temperatures. Digitizing, thanks to expert and specialized hands, lets the works survive and allows its use in the present, but also in the future. There Vatican Library was founded by Niccolò V in 1451. Here, all the documents attesting the culture of all humanity are preserved. Digital archives allow everyone to visit, consult and… daydream. Preserve, communicate, enhance.
