The Vatican Apostolic Library opens to the public with AQVA, featuring JR’s giant wave and rare manuscripts. Dates, booking and tips, until May 2027.

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For the first time in history, the Vatican Apostolic Library opens its doors to the public with a brand new, five-year long project: Catastrophe and Wonder. A one of a kind exhibition, the Vatican’s centuries old heritage is presented alongside contemporary art that brings together science and the imagination.

In partnership with Fondazione Roma, supported by Intesa Sanpaolo, Catastrophe and Wonder aims to explore the natural threats to the written world. Elements such as fire, water, light, insects and mankind are highlighted, with visitors invited to reflect on how these dangers can, at the same time, be the very things that inspire and heal. If we allow ourselves to look beyond fear, what will we discover? Catastrophe, or wonder? 

The first chapter of this showcase, AQVA, runs from September 25th until May 14th, 2027. Visitors will get to explore the duality of water as both a life-giving force, and one of destruction. The hour-long audio guided tour takes you through threats that have endangered the library’s collection over the centuries, transforming disaster into discovery.

Curated by Don Giacomo Cardinali, Simona De Crescenzo, Francesca Giannetto, and Delio Proverbio, AQVA is more than an exhibition; it is the opening chapter of a major cultural initiative.

The experience begins before you even enter the building. A towering 70-meter wave seems to engulf the library’s 16th-century facade. Created by French artist JR, the installation, titled Diluvium, recreates the biblical flood as imagined by Gustave Doré in an 1866 wood engraving. The work is striking and immediately sets the tone for the rest of the visit.

Entering through JR’s wave, Vatican staff welcomes visitors with a brief presentation on the structure of the visit and everyone is then handed audio guides. Awaiting at the top of the staircase lies a special display of books and images bathed in a deep blue light.

The initial collection commemorates the 60 year anniversary of the Florence flood of 1966, when the waters of the Arno River claimed not only human lives but also destroyed the halls and storage areas of the National Library. The large-scale photograph and reproductions come from a photo album, preserved at the Vatican Library, to illustrate the scale of the disaster.

Leaving behind the blue light of JR’s wave, in the next room lies a stunning selection of manuscripts, printed books, engravings and artefacts from the centuries old Vatican collections, illustrating the timeless relationship between water and human knowledge.

In the center are displayed copies of Ippolito Salviani’s 470-year-old treatise Aquatilium Animalium Historiae, which contains dozens of engravings and studies of marine life. Originally published in 1557 under the Vatican Library itself, it is the symbolic heart of the exhibition.

The next half of the room features a unique combination of fonts and fish, created by American artist Bill Moran. His typography series, titled LetterFish, aims to establish a connection between the past and present. Taking a closer look at the marine creatures, visitors will discover letters, numbers and typographic symbols that make up each of the 14 original prints on display. 

The third voice in the exhibition is chef Fulvio Pierangelini, who brings together water, cuisine and memory. Through six original gastronomic narratives, he explores the cultural value of food, natural resources and raw ingredients, broadening the scope of the exhibition.

The following section allows visitors to catch a glimpse of the restoration process from the official Laboratory of the Vatican Apostolic Library. While natural disasters such as flooding can cause irreversible damage to ancient manuscripts and books, water is also used as an essential tool for the preservation of parchment.

The journey concludes with Undae, JR’s second art installation featured in the reflective Barberini hall. Another black and white wave is projected onto a screen, but this time it is presented not as a threat, but as a space for contemplation. Water has stayed the same throughout the exhibition, but in the final room, we realize it is only our perspective that has changed.

Visits to AQVA are by reservation only. Regular visits with audio guides available in Italian and English are held on Saturdays, whereas private tours are only available on Fridays. Expect to spend about one hour inside, and don’t forget to take the elevator up to the 4th floor, where you can visit the Sistine Library, a space that is rarely open to the public.

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