The Vatican Apostolic Library and the Colnaghi Foundation have inaugurated a landmark cultural and philanthropic initiative titled Codex.

The exhibit places masterpieces by Caravaggio, Bernini, and Tintoretto in dialogue with rare manuscripts and archival documents from the Library’s collections.

Hosted in the historical premises of the Vatican Library from May 23 to June 2, the event forms part of a long-term collaboration between the two institutions to promote cultural preservation and academic research. 

It includes efforts to refurbish the Library’s Archives Section and digitize rare manuscripts under the aegis of the Association of Patrons of the Vatican Apostolic Library, established by the Colnaghi Foundation.

“This initiative highlights and connects cultural objects from different contexts in a display that emphasizes both their uniqueness and their complementarity,” said Father Mauro Mantovani, Prefect of the Vatican Library. “It offers a privileged opportunity to promote a profound dialogue between works, spaces, and meanings.”

The exhibit explores visual and semantic connections between fine art and historical memory, placing artworks alongside documents that trace their commissioning or illuminate the cultural context in which they were created.

 “With the hope of contributing a leaf to the conservation and transmission of these traces,” said Candida Lodovica de Angelis Corvi in the exhibition catalogue, “we deliberately chose Codex as the title to convey a sense of cyphered belonging. Each piece is a testament to history and to our re-reading of it.”

Archbishop Cesare Pagazzi, Librarian and Archivist of the Holy Roman Church, expressed gratitude to the Colnaghi Foundation “for the generous support of several important Library projects, which enhances and strengthens our commitment to the dissemination of culture.”

The exhibit, which also marks the Jubilee Year and the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, has been presented as a celebration of unity, learning, and heritage.

According to the organizers, Codex reflects the Vatican Apostolic Library’s vision of building bridges between cultures through the sharing of its vast cultural patrimony.

“This exceptional ensemble enriches the historical context with new interpretative perspectives,” said the Library in a statement, “demonstrating how the connection between places, artworks, and the public can generate new forms of knowledge and engagement.”

The Colnaghi Foundation said it was “honored and grateful” to be entrusted with a project that fosters “a collective sense of preservation and care, intelligence and affection, commitment and awareness of our present times.”