CTV - The Vatican Secret Archives A Voyage Through History (2015)

What is hidden within the walls of the Vatican? The Secret Archives of the Vatican, 43 kilometers of shelves that contain official and private documents of the history of the Church. In “Archivum Secretum Apostilicum Vaticanum” the term “secret” can evoke something obscure and unfathomable, in reality it derives its meaning from the etymology of the term “secretum”, the more accurate translation is “personal” or “private”. The central repository in the Vatican City, the archives contain the state papers, correspondence, papal account books, and many other documents the church has accumulated over the centuries. In the 17th century, under the orders of Pope Paul V, the Secret Archives were separated from the Vatican Library. Most scholars had limited access to them, and they remained closed to outsiders until 1881, when Pope Leo XIII opened them to researches. What is the Vatican Secret Archive and what do its immense deposits keep? What is archive's mission and who works there? Explore the hidden inner walls of this sacred and mysterious realm in this documentary. An exciting journey to discover one of the most important historical research centers in the world, through its most inaccessible premises and some of the most evocative documents of European and world history, which have been collected in the Pope's archives from 5 continents over the course of 12 centuries . A casket of priceless treasures papal bulls and imperial diplomas, precious illuminated manuscripts, written letters bearing magnificent seals of all shapes and sizes, procedural documents, accounting documents, chancery forms. An immense heritage, image and reflection of the Church's mission in history. Rumored connections to Martin Luther, Henry VIII, Galileo and the Knights Templar are the tip of the iceberg in one of Europe's most intriguing, secret locations. The documentary on the Vatican Secret Archives is produced by the Vatican Television Center, accompanying the viewer in long corridors full of historical treasures such as parchments, notes and codes, visiting in the restoration and conservation laboratory and in the bindery that works to safeguard the documents from deterioration .

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