Pope Leo XIV orders expansion of the Vatican Archive and Library
The pope has approved new facilities to preserve the administrative and cultural memory of the Apostolic See, with construction paid for through a Vatican instrumental foundation
Pope Leo XIV has ordered the expansion of the Apostolic Archive and the Vatican Apostolic Library through the construction of a new building and the allocation of a specific area inside Vatican City. The decision responds to a steady rise in demand and to the need to preserve the documentary heritage of the Holy See. The library, founded by Pope Sixtus IV in 1475, holds more than a million books. The archive, created in 1612 by Pope Paul V, is the central repository for documents produced by the Apostolic See.
Among the archive's most unusual holdings are Henry VIII's request for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and a letter from Michelangelo complaining that he had not been paid for his work in the Sistine Chapel. The pope said the expansion is due to a "considerable increase in recent decades in the bibliographic holdings of the Holy See." Vatican institutions are also producing more documents, and the space available has run out.
New facilities with modern technology
The pope said the two institutions are essential to "preserve and safeguard the administrative and cultural memory of the Apostolic See." The area of the Fontana dell'Autoparco will be given over to both the library and the archive. The pope asked that the new building be put up according to "the most modern architectural and technological principles, and in compliance with current regulations," chiefly to meet the needs of the Apostolic Archive and the Vatican Apostolic Library.
Funding and management of the project
The Governorate of Vatican City State will work with the archive and the library and will cover the cost of the areas set aside for state services, apart from the relocation of the vehicle fleet and the new parking area. Vatican News reported that construction will be funded through a "Vatican instrumental foundation," governed by the legal and operating rules set out in the motu proprio on instrumental juridical persons of the Roman Curia, published in December 2022.
Until the work is finished, the library will continue to use storage space at the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary. The Apostolic Archive was originally called the "Secret Archive" and was renamed by Pope Francis in October 2019 to avoid confusion over the term. Leo XIV's predecessor Leo XIII opened its holdings to researchers in 1881.
