(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 20.05.2024).- On Thursday, May 23, the Vatican Museums will exhibit two precious relics of the inestimable treasure of the Papal Chapel of the Sancta Sanctorum: Saint Peter’s Tunic and Saint John’s Dalmatic.
In April of 1903, after numerous unsuccessful attempts, a locksmith was finally able to break the heavy locks that for centuries kept locked and protected the Treasure of the Sancta Sanctorum in the interior of Saint John Lateran.
Little was known of the Chapel at the time of Pope Nicholas III (1277-1280), reserved for the private devotion of Pontiffs and located at the top of the Scala Santa.
Relics were found and works of inestimable value, such as the jewelled cross of Pope Sergius, the acheropita [not painted by human hands] figure of the Saviour, the enamelled cross of Paschal I, the so-called silver “capsella vaticana” [Vatican box], a wood-painted stauroteca [reliquary with fragments of Christ’s cross], stones from the Holy Land, historic Coptic fabrics, crystal ampoules, even the Byzantine reliquary of Saint Praxedes’ head.
Found as well among the relics is a tunic and a dalmatic of Eastern style, which a strong modern tradition identified as vestments used by Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist respectively.
After the discovery, the greater part of the Treasure was transferred to the collection of the Vatican Apostolic Library and, since 1999, thanks to a rescript of Saint John Paul II , the Treasure of the Sancta Sanctorum together with the Historic Collections of the Apostolic Library were transferred to the competence of the Vatican Museums, which have continued to exhibit them to pilgrims and visitors.
The new “Thursday of the Museums,” entitled “The Tunics of Saint Peter and Saint John, Two Extraordinary Relics of the Sancta Sanctorum,” will present the history and conservation works that the Laboratory of Tapestries and Fabrics of the Vatican Museums has just concluded on the two sacred tunics. Also to be made known are the results of the new analysis and historical research carried out in the Gabinetto di Ricerche Scientifiche [Office of Scientific Research], in order to enrich the history of both relics with more information and meaning.
The usual introduction by Barbara Jatta, Directress of the Vatican Museums, will be followed by Luca Pesante, Head of the Department of Decorative Arts; Alessandro Vella, Assistant of the Department of Christian Antiquities; Loretta Del Francia Barocas, Associate Professor of History of Coptic Art of Rome’s “La Sapienza” University; Chiara Pavan and Emanuela Pignataro, of the Laboratory of Restoration of Tapestries and Fabrics; Stefania Bani and Francesca Cibin of the Scientific Research Office applied to Cultural Goods.
On this occasion, the two precious tunics will remain exhibited exceptionally for a brief period inside the museum tour in the Hall of Speeches of Pius IX, located at the exit of the Sistine Chapel.
