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The Vatican Secret Archives VdH Books 1

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A unique collectors edition: only 33 copies Hand-bound in the studio of the Vatican Secret Archives

And the possibility of paying a unique visit to the Vatican Secret Archives

For only 4950

For more information: Astrid Fobelets, [email protected]


Presentation collectors edition Coinciding with the publication of The Vatican Secret Archives, VdH Books is issuing a unique collectors edition for the most important book collectors around the world. Only 33 copies, 3 of which are reserved for the Pope, the Vatican Library and the Vatican Secret Archives, will be published on request in Italian, English, French or Dutch. Those books will be printed on request on high-quality Basix felt (170g) and fully hand-stitched with cotton thread on the nerves and fastening ties of white leather. They are hand-bound in the studio of the Vatican Secret Archives in sheep parchment with reinforcements in leather in geometric drawings. In addition, the collectors editions will be numbered, stamped and certified with a Proof of Authenticity signed by Msgr. Pagano, Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives. With each book being made on request in the studio of the Vatican Secret Archives, delivery times of several months should be expected. If you wish, you can have your book personalised with your name or ex libris. For those who make a decision quickly, there is also the possibility of paying a unique visit to the Vatican Secret Archives. A once in a lifetime experience ! The collectors edition is priced at 4950 (incl. VAT, exc. shipping costs, payable on order). When the full production has been completed, purchasers will receive a list of the 33 buyers. It is also possible to be listed as anonymous. How to order: Please contact Astrid Fobelets ([email protected]; +32.(0)2.733.66.07) to place your order. Your book will be put into production upon receipt of your payment.


Presentation book The Vatican Secret Archives have fuelled peoples imagination for centuries. This is largely due to its incomparable long and interesting history. Today, the entire documentation kept in the Vatican Secret Archives occupies 85 kilometres of bookshelves and is constantly growing. It covers a continued chronological space of over 800 years. Moreover, its unique location, the majestic documentary treasures and the limited access contribute to this aura of mystery. The shroud of secrecy that has always surrounded this important cultural institution of the Holy See, due to the allusions to inaccessible secrets, as well as to the publicity it has always enjoyed in literature and in the media, makes this publication even more attractive. And now, for the first time, a publisher was allowed to walk around this wonderful location without any restrictions. The result is a magnificent book with impressive and atmospheric illustrations. Take an unforgettable walk past the most exceptional places and documents in these secret archives, including reading rooms that are only open to academia, as well as rooms that remain closed to the public, some of which are decorated with gorgeous 16th and 17th century frescos, while others accommodate several thousands of documents. You will be able to discover more than 100 of these documents in this book. Specialists of the Vatican Secret Archives have selected these documents and provided each one with a precise explanation. It is a careful selection of documents that show the richness of the Vatican Archives contents. A highly appealing, unique and attractive book, for a large audience as well as for the academic!


Document selection criteria A special commission of four specialists associated with the Vatican Secret Archives selected the documents that have been included in this book. The documents selected provide a chronological journey through the meandering history of the past centuries. The starting point is the oldest document contained in the Vatican Secret Archives: the famous Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum, an old book containing formulas in use by the Papal Chancellery, which dates back to the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century. The of Patriarch Athenagoras, from 1965, is the final destination on this journey. We stop at some of the most important events in the history of the Church, Europe, and beyond: including the Concordat of Worms, Pax Veneta, the Union of the Greek and Latin Churches, The Council of Trent, The Peace of Tolentino, papal letters (incl.: Letter of Clement VII for the Coronation of the Emperor Charles V, Letter of Pius XI to Hitler), from emperors (incl.: Letter of the Emperor Frederick II, Letter of Hirohito to Pius XII) and from saints (incl.: Letter of St Teresa of Avila, Autographical letter of St. John Bosco, Letter of Sr. Bernadette). In addition, documents were selected that relate to the most important people from cultural history (culture, philosophy and art). That includes the following documents: Notary Instrument certified by Brunetto Latini, Letters of Erasmus of Rotterdam, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Acts of the Process conducted against Galileo Galilei, Voltaires letter to Pope Benedict XIV, Conferring the Golden Spur on Mozart. The documents also reflect geographic dispersion/origins; the Archives contain documents from far beyond the geographic territory of the Church. Examples include: Letter from Patriarch Tikhon, Letter of Clement XII to the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Letter of the Caliph of Morocco, Abu Hafs Umar al-Murtada, Letter of the Great Khan Gyk to Pope Innocent IV.

And finally, attention is also given to documents that owe their special place to their material value and rarity: Diploma of Emperor Otto I on purple parchment and with golden ink, Letter of Empress Helena of China on silk and Letter of American Indians to Leo XIII on birch bark. The reader will discover through this book a series of unique and valuable documents that represent the history of the Church and the world.


List of documents Note: the documents shown in blue have not been published previously, although their contents are known.

1 Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum End of the 8th century - beginning of the 9th century

2 Donation to the Church of San Pietro in Castello of Verona 809 May 13, Verona

3 Diploma of Emperor Otto I 962 February 13

4 Privilege of Leo IX 1051 October 11

5 Precept of Gisulph II, Prince of Salerno 1054 September, Salerno

6 Copy of the Register of John VIII 1070-1075

7 Register of Gregory VII 11th century ex.

8 Concordat of Worms between Callixtus II and Emperor Henry V

1122 September 23, Worms

9 of Emperor John II Comnenus to Pope Innocent II about the Union of the Greek and the Latin Churches.

1139 June, Constantinople

10 Diploma of Emperor Frederick I 1164 August 10, Pavia

11 Pax Veneta 1177 July 22 - September 17

12 Diploma of Emperor Henry VI 1195 April 27, Ortona

13 Register of the Diocese of Tivoli 12th century

14 Registers of Innocent III 1198-1216

15 Diploma of Otto IV of Brunswick, King of the Romans 1209 March 22, Spire

16 Register of Honorius III 1222-1224

17 Letter of the Emperor Frederick II 1233 August 14, Enna

18 Letter of Bla IV, King of Hungary to Gregory IX 1238 June 7, Zlyom

19 Letter of the Great Khan Gyk to Pope Innocent IV

The safe conduct granted by Abaa, Ilkahn of Persia, to a papal embassy returning to the West

1246 November 11-13, Karakorum 1267 (of 1279) November


20 Letter of the Caliph of Morocco, Abu Hafs Umar al-Murtada

1250 June 10, Marrakesh

21 Notary Instrument certified by Brunetto Latini 1263 September 15, Arras - 1263 September 26, Paris

22 The Council of Lyons and Gregory Xs approval of Ubi periculum

1274 July 13, Lyons

23 Letter of the Patriarch John XI Vekkos 1277 April, Constantinople

24 A Medieval Accounts Book 1279-1285

25 Letter of the Sacred College of Cardinals to Pietro Morrone announcing his election as pontiff

1294 July 11, Perugia

26 Three Documents from the Register of Boniface VIII 1300-1314

27 Letter from the Nestorian Catholicos Yahballaha 1302

28 The Trial of the Knights Templar 1308-1310

29 Notary Instrument of the Public Retraction of Meister Eckhart

1327 February 13, Kln

30 Petition of Francesco Petrarch to Clement VI 1347 September 9, Avignon

31 The Registrum of Cardinal Gil de Albornoz aa. 1355-1357

32 Papal dispensation for Giovanni Boccaccio 1360 November 2, Avignon

33 Leonardo Bruni and the Re-foundation of the University of Rome

1406 September 1, Rome

34 Sentence of the Council of Pisa deposing Benedict XIII and Gregory XII

1409 June 5, Pisa

35 The Council of Constance 1413 December 9, Lodi 1415 October 13, Constance

36 Decree of the Council of Florence for the Union of the Greek and Latin Churches

1439 July 6, Florence

37 Collectanea of Documents of the Chancellery and of the Camera Apostolica compiled by Cardinal Nicols Rossell (called the Cardinal dAragona)

1456 (post an.)

38 Tracts on the Life and Visions of St. Francesca Romana 1469


39 The Liber privilegiorum Romanae Ecclesiae of Bartolomeo Sacchi, il Platina

circa an. 1475-1480

40 The Bull Inter cetera of Alexander VI addressed to the Spanish Monarchs following the Discovery of the New World

1493 May 4, Rome

41 Autograph Letter of Lucrezia Borgia to Pope Alexander VI 1494 June 10, Pesaro

42 Ciphered letter of Francisco Prats, Nuncio in Spain, to Alexander VI and a minute of Alexander VIs letter to Giulia Farnese

1494 July 14, Madrid 1494 October 22, Rome

43 Enrolment of the First Contingent of the Swiss Guard and its Statute

1505 June 21, Rome (St. Peters) 1561 March 20

44 Nomination of Raphael Sanzio as Scriptor of Apostolic Briefs and his contribution to the plans for Piazza del Popolo

1509-1518

45 The Tribunal of the Roman Rota 1508-1690

46 The Bulls Condemning and Excommunicating Martin Luther

1520 June 15 - 1521 January 3, Rome

47 The Edict of Worms 1521 May 8, Worms

48 Letter of Erasmus of Rotterdam to Clement VII

Letter of Erasmus of Rotterdam to Gian Matteo Giberti

1524 February 13, Basel 1524 October 9, Basel

49 The Sack of the Vatican Palaces of 20 September 1526 and the Papal Reaction

1526 September November, Rome

50 Letter of Clement VII for the Coronation of the Emperor Charles V

1530 March 1, Bologna

51 Henry VIIIs Great Matter and the Letter of the Peers of England to Clement VII

1530 July 13, Ex Anglia

52 Order for Payment of the Camera Apostolica in favour of Benvenuto Cellini

1535 January 5, Rome

53 Michelangelo Buonarroti and Paul III 1535-1550

54 The Council of Trent 1542-1563


55 Tintoretto 1551 November 6, Venice

56 Philip IIs Oath of Fealty to Pope Paul IV 1555 October 1, Brussels

57 Autograph Letter of St Teresa of Avila to Fr. Ambrosio Mariano de San Benito

1577 February 6, Toledo

58 Letter of Queen Elizabeth of England to Cardinal Tolomeo Galli

1579 July 24, Greenwich

59 The Gregorian Calendar and the Lunario Novo of 1582 1582

60 Manuscript of selected lyrics of the 16th century Persian poet Muhtaam-i Kn

1582

61 Letter of Mary, Queen of Scots, to Pope Sixtus V 1586 November 23, Fotheringay

62 The Union of Brest 1596 October 18, Brest

63 Summary of the Process against Giordano Bruno 1597-1598, Rome

64 Letter of Antonio Manuel ne Vunda (il Negrita) to Paul V 1606 October 28, Madrid

65 Acts of the Process conducted against Galileo Galilei 1616-1633, Rome

66 The Brief Zelo Domus Dei: Innocent X and the Peace of Westphalia

1648 November 18, Rome

67 Letter of Empress Helena of China 1650 November 4

68 The Abdication of Queen Christina of Sweden 1654 June 1, Uppsala

69 Notices of Payment to Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1669 October 10 1670 February 5, Rome

70 Innocent XI, John III Sobieski, King of Poland, and the Liberation of Vienna

1683 September October 10

71 Bartolomeu Loureno de Gusmos air ship 1709 (post)

72 Letter of Clement XII to the Dalai Lama of Tibet 1738 September 24, Rome

73 Voltaires letter to Pope Benedict XIV 1745 August 17, Paris

74 Conferring the Golden Spur on Mozart 1770 July 4, Rome


75 The Final Ballot of the Conclave of Pius VI 1775 February 15, Rome

76 The Peace Treaty of Tolentino between the Holy See and the French Republic

1797 February 19, Tolentino

77 The Cerimoniale for the Consecration and Coronation of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French

1804 December, Paris

78 Petition of Alessandro Manzoni to Read Prohibited Books 1810 December 30, Milan

79 Giacomo Leopardis request for employment in the papal administration

1825 August 3, Milan

80 Ignacio Snchez de Tejada, ambassador of Simn Bolvar to the Holy See, and the new Churches in Colombia

1827 February 2, Rome

81 The Borghese Family Jewels 1834-1837

82 Letter of Giuseppe Garibaldi to the Internuncio Mons. Gaetano Bedini

1847 October 12, Montevideo

83 Retraction of Antonio Rosmini-Serbati on the Question of Episcopal Elections

1849

84 The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception 1854 December 8, Rome

85 Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis 1863 September 23, Richmond 1863 November 16, Washington

86 The Bull indicting the First Vatican Council 1868 June 29, Rome

87 Autographical letter of St. John Bosco to Cardinal Giuseppe Berardi

1874 November 7, Turin

88 Letter of Sr. Bernadette to Pius IX 1876 December 17, Nevers

89 Letter of American Indians to Leo XIII 1887 May 21, Grassy Lake

90 The Popes and the First World War:

Letter of Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria-Hungary to Pius X

Letter of Benedict XV to Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria-Hungary

1914 August 2, Vienna 1915 janvier 12, The Vatican

91 The papal court in Gala Train to the Cappelle Pontificie 1915


92 Letter from Patriarch Tikhon 1921 July 5, Moscow

93 The religious death of Giacomo Puccini 1924 December 9, Brussels

94 Luigi Sturzos Vatican Passport 1926 September 1, Rome

95 The Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy 1929 February 11, Rome

96 Appeal of Mons. Jos de Jess Manrques y Zrate, Bishop of Huejutla, in exile in Texas

1932 September 17, Washington

97 Letter of Pius XI to Hitler 1934 December 30, The Vatican

98 Radio message of Pius XI of 29 September 1938, with autographic corrections

1938 September 29

99 Letter of Hirohito to Pius XII 1939 June 7, Tokyo

100 The Vatican Information Office for Prisoners of War (1939-1947)

1939-1947

101 Request for Information concerning Edith Stein and her Sister Rosa

1945 September 18, The Hague

102 The Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1950 November 1, Rome

103 The Bull Humanae Salutis of John XXIII convoking the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council

1961 December 25, The Vatican

104 Design for the pontifical audience hall Paolo VI by Pier Luigi Nervi

105 The of Patriarch Athenagoras

1965 December 7, Phanar (Istanbul)


Technical Information Title: The Vatican Secret Archives Publisher: Paul Van den Heuvel - VdH Books Authors: Luca Becchetti, Luca Carboni, Giovanni Castaldo, Marcel Chappin, Giovanni

Coco, Daniele De Marchis, Alejandro Mario Dieguez, Francesca Di Giovanni, Enrico Flaiani, Barbara Frale, Marco Grilli, Marco Maiorino, Aldo Martini, Sergio Pagano, Angelo Michele Piemontese, Luca Pieralli, Pier Paolo Piergentili, Giuseppina Roselli, Alfredo Tuzi, Gianni Venditti

Foreword: Cardinal Raffaele Farina, S.D.B., Archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman

Church Introduction: Prefect Sergio Pagano, B. Translation: Mons. James O'Brien, Official of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the

Discipline of the Sacraments Photography: Philippe Debeerst, Andrea Marini, Enrico Ottaviani Copy editing: Astrid Fobelets, Francesco Lippa

ISBN: ISBN 9789088810237 (English ed.) Pages: 252 Photos: In colour, 160 atmospheric illustrations, 184

illustrations of documents Size: 297 mm x 297 mm (interior book pages) Finishing: See specifications p. 2 Price: 4950 Languages: Available on demand in Italian, English, French

and Dutch