Unique Papal Art Exhibit On Display In Florida

Published: October 9, 2003

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—An unprecedented exhibit of art and artifacts from the Vatican Museums and from the basilicas of Rome and congregations of the Vatican is currently underway at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art.

The exhibit entitled “Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes,” will be open for visitors there through Nov. 23. It features hundreds of historically significant artifacts spanning 2,000 years of papal history. The exhibit is organized into 12 sections, each presenting art and objects in recreated environments and interactive settings, immersing visitors in a multi-sensory experience.

The galleries include an introductory area, the tomb of St. Peter, a fourth-century marble gravestone and frescoes of disciples, the story of the building of the ancient St. Peter’s Basilica with models, drawings, frescoes and mosaics, original artwork from the fifth century, the building of the Renaissance basilica, the Sistine Chapel gallery allowing visitors to discover how Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling, and the papacy in the modern world and the new millennium.

Highlights of the exhibition include the Mandylion of Edessa, an ancient image on linen considered by some to be the oldest known representation of Jesus; drawings by Michelangelo, including figure studies for the Sistine Chapel ceiling; works by Bernini and Giotto; the papal tiara of Pope Pius IX, the symbol of the papacy; a Buddhist Thanka of embroidered cloth and pearls created by the Dalai Lama as a gift to Pope John Paul II; and the pastoral staff of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.

The exhibit has been in the making for more than three years and represents a great deal of effort and coordination between the Vatican and organizations in the United States, according to Father Allen Duston, OP, international director of the Office of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.

Sponsoring organizations include Art Services International, Clear Channel Exhibitions and Trident Media Group, in cooperation with the Vatican. Objects are on loan from the Vatican Museums, the archives of the Propagation of the Faith, the Pontifical Sacristy and objects formerly from the Sistine Chapel, Roman churches administered by the Vatican and the Casa Buonarroti in Florence, Italy.

For ticket information, call (877) 787-7711.