As pilgrims make their way to Rome during the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Vatican Apostolic Library announced a new exhibition connecting historical journeys to modern pilgrimages through a collection of rare 19th-century travel documents and contemporary artistic interpretations.
Opening to the public Feb. 15, the “En Route” exhibition represents the sixth installment in the library’s ongoing dialogue between its historical patrimony and contemporary art, initiated in 2021.
“There is, of course, a connection to the jubilee, because the jubilee involves travel — pilgrims come, and then they depart. So, within the jubilee, the theme of travel is present,” Don Giacomo Cardinali, commissioner of the Exhibition Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Library, told EWTN News.
“Each person interprets this theme according to their own nature, and we have interpreted it according to the nature of the library, which is a place of research, scientific activity, encounter, and culture.”
The exhibition’s title comes from an unusual newspaper series published by French journalists Lucien Leroy and Henri Papillaud. They funded their worldwide journey by printing editions in various cities they visited. A significant portion of the exhibition features the collection of Italian diplomat Cesare Poma (1862–1932), comprising approximately 1,200 newspapers from remote regions printed in various languages across five continents.
Three contemporary artists have been commissioned to interpret these historical materials.
Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini, a renowned Italian singer and globe-trotter, presents his travel instruments, musical equipment, drawings, and a specially created travel journal with accompanying soundscape.
Artist Kristjana S. Williams worked directly with Vatican archives to create new artworks. “She grew up in Iceland, it’s a black-and-white monochromatic landscape and she dreamt of exotic shores as she grew up. Having access to Vatican archives and being able to choose pieces to illustrate these stories was absolutely incredible for designers,” Rachel Bushell, public relations director at Kristjana S. Williams Studio, told EWTN News.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of Dior’s women’s collections, developed a digital installation examining six Victorian-era women who undertook solo world travels, exploring the relationship between fashion and journey.
“I’m almost sure it will inspire a great desire to travel,” Cardinali told EWTN News. “And, above all, it will make people rediscover that there are many ways to travel: You can travel by transportation, on foot, but probably we travel much more, much better, and much farther with books. In fact, we travel every time we open a book, and probably the most distant places are the ones we’ve reached through books.”
The exhibition will run through Dec. 20 at the Sala Barberini and adjacent halls of the Vatican Apostolic Library.
Bénédicte Cedergren and Victoria Cardiel contributed to this report originally published on Catholic News Agency.
