Vatican Secret Archives
4th Century of Its Foundation

Pope Paul V formally established the Vatican Secret Archives in the Apostolic Palace for the preservation of records of the Popes and the Holy See in1612. Subsequent popes expanded the archives, now totaling 85 linear kilometers of shelving, including material from the 8th century onwards. The qualification "secretum" (secret) meant the private archives of the pontiff, not secret in the commonly applied usage of the word. When Napoleon exiled Pope Pius VII to Savona, near Genoa in 1809, and later to Paris, the Emperor removed the entire Archives to Paris. After Bonaparte's defeat and the return of Pius VII to Rome in 1814, the archives were returned to Rome, although not without loss of some documents, including many records prior to Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). Portions of the archives were lost in transit across the Alps and others reportedly used to wrap bread or meat in Paris by vendors, or otherwise wasted. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII opened the Archives to all qualified scholars. Today, the archives serve as a very important international research center. At the time (June 2012) , Archbishop Jean Louis Bruges, Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, considered the archives and library as "the jewels on the crown of the Church." He commented that "memory is fundamental for constructing a solid basis for the future." The Archives and Library "...are responsible for preserving the ancient memory of the Church, but also moving towards the future." To commemorate the 400 years of the Secret Archives, Vatican City issued a triptych depicting Pope Benedict XVI, a manuscript seal or bulls, and Pope Paul V (1605-1621). Each sheet contained four sets of the triptych. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1506 - 1506M Date Issued - 13 September 2012 Face Value - 3 x €0,75 Perforations - 13.25x13.75 Printing Process - Offset Printer - Joh Enschede (Netherlands) Max Printed - 600,000

(Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 60 Issue: 354 Page: 4-6)