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Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Vatican Museums: Exploring the World's Greatest Treasure Trove of Art and Artifacts


The Vatican Museums ⭐⭐⭐(total: 54 in Vatican City) are some of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, and for good reason. They house a vast collection of art and artifacts from ancient times to the present day, including works by Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci.

Some of the most popular museums in the Vatican include:If you are planning a trip to Vatican City, I highly recommend visiting the Vatican Museums. They are a truly unique and unforgettable experience.



How to avoid the crowd


Spoiler alert: the Vatican Museums are open to the public for free on the last Sunday of each month. However, be prepared for long lines, as this is a popular time to visit.

I've found an ideal time to visit the Vatican Museums: 8:00 PM on Friday.
  • Why Friday? It's the only day of the week that the museums are open until 10:30 PM.
  • Plus, there are fewer tour groups visiting the museums at night.
Lucky me! I was able to book "Admission tickets - Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel" online. I just checked again, and most of these tickets are sold out weeks or months in advance.

The Vatican Museums After Dark: A Unique Experience (YouTube link)

Photo Gallery


The eerie stillness of the museum at 8:00 PM on 10/27/2023 is captured in the following photos.

Ethnological Museum Anima Mundi

The iconic dome of St. Peter's Basilica rises majestically in the background

St. Peter's Basilica





Cast of a sarcophagus with "traditio Legis" in the Vatican Grottoes
Christ, with feet on the personification of Heaven, gives the new Law to Peter in the presence of Paul and other characters (from the 2nd to the 5th niche)

Front fragment of a marble sarcophagus dating from the 5th century AD, decorated with the monogram of the name of Christ, formed by the Greek letters Chi-Rho, with Alpha and Omega, inside a floral crown.

Front of a double register sarcophagus 
     Upper Register: Jesus' entry into Jerusalem; God give the symbols of work to Adam and Eve; Moses receives the Law; Central shell with portrait of the deceased couple; Sacrifice of Isaac; Raising of the widow's son at Nain; Multiplication of the leaves and fishes (the central portion is a modern integration)
Lower Register: Peter baptizes the prison warders; Peter taken prisoner; Prediction of Peter's denial; Daniel in the lions den; Healing of the paralytic; Healing of the man born blind; Healing of the hemorrhaging woman; Miracle at Cana





Ceremonial headdress, Mekeo people, Papua New Guinea (19th - Early 20the century)



Statue of the lioness goddess Sekhmet
The goddess Sekhmet, 'The Powerful One', daughter of the sun god Re, has two distinct aspects to her personality: on the one hand she is a bloodthirsty and warrior lioness, a desert goddess bringing famine, plaques and pestilence, and on the other side she is a protective and healing docile cat, Sekhmet welcomes visitors today as a powerful symbol of hope and reflection, as effective as ever in our time that has experienced the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The goddess Isis-Sothis-Demeter.
This white marble monumental bust is 1.2 m high. It is on display in the Gregorian Egyptian Museum; Room III as part of a display of the Serapeum and the Canopus Of Hadrian's villa.

Statue of the Nile (Marble; End 1st-2nd century AD)

Statue of Queen Tuya
It was unearthed in 1714 in the gardens of Vigna Verospi, and entered the Vatican upon the foundation of the new Egyptian Museum in 1839.

Torso of the god bull Apis (Granite; 1550-1070 BC)

Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II


The Colossi of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II are a pair of Egyptian statues of monumental dimensions, in red granite , depicting the Pharaoh Ptolemy II ( 282 – 246 BC ) and Queen Arsinoe II of the Ptolemaic Dynasty , discovered in 1714 on the site of the Horti Sallustiani, in Rome, and preserved in the Gregorian Egyptian Museum.

Assyrian archers in battle protected by a reed shield (704-681 BC)


Hermes del Belvedere

Statue of the Emperor Claudius
Claudius (emperor from 37 to 54 AD) is shown as Jupiter, wearing the civil crown of oak leaves and with the eagle at his feet.





Exit of Museums




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