The Archivio Apostolico Vaticano — formerly the Archivio Segreto Vaticano until Pope Francis renamed it in 2019 — is the central archive of the Holy See. It contains over 600 distinct fonds covering the administrative, diplomatic, judicial, and personal records of the papacy and its institutions from the 16th century to the 20th century. It is accessible to qualified researchers by appointment.
What the 600+ Fonds Contain
Offices of the Curia: Historical archives of the oldest papal institutions — the Apostolic Chancery (issuing papal bulls from the medieval period), the Apostolic Chamber (financial administration), Roman Congregations founded by Sixtus V, the Apostolic Dataria, the Congregation of the Consistory. Also the current bodies: Secretariat of State, all Congregations, Law Courts, Offices, Papal Councils, and Papal Commissions.
Papal Diplomatic: Archives of over 75 diplomatic representations of the Holy See — papal nunciatures and delegations — from across the world, from the beginning of the 16th century to the end of the 20th century. Papal representations are required to send their archives periodically to the Archivio. This makes the Vatican Archive one of the largest repositories of global diplomatic correspondence in existence.
Families and Individuals: Archives of aristocratic families with historical connections to the papal state: Boncompagni-Ludovisi, Borghese, Della Valle-Del Bufalo, Patrizi-Montoro, Ruspoli-Marescotti, Rospigliosi. Also archives from individuals in papal service: Fondo Albani, Fondo Carpegna, Fondo Pio.
Councils: Complete archives of Vatican I (1869–1870) and Vatican II (1962–1965) — all working documents, correspondence, draft constitutions, and proceedings from both ecumenical councils.
Access Information
- Hours: Monday–Tuesday 08:00–16:15 | Wednesday–Friday 08:00–12:45
- Access: Researchers must submit an admission request; credentials and research purpose required
- Calendars: 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 academic calendars published at archivioapostolicovaticano.va
- Photography: Reproduction requests available (fotoriproduzioni)
- Website: archivioapostolicovaticano.va (IT/EN)
Source: archivioapostolicovaticano.va/content/aav/en/patrimonio.html. Vatican Apostolic Archive.