The Vatican City-State, surrounded by Rome in central Italy, is one of the most unique sovereign entities in the world. In addition, Vatican embodies a sense of holiness revered by people around the globe. The importance and influence of the two-millennia-year-old Catholic religion reach all corners of the world. Liturgy, or the form in which public worship is conducted, has always been an indispensable part of religion. Catholics continue to find reverence for God, spiritual consolation, and religious doctrine in these divine liturgical activities led by the Pope.
For centuries, unique garments (vestments) and objects (hallows) have been stored in the Sacristy of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff at the Holy See and rarely been placed on public display. The Republic of China has enjoyed longstanding relations with the Vatican. As evidence of such, the Nuntiatura Apostolica in Sinis as the Holy See's representative and the National Palace Museum (NPM) have actively cooperated to bring a precious set of sacred objects from the Vatican to Taiwan for the first time. This also marks the first time in history that such a major display of objects related to the Pope is presented outside the Vatican.
Treasures from Heaven: A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See not only showcases vestments and hallows rarely put on public display, but also reveals the friendship between people from different professional and cultural backgrounds whose efforts made this exhibition possible. The treasures from heaven are the bridge between men and heaven, the vessels that bring happiness and peace, and the means through which Eastern and Western religions, science, and art interact and inspire. By carefully observing these artifacts, visitors will be enlightened about heaven as well as the preciousness of cultural assets.
Proposed by Monsignor Ivan Santus (of the Nuntiatura Apostolica in Sinis), the NPM curatorial team, Monsignor Ivan Santus, and Rev. Charles Pan and Secretary-General Chen Ke (of the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference Commission for Sacred Liturgy) worked together as the exhibition curatorial team and carefully selected a group of sixty loan objects. According to their characteristics, the said objects are put together with relevant Catholic-related artifacts in the collection of the NPM to take visitors on a magical and mesmerizing journey.