The collection draws from the art cache and archives of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, a religious order established by Pope Gregory XV in 1622; it was later renamed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples by Pope John Paul II.
Lovers of Baroque art and architecture can add one more stop to their Rome travel itinerary: the recently inaugurated Museo Missionario di Propaganda Fide. The new museum, which documents four centuries of the Catholic Church’s missionary work, has opened in part of the 17th-century Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, a masterpiece of Baroque architecture designed by the period’s leading architects, Francesco Borromini and Gianlorenzo Bernini. Visitors to the museum will have access to halls and chapels in the Palazzo that are open to the public on a permanent basis for the first time.
The Palazzo was recently restored at a cost of $20.5 million, a collaborative effort of the Vatican, the Italian government, and ARCUS, an organization that supports artistic and cultural projects. The work focused on refurbishing the undulating Baroque facades, strengthening the sinking foundations and renovating neglected areas. Another $1.8 million was employed in the construction of the museum and the renovation of its chapels and library.
One of the museum’s highlights is the intricately carved wooden library designed by Bernini for Pope Urban VIII, whose signature bumble bee symbol embellishes the painted coffered ceiling. Further on, visitors can peer down into Borromini’s magnificent Chapel of the Magi through the second floor galleries. The chapel’s subject, the wanderings of the three wise men and their epiphany, is an allegory for converts to Catholicism who find salvation through Christ. Visitors can enter the chapel on the ground level of the palace following a trip through the museum.
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