What started as just a small collection of sculptures has, over the centuries, turned into a complex of the world’s most magnificent museums featuring one of the finest collections of art on the planet.
The Vatican Museums were founded under the patronage of two 18th century popes - Clement XIV (1769-1774) and Pius VI (1775-1799) – who were among the first to open collections of art to the general public for viewing, therefore promoting culture among the masses. Appropriately, the first building in the museum complex, the Pio-Clementine Museum, was named after these two pontiffs.
As the decades passed, more popes added to the already impressive collection of diverse artworks owned and displayed by the Vatican. Today, there are 13 museums and collections and an additional 14 Vatican palaces that are included on tours of the Vatican Museum complex. The building complex is worth a visit in itself as all rooms and hallways are lavishly decorated with marble and frescoes.
