Anima Mundi, Ethnographic museum in Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Anima Mundi is an ethnographic museum within the Vatican Museums displaying thousands of cultural objects from communities across multiple continents and different historical periods. The collection spans from prehistoric artifacts to more recent items, offering a broad view of human creative traditions worldwide.
The museum grew from a major 1925 exhibition organized by Pope Pius XI that displayed over 100,000 artifacts from communities worldwide. This groundbreaking event established what became the foundation for today's permanent collection.
The collections show religious objects and everyday items from communities in Asia, Africa, and America that remain important to traditional peoples today. You can see how these objects reflect the values and beliefs of the people who created and used them.
A ticket to the Vatican Museums grants access to this section and the entire complex. The ethnographic galleries are easy to locate within the site, and the layout helps visitors navigate between the different regional collections.
The collection includes thousands of pieces spanning multiple prehistoric eras, with some objects reaching back two million years. Because these items are so ancient and fragile, the museum rotates its displays regularly to protect them.
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