Vatican Film Library, Cinematheque at Vatican City.
The Vatican Film Library is a cinematheque in Vatican City that stores and screens films in controlled conditions. The facility houses its collection in a specialized vault and offers screenings in a dedicated viewing room.
The institution was established in 1959 to collect and preserve films recording Church activities and events. It has since served as an archive documenting the Church's visual history.
The screening hall serves as a meeting place where filmmakers present their work to small audiences in an intimate setting. These gatherings shape how visitors experience the relationship between cinema and the Church's mission.
The location sits near Palazzo San Carlo within Vatican City's grounds, and the collection is housed in a climate-controlled vault. Access is typically limited to scheduled events and guided tours rather than open visits.
The collection includes a 1896 film showing a Pope on camera for the first time in history. This early footage makes it an unusual archive of both cinema and religious documentation.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
