VATICAN SPLENDORS Unique exhibit features touchable item
One official expects 140,000 visitors to see the special exhibit in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND — Vatican Splendors, a collection of art, documents and historical items, mesmerizes visitors so much that they speak in their “church voices” as they go through the exhibit.
At least that’s the feedback that Dr. Gainor Davis, president and chief executive officer of Western Reserve Historical Society, has received.
The Cleveland-based society is one of three sites where Vatican Splendors is being shown. The exhibit is at Florida International Museum in St. Petersburg until May 11. It opens May 31 in Cleveland and remains until Sept. 7. The last venue opens Sept. 27 at Minnesota History Center, St. Paul.
“Some of our staff has been to the exhibit in St. Petersburg and found that visitors speak in hushed voices or ‘church voices,’” Davis said. “It’s neat to hear that people find this a really moving experience.”
Davis said her staff members said the exhibit has a mystical quality to it. The exhibit, which showcases priceless and historically important objects, also has one display that people are welcome to touch. That’s unusual because such displays are most often under glass in display cases or behind security.
The item is a bronze cast of the hand of Pope John Paul II. “That’s unique for an exhibit,” Davis said. “The response has been overwhelming.”
With reports of the positive response in Florida, Davis said the society is looking forward to Vatican Splendors in Cleveland.
“We worked with Evergreen Exhibitions [the show producer] before when we had the Diana exhibit. They thought Cleveland would be a good venue,” she said. She expects the exhibit to attract some 140,000 visitors.
Davis said the historical society staff discussed extensively how the Vatican Splendors exhibit fits into its mission. She pointed out strong ethnic ties from the Italian and Irish communities to the Catholic Church in the Cleveland area, along with a regional population of many people having a Catholic background.
“The Catholic community is an integral part of our society," she said, noting that a Feast of the Assumption festival in August in Cleveland’s Little Italy is a big event for people no matter what their religious affiliation.
Davis said visitors of all backgrounds will find the exhibit interesting and fascinating from historical and artistic points of view. The society, she noted, is producing a book, “There are No Strings at the Feast — Catholics and Community in Northeast Ohio,” which will be sold for a reasonable price.
“We’re working with the diocese [of Cleveland], and the book will be highly illustrated,” Davis said. “We’re excited about it.”
Davis said it was a wonderful coincidence that Vatican Splendors is in the United States, and Pope Benedict XVI is making his historical visit.
“Two-thirds of the artifacts are being displayed for the first time,” Davis said. “For people who will never get an opportunity to go to Rome, this is an amazing chance to see these items up close,” she said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Though many of the artifacts in Vatican Splendors are centuries old, Davis said many people will recall the papal election of Pope Benedict XVI.
“There’s a technological jump involved,” Davis said, noting a white smoke cartridge was used to announce the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the 265th man to serve as pope.
“Paper once was burned,” she said, referring to ballots that cardinals used to elect a pope. “As a historian, I like the tradition. But everyone is technologically savvy.”
Other items in the exhibit associated with Pope Benedict include the urn that collected the voting ballots, handwritten parchment on his election and the first papal vestments made for him.
“People are looking for spiritual solace these days. This exhibit offers a spiritual side and priceless things of beauty,” Davis said.
“It’s quite amazing that items 2,000 years old will be in front of you,” she said. “But they can speak to people over great distance of time ... and offer a glimpse into history. It helps us see the past and what will continue into the future,” Davis said.
Davis said the essence of the exhibit might be the Mandylion of Edessa, a tempera on linen attached to wood, silver, gilt copper and various stones. The piece, dating between the third and fifth centuries, is the “first known and surviving image of Christ,” Davis said.
This piece is part of Gallery One, Foundations of the Church, and is described as one of the most ancient representations of Christ’s image and it was thought to have miraculous powers. There also are Gallery Two, 500 Years of the Vatican; Gallery Three, The Work of the Pope; and Gallery Four, Stories of Popes.
Davis said another of the intriguing pieces is the Votive Plaque from the Tomb of St. Peter, circa sixth-seventh century. The artifact portrays two eyes with a cross in between. “It’s the all-seeing eyes of God,” Davis said.
Davis said although the exhibit is one of “religious expression,” it has overall appeal because of the beauty and historical significance of the items. “I think people will come away with the idea that history is relevant,” she said.