En route

A reflection on the theme of the journey that declines in a secular and cultured key the motto “Pilgrims of Hope” of the Jubilee 2025 and dialogues with contemporary art. The exhibition that the Vatican Apostolic Library is hosting for the entire Jubilee year stems from the discovery of a collection from the legacy of the diplomat and scholar Cesare Poma (1862-1932), a passionate collector of the most diverse human, literary, artistic and numismatic testimonies. The Poma Periodici collection includes approximately 1,200 newspapers. Among these, there are three hitherto unknown copies of the bizarre periodical “En route”, which French journalists Lucien Leroy and Henri Papillaud printed between 1895 and 1897 during their journey around the world, by bicycle and without a penny, in order to finance themselves and report on the places they visited.

Starting with Cesare Poma’s book collection, the exhibition expands to other collections, displaying around 50 works from the Library’s manuscript, printed and numismatic collections and recounting a series of literary and concrete, diplomatic and cultural, journalistic and political journeys. Their presentation is entrusted to three internationally renowned creators: the singer-songwriter and musician Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini who introduces visitors to the theme of world tours, the British illustrator Kristjana S Williams, who presents the story of Cesare Poma and that of the journalists and globe-trotters Lucien Leroy and Henri Papillaud, and Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of the Dior women’s collections.

The itinerary, conceived by Maria Grazia Chiuri with Karishma Swali and realized by the artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft in Mumbai, is completed by the celebration of six avant-garde women travelers whose adventures are preserved in the volumes of the Vatican Library: Elizabeth Bisland Wetmore (1861-1929), Annie (Londonderry) Cohen Kopchovsky (1870-1947), Elizabeth Cochrane (known by the pseudonym Nellie Bly) (1864-1922), Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), Agnes Smith Lewis (1843-1926) and Margaret Dunlop Gibson (1843-1920). Thanks to the contribution of Intesa Sanpaolo, the textile work “Mappa” (1984) by Alighiero Boetti is also on display in the exhibition.

The exhibition is open to the public on Saturdays, from 9 am to 6 pm. The visit also includes the historical sites of the Vatican Library, in particular the Salone Sistino. More information on the official website.

Photo © Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana