Tour of the Meadows Museum's "The Lost Manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel"

Tour “The Lost Manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel: An Epic Journey from Rome to Toledo” at SMU’s Meadows Museum

In the waning years of the 18th century, Napoleon Bonaparte victoriously occupied Rome, and the streets of the Eternal City soon bore witness to a looting so widespread that even the Sacristy of the Sistine Chapel was stripped of its renowned collection of illuminated manuscripts.  In this turbulent climate, one of Spain’s most illustrious religious leaders, Cardinal Francesco Antonio José de Lorenzana y Buitrón, Archbishop of Toledo, Primate of Spain, and Ambassador of King Charles IV to the Holy See, boldly took the initiative to preserve a portion of the Sistine Sacristy Collection before it was scattered any further. Remarkably, many are still in perfect condition. Join ICD Members and Guests on a docent tour of this remarkable collection!  Contact Mary Ann Webster at culture@itcd.org with any questions.