For the first time, 100 documents from the Vatican's Secret Archives, have left the Vatican, to be on display in “Lux in Arcana.”
But now, those who visit the exhibit can take the experience a step further, with a unique application for iPads and Android phones.
For example, among the documents in the exhibit, is the summary that deals with the execution of Giordano Bruno. He was a friar and scientist who was accused of heresy and burned to death at Rome's Campo de Fiori.
But, more than four centuries later, this is how Campo de Fiori looks now, through this application.
GIULIA MARCOLLI: “We are in Campo de 'Fiori, where we have the statue of Giordano Bruno. This application allows you to leave the confines of the exhibition and follow a map that guides you through the streets of Rome. In this case if you place your i Phone, before the statue, the application recognizes the statue and shows an image that begins to burn, which is what happened to Bruno.”
There are also other sites that come to life, like the bridge that leads to Rome's Castel Sant' Angelo and the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.
GIULIA MARCOLLI: “On the bridge of Castel Sant'Angelo we have the angels designed by Bernini. So, the application shows a block of marble that's carved until you see an angel. The Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, is where Galileo developed his theory. So the application shows planets revolving in front of the church.”
It's an original way to use new technology to promote History and Art. It's just another reason why 'Lux in Arcana' is successful in both the virtual and real world.