Water is something we all tend to take for granted, except for those times when there is not enough–or too much–or, as is the case in some parts of the world, it is unsafe to drink.
“AQVA” is the inaugural exhibition of the Vatican Apostolic Library’s new five‑year cycle Catastrophe and Wonder (Catastrofe e Meraviglia), inaugurated on September 14, 2026 by Pope Leo XIV.
“AQVA” (Catastrophe and Wonder – Year I, 2026–2027) marks the beginning of a new multi‑year exhibition program at the Vatican Apostolic Library. It examines water’s dual nature—life‑giving and destructive—through an immersive, interdisciplinary installation.
♦ Water as threat: floods, decay, and the vulnerability of manuscripts.
♦ Water as resource: life, renewal, and cultural inspiration.
The exhibit focuses on natural elements as metaphors for humanity’s fears and hopes, especially threats to written heritage such as water, fire, light, insects, and human intervention. The exhibition pairs rare Vatican manuscripts, books, engravings, and cookbooks with contemporary works, also addressing water damage to heritage items and restoration.
Central historical piece
Ippolito Salviani’s Aquatilium animalium historia (1557), a landmark Renaissance treatise on aquatic animals (celebrating its 470th anniversary).
Featured artworks by artists
JR (French artist): “Diluvium”: A monumental site-specific installation (roughly 230 feet (70 meters) long , up to 98 feet (~30 meters) high, covering the Library’s façade. Inspired by Gustave Doré’s depiction of the Great Flood, it evokes the vulnerability of knowledge and memory (and alludes to climate change). It is the first such exterior commission for the building.
Bill Moran (American typographer): “Letterfishes”: Typographic/marine artworks creating sea creatures from letters, integrating letterpress and typographic design with the Library’s heritage, inspired by historical sources.
Fulvio Pierangelini (Italian chef): linking culinary culture, ecology, and the materiality of water culinary‑thematic contributions connecting gastronomy with the exhibition’s themes.
Two exceptional copies of Ippolito Salviani’s Aquatilium animalium historia (1557): a Renaissance masterpiece combining scientific study of fish, fine engraving, and culinary culture are displayed in honor of the 470th anniversary of its publication, originally funded by the Vatican Library.
The exhibit continues through spaces linking the Vatican Library’s heritage with aquatic themes and contemporary artistic languages and concludes in the Barberini Hall, transformed into a contemplative environment.
Note: We, as Christians, are called to care for our physical surroundings, but Catholic voices argue that key segments of the movement have adopted naturalistic or neo-pagan premises, overstated certainty on complex climate models or policy efficacy, and subordinated human dignity.
