Many of the Vatican's supreme art treasures are represented in the unprecedented exhibition that was the occasion for this book. These works are drawn not only from the Vatican Museums, but from Saint Peter's and its Treasury, the Apostolic Palaces, and the Vatican Library. Thus, this volume brilliantly illustrates the entire history of papal patronage and collectin - the single longest and most influential collecting tradition in the Western World. The objects range from ancient Greek vases and sculptures to modern works by Henri Matisse and AndrŽ Derain. Includes a message by Pope John Paul II.

(Key Words: History, Papal, Pope John Paul II, Vatican, Saint Peter's, Papacy, Religious Art, Western European History).