Vatican Museums opened Popemobile exhibition on 29 October
Published on 10/31/2026 at 17:12 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSPopemobile exhibition and museum setting
- The Vatican Museums presented the exhibition on 29 October 2026.
- The display brings eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles together, tracing papal motoring from 1930.
- The Carriage Pavilion, commissioned in 1973, stands beside the exhibition pavilion.
- Viale Vaticano in Rome gives the museums their official visitor address.
The Vatican Museums opened A Century of the Popemobile on 29 October 2026 in Vatican City. The exhibition brings together eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles and traces the development of papal transport from the first car supplied to Pope Pius XI in 1930.
The display is in a glass pavilion in the Giardino Quadrato, close to the Carriage Pavilion and the Vatican Pinacoteca. Its opening gives visitors a new historical collection to see alongside the museums’ established art, archaeology and ethnology displays.
A Century of the Popemobile opens at Giardino Quadrato
The exhibition follows the relationship between Mercedes-Benz and the Holy See across nearly a century. Its vehicles range from formal limousines to later Popemobiles designed to give the pope closer contact with crowds during public appearances.
The museum’s official programme lists the exhibition from 29 October 2026 to 28 January 2027. The official exhibition listing identifies the Giardino Quadrato as the venue and names eight historic Mercedes-Benz cars.
The exhibition opened to the public after a preview and inauguration connected with the Vatican’s long-running partnership with the German manufacturer. A contemporary S-Class is shown with historic vehicles, creating a sequence from early papal cars to modern designs.
The vehicle display connects transport with papal history
The Vatican Museums preserve collections assembled by successive popes over several centuries. The official history describes the complex as a group of art, archaeological and ethno-anthropological collections, together with important rooms within the Apostolic Palace.
The location of the new exhibition is significant because the Giardino Quadrato sits near the Carriage Pavilion, where the museums present historical evidence of papal mobility. The display therefore extends an existing museum subject from carriages and ceremonial objects to the motor vehicles used in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The Carriage Pavilion was commissioned by Pope Paul VI in 1973 and was fully renovated from 2013, according to the Department of Historical Collections. The new glass pavilion places the eight cars beside that historical setting rather than separating transport history from the wider museum route.
What the exhibition shows from 29 October 2026
Mercedes-Benz supplied the first car to Pope Pius XI in 1930. Later vehicles were adapted for ceremonies, travel and public appearances, while newer models reflect changes in engineering and the way popes meet the faithful.
Vatican News reported that the exhibition includes eight historic Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a modern S-Class. The report also describes the Popemobile as a vehicle shaped by the pastoral purpose of bringing the pope closer to people during public events.
The exhibition is consequently more than a display of automotive design. It records how a vehicle associated with the papacy changed in form as public appearances, security requirements and direct contact with crowds developed.
Visiting Vatican Museums: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The exhibition begins at the Vatican Museums on 29 October 2026 and is located in the Giardino Quadrato, near the Carriage Pavilion and the Pinacoteca.
- The exhibition adds a glass pavilion to the museum visit, with eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a modern S-Class presented as part of the display.
- The official address is Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome, in Vatican City. The museums are identified on the official visitor information as being on Viale Vaticano.
- Vatican City is outside the European Union. Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
The exhibition places papal mobility beside the museums’ historical collections, with the Carriage Pavilion providing a direct context for the vehicles.
Searching for Vatican Museums on social platforms
These links open searches for Vatican Museums on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Vatican Museums
When does A Century of the Popemobile take place at Vatican Museums?
The exhibition opened on 29 October 2026 in the Giardino Quadrato and is listed by the museums until 28 January 2027.
What is displayed in A Century of the Popemobile?
The exhibition presents eight historic Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a modern S-Class, beginning with papal transport supplied from 1930.
Where are Vatican Museums and how do you get there?
The official visitor address is Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome, in Vatican City. The exhibition is near the Carriage Pavilion and the Pinacoteca.
