Vatican Museums opens Heavenly Religions on 29 September
Published on 09/27/2026 at 11:46 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
The Vatican Museums will present Heavenly Religions at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum in Vatican City on 29 September 2026. The exhibition places three Azerbaijani carpets dedicated to Islam, Christianity and Judaism within the museum complex's wider work with objects from different cultures.
Heavenly Religions brings three carpets to Anima Mundi
The exhibition begins on 29 September 2026, with its presentation scheduled for 10am at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum. The Governorate of Vatican City State and the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Holy See organise it with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The three carpets were presented to Pope Leo XIV in October 2025. They are handwoven from designs by Azerbaijani artist Eldar Mikayilzada, whose work uses detailed patterns and numerous shades to create depth and movement. The official exhibition announcement identifies the works and the Vatican venue.
The programme is not a city-wide festival with a loose connection to the site. Its subject, venue and organising bodies all connect directly with the museum's ethnological mission, giving travellers a specific new display to look for inside the Vatican Museums from 29 September.
Anima Mundi places Azerbaijani art in a global collection
The Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum collects works and artefacts from diverse cultures. That setting gives the carpets a direct relationship with the place: their religious themes are shown in a museum designed to represent cultural traditions beyond the better-known classical and Renaissance works on the main visitor route.
The Vatican Museums developed through successive papal collections and buildings. Their official history records the early sculpture collection under Julius II, the founding of the Pio Clementino Museum, the later creation of Egyptian and Etruscan museums, and the establishment of the Vatican Pinacoteca. This development helps explain why an exhibition about Azerbaijani carpet-making sits alongside archaeology, painting and religious art. The official museum history traces that expansion across several centuries.
The announcement also notes that Azerbaijani carpet art was inscribed in 2010 on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The exhibition therefore presents the carpets both as designed objects and as examples of a continuing craft tradition.
Three faith traditions form the exhibition's central subject
Heavenly Religions addresses Islam, Christianity and Judaism through a single group of three carpets. The subject gives the Anima Mundi display a clear thematic structure, while the exhibition's location connects that structure to the Vatican Museums' established interest in presenting material from different cultural and religious contexts.
The public announcement names the museum's director, Barbara Jatta, among the scheduled speakers for the 10am presentation on 29 September 2026. It does not announce a separate closing date for the exhibition, so the confirmed information for travellers is its opening day and its location in the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum.
Visiting Vatican Museums: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Heavenly Religions begins on 29 September 2026 at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum within the Vatican Museums. The presentation is scheduled for 10am.
- The exhibition is on view from 29 September 2026. The announcement gives no separate access restriction or closing date, so the confirmed visitor detail is the named museum venue and opening date.
- The museums are at Viale Vaticano in Vatican City. The Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum is the specific venue named for the exhibition.
- Visitors will encounter three Azerbaijani carpets, with themes connected to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The display concerns textile objects and cultural traditions rather than a temporary change to the Sistine Chapel or the main Renaissance galleries.
- Vatican City uses the euro, and Italian is the principal language used for everyday visitor information.
- 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.
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Frequently asked questions about Vatican Museums
When does Heavenly Religions take place at the Vatican Museums?
Heavenly Religions begins on 29 September 2026 at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum. Its presentation is scheduled for 10am.
What does Heavenly Religions show?
The exhibition presents three Azerbaijani carpets dedicated to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The works are based on designs by Eldar Mikayilzada.
Where are the Vatican Museums and how do you get there?
The Vatican Museums are at Viale Vaticano in Vatican City. The exhibition's named venue is the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum within the complex.
