The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Although it was only formally established in 1475 A.D., the library is actually much older and is one of the oldest libraries in the world.
Unknown to the general public (and probably most of the clergy), the Vatican Library has the most complete compilation of volumes on the black arts in the world.[3] That section of the library, known as the San Gabriel Archives, is considered to be the greatest storehouse of occult literature in the world[1] and is protected by both mystic defenses and more conventional security systems.[4]
History
Early Days[]
The origin of the library has not been revealed but it is known that some of its volumes are from the earliest days of the Catholic Church.
12th century[]
In the mid-12th century, the library was located within the Palace of Lateran in Rome. During his reign, Pope Eugene III appointed the young monk Paolo Montesi to be the library's curator. After the mad monk Aelfric was exposed as a worshipper of Satan and burnt at the stake as a warlock in 1149 A.D.,[5][6] the Darkhold scrolls that he had gathered were eventually brought to the library and placed in Paolo Montesi's custody. The pope ordered that Montesi was the only priest authorised to handle the scrolls, that they were to be bound together into a single volume to be known as the Book of Sins, and that Paolo's descendants would be the book's custodians.[6]
15th century[]
In 1459 A.D., soon after Count Dracula had been transformed into a vampire, he learned of the existence of the incantation known as the Montesi Formula that was capable of destroying vampires. Believing himself unable to enter the Vatican, Dracula coerced a Gypsy thief named Murgo into stealing the Darkhold by kidnapping Murgo's wife and holding her hostage. Murgo succeeded in stealing the Darkhold from the Vatican Library and was carrying it through the streets of Rome when he was intercepted by the sorcerer Count Alessandro di Cagliostro who demanded the book. When Murgo refused, Cagliostro killed him and took the Darkhold.[7]
Mordern Era[]
After Cardinal Isaiah Curwen was not chosen to become the new Pope because the College of Cardinals believed that he was too young and too fanatical, Curwen soon realized that the real reason must have been that the Devil had intervened. Overcome by his amazement at how clear things now were, Curwen wandered through the Vatican until he came to the Vatican Library where its collection of books on the black arts were kept. Out of morbid curiosity, Curwen opened one of the books and read every line in it, then began to read all of the other books. As he read for six days and six nights without pausing for sleep or food, Curwen came to realize that God had given him the more important task of becoming His personal weapon in His long-dormant war upon Satan. Finally, on the seventh day, Curwen discovered that he was now able to cast spells. After quitting his cardinalate, Curwen went out into the world and began his mission: to study with the adepts of all the dark religions, learn all that they had to teach and then return to them to demand the Lord's Vengeance by killing them as the Silver Dagger.[3]
In California, Father Ramón Jóquez was examining the Darkhold when he was possessed by the spirit of Aelfric the Mad Monk and was killed soon afterwards.[5] After his death, the notes that Father Jóquez had made while trying to translate the Darkhold were sent to the Vatican Library's secret wing. Once there, they were read by Monsignore Giuseppe Montesi who was delighted to discover a copy of the long-lost Montesi Formula within them.[8]
Despite not being a sorcerer, Montesi was able to use the spell to destroy several new-born vampires and this attracted the attention of Count Dracula. Although Montesi thought himself safe within the Vatican, Dracula was desperate enough to do something as drastic as entering the Vatican in order to end the threat posed by the spell. After finding Montesi in the Archives studying the page on which the spell was written, Dracula easily took the paper from him and burned it. Although he initially allowed the monk to flee, intending that he should suffer by knowing of his failure, Dracula soon realized that Montesi must have memorized the spell so he left the library and resumed his hunt, finding his prey in the Sistine Chapel and mortally wounding him before he could speak the spell. However, the dying Montesi told Dracula that he had already mailed a copy of the incantation to Dracula's enemy, Quincy Harker.[2]
Cardinal Alfeo Spinosa was then appointed curator of the San Gabriel Archives. When it was robbed by Baron Mordo, Spinosa recognized the thief and, knowing that he posed a threat to his old friend Stephen Strange, traveled to Greenwich Village to personally warn Strange.[1] Spinsoa then accompanied Strange on his search for Mordo but the first lead they followed lead them to Paris, France, where they were ambushed by cultists serving Lord Phyffe who had become a follower of Mordo. Strange was captured alive but Spinosa was killed by a gunshot to the heart.[4]
At some point, the Vatican Library acquired another page from the Darkhold. When Modred was re-assembling the Darkhold for his master Chthon, he came to the library to retrieve that last page and managed to obtain it before Quicksilver could stop him.[9]See Also
- 4 appearance(s) of Vatican Library
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Vatican Library
- 1 image(s) of Vatican Library
- 1 item(s) used/owned by Vatican Library
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #38
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dracula Lives #6
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #5
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #39
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Werewolf by Night #3
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #12
- ↑ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #15
- ↑ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #9
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #22