Area 1:
The Origins of the Vatican Observatory
The Vatican Observatory was formally founded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII but in fact its roots can be found in the 1582 Reform of the Calendar by Pope Gregory XIII and the astronomical work of the Jesuit priest Angelo Secchi at the Roman College in the middle 1800s.
The first project of the Vatican Observatory was paticipating in the international Carte du Ciel project, to make a photographic atlas of the stars using a series of identical telescopes around the world. The Vatican’s Carte du Ciel telescope took the first images for this project, and was one of the first observatories to complete its atlas.
After the early death of the first director, Fr. Denza, the Observatory was supported by Pope Pius X who put it under the care of Cardinal Maffei. In 1905, the Jesuit astronomer Fr. Johan Hagen was brought from Georgetown University to direct the Observatory; he concentrated its efforts purely on astronomical research, and guided it until his death in 1929.
Group 1
- Pope Gregory XIII
- Meridian Circle Telescope
Group 2
- Roman College Observatory
- Calandrelli Tower
- Church of St. Ignatius (Model)
Group 3
- Fr. Angelo Secchi, S.J.
- Fr. Francesco Denza
- Fr. Johann Hagen, S.J.
- Fr. Giuseppe Lais
Group 4
- Merz Telescope
- American Bridge
- Heliograph
- Visuale Telescope
- Carte du Ciel Telescope
- Vatican Aerial View
- Tower of the Winds
Group 5
- Pope Leo XIII
- Pope Pius X
- Card. Maffi
Group 6
- Sisters Computer
- Repsold Micrometers
- Charts from Cart du Ciel