Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s longtime chief exorcist, claimed to have performed over 100,000 exorcisms during his 60-year service. Exorcism remains an active Catholic practice, with global priests attending annual Vatican training workshops.
Fascinating Vatican secrets and mysteries
Dark secrets about the Vatican
Vatican myths and legends
| Myth/legend | What it’s about | Debunked? | Vatican link | Best tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Secret archives of apocalyptic prophecies | Belief that locked vaults hide catastrophic world-ending documents. | Debunked — “Secretum” means private, not hidden prophecy vault. | Borgia Apartments; Gallery of Maps | Vatican Museums Tour |
Hidden pagan symbols in Vatican art | Theory that Vatican artworks conceal Roman gods and pagan motifs. | Misread — Renaissance artists reused classical allegories openly. | Pio-Clementino Museum; Egyptian Collection | Vatican Museums Tour |
Michelangelo’s coded messages in the Sistine Chapel | Claims of anatomical symbols and secret critiques in the frescoes. | Unproven — intriguing patterns but no historical evidence. | Sistine Chapel | Early Morning Vatican Tour |
The “secret” necropolis under St. Peter’s | Rumor of a hidden pagan city buried beneath the Basilica. | Real but not secret — excavated and documented since 1940s. | St. Peter’s Basilica; Papal Tombs | St. Peter’s Basilica Tour |
Castel Gandolfo’s mysterious papal experiments | Stories of secret scientific projects at the papal summer residence. | Unproven — no systematic investigation to prove or refute the claims. | Apostolic Palace; Vatican Gardens | Vatican + Castel Gondolfo |
