VATICAN CITY – For the first time, a woman, Barbara Jatta, 54, has been appointed Director of the Vatican Museums by the pope to take effect from January 2017.

 Jatta is the new Director of the world-renowned exhibition, which in 2015 attracted more than six million visitors from across the globe, taking the place of Antonio Paolucci, an Art Historian chosen for the role by Pope Benedict XVI but who never had a fully harmonious relationship with current Pope Francis.

 Born in the Eternal City Oct.8, 1962, now a married mother of three, Jatta gained a degree in Literature from the Roman University ‘La Sapienza’ in 1986 and the following year gained an Archivist diploma from the Vatican School of Palaeography.

 In 1991 she specialised in Art History at the Postgraduate school of the University of Rome and later worked in classes surrounding the history of graphics and engraving techniques, publishing articles, reviews and specialised exhibitions.

 Since 1994, Jatta has been a Representative Professor for the teaching of ‘The History of Graphic Arts’ through the University of Naples as part of the Humanities Degree, Conservation of Cultural Heritage.

 Entering into the Vatican Library in 1996, she became Head of the Cabinet of Prints, until being promoted in 2010 to the position of Curator of the Department of Printed Graphics.

 In June 2015, Jatta was transferred from the Vatican Library to the Staff of Vatican Museums, gaining the post of Deputy-Director. From January 2017 onwards, she will no longer be Deputy, gaining the full Director position.

  The Vatican Museums, central tourist attraction of the Holy See, have an exhibition of more than seven kilometres, including the famous Sistine Chapel. For its protection, a team of nearly 900 people including custodians, engineers, restorers and experts are on hand.

 In the words of Pope Francis, the museums should not be a “collection of the past, full of dust and only for the elite and wise few, but a virtual reality that knows how to cherish the past and tell it to people today, starting from the humblest, bringing us all together in appreciation of the past and confidence in the future.”

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