By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Mandylion of Edessa. (Vatican photos) | ZOOM |

St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes will make Cincinnati one of only four stops on its 18-month U.S. tour. The exhibit, the largest collection of art and objects from the Vatican ever to be seen in North America, will be on view at Cincinnati Museum Center from Dec. 20, 2003 to April 18, 2004.

To accommodate it, Museum Center will expand its special exhibits hall by 50 percent, from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. The $700,000 expansion, says Museum Center president and CEO Douglass McDonald, "we think sets a model to go after blockbusters. It could mean phenomenal economic impact for the city."

Ring of Pope Pius IX | ZOOM |

Mr. McDonald makes a cautious attendance estimate of 250,000, which translates to $18 million in economic impact over the four-month stop. The museum's most successful exhibit to date was Titanic, which had 160,000 visitors.

"This is good for the Museum Center and even better for the community," says Mr. McDonald. "The time slot - Christmas to Easter - means we'll be filling hotel rooms at a time of year when the city needs it."

St. Peter and the Vatican moves thematically through 2,000 years of papal history including many items that have never left the Vatican or even been on public view.

Mosiac from Basilica of St. Paul | ZOOM |

Highlights include the Mandylion of Edessa, an image on linen considered the oldest known representation of Jesus; a mosaic Bust of an Angel by 14th-century master Giotto; drawings by Michelangelo, including figure studies for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; the tiara of Pope Pius IX; and a reproduction of the Tomb of St. Peter.

The Museum Center is in the process of raising $1.2 million for the expansion and exhibit. Mr. McDonald says the event could not have happened without the commitment of the city and county, which have pledged unspecified support, and the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, which will market the exhibit outside the city.

St. Peter and the Vatican opens in Houston in March and continues to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and San Diego.

Papal tiara of Pope Pius IX | ZOOM |

St. Peter and the Vatican caps a year of special events at the Museum Center including Baseball as America, already successfully opened in New York and debuting here Aug. 16; new local exhibit Liberty on the Border: The Civil War and the Ohio River Valley, opening April 5; and the premiere of the Omnimax film Coral Reef Adventure on Feb. 15.

"What we're clearly saying," Mr. McDonald says, "is that the museum is a center for the community, we can bring special, spectacular exhibits and educational opportunities. We're advancing ourselves to be a national leader."

No ticket price has been set, but Mr. McDonald estimates admission will be "about $17. " A 500-page catalog will accompany it. St. Peter and the Vatican is organized by Clear Channel Exhibitions, Trident Media Group and Art Services International in cooperation with the Vatican.

The Vatican exhibit

St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes is organized into six sections:

The Tomb of St Peter: re-creation of the second-century Vatican necropolis.

Building the Basilicas: Architectural drawings and models, frescos and mosaics that tell the story of St. Peter's Basilica. The section will include the Mandylion of Edessa.

The Sistine Chapel: Drawings by Michelangelo and the ceremony surrounding the death of a pope and the process of papal election.

Papal Liturgies: The missals of Pope Leo XIII, a 15th century processional cross and a 16th century chalice.

The Papacy: Into the World: The pope's work within the Roman Catholic Church and his dialogue with other world religions.

Into the New Millennium: A replica of the 12-foot bronze Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com