The exhibition inaugurating the program of the Historical Archive is titled “Paths of Hope. Testimonies from the Historical Archive of the Fondazione Roma.” It will be held from November 30, 2024, to June 29, 2025, and can be visited for free as part of the permanent collection tour.

Exhibition Details
The Jubilee is an occasion for celebration and reconciliation involving the entire community of believers. It inherently contains a concept that transcends countries and nations, reaching out to the whole world and inviting people to celebrate it within an extended community.

However, the Jubilee is also a local event deeply rooted in the city of Rome, the epicenter of this celebration, the heart of the faithful community, and the destination for pilgrimage.

It is therefore inevitable that traces and testimonies of the Jubilee and its underlying ideals are interwoven into the vast tapestry of Rome’s grand history and the everyday lives of its inhabitants.

The Historical Archive of the Fondazione Roma preserves the archival collections of two institutions closely tied to the city’s history: the Sacro Monte della Pietà and the Cassa di Risparmio di Roma. These were not merely financial institutions but entities that, from the 1500s to the 1900s, offered support and assistance to all citizens—a mission that is now carried forward by the Fondazione Roma.

These records offer paths of discovery and narration, intertwining major themes such as the Jubilees and the pilgrims who participated, including some notable historical figures, alongside the consistent charitable work of the two institutions that brought hope to the city’s most humble residents.

The exhibition will guide visitors through stories of queens and peasants, destruction and reconstruction, steadfast defense of the weakest against the violence of nature, and hopes for redemption and renewal—timeless themes, unfortunately still very relevant today.

Even if the journeys through the records do not always lead directly to the heart of the Jubilee, along the way, there will always be the persistent spirit of conversion, penance, reconciliation, and, consequently, solidarity, hope, justice, joy, and peace with others—the profound meaning of every jubilee pilgrimage.