Carriage Pavilion

Start with the difference between a ceremonial carriage and a motor vehicle. Their wheels share a practical purpose, but their forms answer very different expectations about how a pope should travel and be seen. The Carriage Pavilion opened under Pope Paul VI in 1973. Its early vehicles include the Grand Gala Berlin, made in Rome in 1826 under Leo XII. The collection also includes sedan chairs, harnesses and travelling carriages. These belonged to the equipment and ceremony of papal movement. Cars added new manufacturers and new ways of appearing in public. Graham Paige, Citroën and Mercedes vehicles are among the collection’s examples, alongside later papamobiles. The Fiat Campagnola is connected with the 1981 attempt on John Paul II’s life in St Peter’s Square. The vehicles carry histories beyond changes in engineering. This pavilion is beneath the Square Garden within the Vatican Museums. The main historical collection at the Lateran Palace occupies another site in Rome.