Rumors about what lies hidden beneath the Vatican have resurfaced after renewed claims that its secret vaults could contain relics tied to biblical history.
The Vatican Secret Archive, formally known as the Apostolic Archive, has long fueled speculation that sacred artifacts linked to the Bible may be stored far from public view.
Stretching across roughly 53 miles of shelving and holding more than 12 centuries of records, the underground repository is one of the most tightly controlled collections in the world.
But some believe the vaults may hold more than manuscripts. AJ Gentile, host of The Why Files, recently claimed the legendary Ark of the Covenant (AOC) and Spear of Destiny (SOD) are supposed to be down there.’
According to Holy Scripture, the Ark was created to hold the Ten Commandments given to Moses, while the spear is believed to have pierced Jesus during the crucifixion.
The secrecy surrounding the archives, including waiting periods that can stretch more than a decade, has only fueled speculation about what else might be hidden behind locked doors.
While many of the claims remain unverified, renewed interest in the Vatican’s hidden collection has reignited debate about whether history’s most sacred relics could still exist today.
Speaking on the Shawn Ryan Show, Gentile described the archives as a place few outsiders can truly access.
Rumors about what lies hidden beneath the Vatican have resurfaced after renewed claims that its secret vaults could contain relics tied to biblical histor
‘You can’t go there. I mean, people can go to the Vatican archives. You have to get permission, [which] is like a 10 to 15 year wait, and you have to tell them what you want to see before you go,’ Gentile explained.
Access to the archives is highly restricted, requiring scholars to apply years in advance, submit detailed research proposals and review materials under strict supervision without directly handling original documents.
‘So, and while you’re there, you can’t touch anything. Someone will turn the pages for you and all that,’ said Gentile.
Among the most widely discussed claims is the possibility that the vaults contain legendary religious artifacts tied to biblical history.
‘But, rumored to be down there is the spear of destiny. The Ark of the Covenant is supposed to be down there,’ Gentile said.
Rumors that the AOC may be hidden within Vatican custody have circulated for decades, fueled largely by the Church’s vast relic collections and the restricted nature of its archival system, with some theories suggesting the relic was moved through Europe during the Crusades to protect it from invasion or destruction.
According to the Bible, the AOC was built by the Israelites shortly after they fled Egypt around the 13th century BC.
Some historians believe the Ark was originally kept inside the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, before disappearing during the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Rumors that the Ark of the Covenant may be hidden within Vatican custody have circulated for decades, fueled largely by the Church’s vast relic collections and the restricted nature of its archival system. Pictured is a recreation based on text in the Bible
The Spear of Destiny is believed in Christian tradition to be the weapon used to pierce Jesus during the crucifixion
The SOD, also known as the Holy Lance, is believed in Christian tradition to be the weapon used to pierce Jesus during the crucifixion.
‘That is the spear of destiny or the holy lance, which was with the Roman soldier who pierced Christ when he was on the cross,’ Gentile explained.
One of the earliest sources of the spear legend dates back to the medieval Crusades, when multiple groups claimed to have discovered the weapon used in the crucifixion of Jesus.
During the Siege of Antioch in 1098, a monk named Peter Bartholomew claimed he had visions revealing the spear’s location beneath a church floor.
Although a spear was reportedly found, many doubted its authenticity even at the time.
This uncertainty created the belief that the ‘real’ spear might have been hidden or moved, laying the groundwork for later speculation that it could be concealed in powerful religious centers like the Vatican.
Speculation about hidden relics was also fueled by wartime accounts that Nazi forces actively searched across occupied Europe for sacred artifacts believed to hold symbolic or mystical power.
During World War II, organizations such as Heinrich Himmler’s SS-linked research group, the Ahnenerbe, investigated ancient relics and historical sites, including churches, monasteries and cathedrals, in hopes of locating objects tied to biblical or legendary traditions.
‘That was something that Hitler was very interested in finding. Hitler was chasing these artifacts all over the place,’ said Gentile.
Historians say many treasures were hidden, relocated or looted during the chaos of the war, helping create enduring rumors that some sacred relics, including those linked to Christian history, may have been secretly safeguarded by institutions such as the Vatican.
Stretching across roughly 53 miles of shelving and holding more than 12 centuries of records, the underground repository is one of the most tightly controlled collections in the world
Among the most unusual claims discussed is the existence of a mysterious device said to allow people to view past events.
‘My favorite object that’s supposed to be down there is called a chronovisor. And this is an object that lets you see through time,’ Gentile said.
The chronovisor is a legendary, unproven device allegedly developed in the 1950s by Father Pellegrino Ernetti, a priest and physicist who claimed it could capture residual vibrations left behind by past events.
‘And what really put it on the map was that he took a picture of Christ’s crucifixion and released it. And it’s a wild photograph because it’s Jesus Christ on the cross,’ Gentile said.
However, later investigations suggested the image more closely resembled a photograph of a statue rather than an authentic historical moment.
‘And it turned out that that’s really what it was was he had this photograph that he said he saw Christ, but it was just his photograph of the statue,’ Gentile said.
Despite the lack of confirmed evidence supporting the device’s existence, the legend continues to circulate among researchers and conspiracy theorists alike.
‘So the chronovisor is just this legend,’ Gentile concluded.
