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The Vatican announce they’re launching an NFT gallery

Ever wanted to gaze upon a screenshot of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Man? Well, you already could. But now you can with the Vatican’s approval.

Everyone wants a piece of the NFT market at the moment. Japanese game developers Square Enix just sold some of its most popular titles to get in on a bit of blockchain action, and now, even The Vatican are getting involved.

The Pope-led city announced its plans to open a virtual, NFT gallery of the Vatican’s art collection, in an effort to ‘democratise’ its historic pieces.

The Creation of Man
‘The Creation of Man’ by Michelangelo | Credit: Carmine Flamminio/Demotix/Corbis

The gallery is a collaborative effort between Vatican-led non-profit Humanity 2.0, and virtual reality experts Sensorium, and will make the collection of iconic artworks free to view online using a desktop or VR headset.

Humanity 2.0 chair Father Philip Larry says the project is will make it “more widely available to people around the world regardless of their socio-economic and geographical limitations.”

The Vatican has assured the public that the gallery is not for commercial use, and the NFTs will not be for sale. Instead they will be available for viewing purposes only.

The Pope’s crib is home to more than 800 artworks, housed by a museum that was founded in the 6th century. The gallery is expected to open at some point later in the year, but the number of included NFTs that will be available for viewing is still unknown.