Rome, July 16, 2025: This afternoon, the institutional preview of the exhibition GIOVANNI PAOLO II, THE MAN, THE POPE, THE SAINT IN THE SHOTS BY GIANNI GIASANTI was held at Castel Sant'Angelo in the presence of the interim Director of Castel Sant'Angelo Luca Mercuri, the General Director of Museums Massimo Osanna, the curators Massimo Bray and Ilaria Schiaffini, the heirs of the Giansanti Archive, Giorgio Sotira CEO of Civita Exhibitions and Museums, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Italy Ryszard Schnepf, and the President of the VII Culture, Science and Education Commission of the Chamber of Deputies Federico Mollicone.

The exhibition will be open to the public from tomorrow, July 17, until November 30, 2025.

The exhibition path unfolds through the sensitive and powerful lens of Gianni Giansanti, a Roman photographer who followed Giovanni Paolo II for decades, immortalizing him in official and private moments, in the solemnity of apostolic journeys as well as in the intimacy of spiritual reflection. More than 40 photographs to discover one of the most beloved pontiffs of contemporary history. His photos - winners of the prestigious World Press Photo Award in 1988 - authentically portray the extraordinary humanity of the Holy Father, offering an unprecedented and deeply moving portrait. The choice of Castel Sant'Angelo is not random. A symbolic monument historically linked to the Vatican through the famous Passetto di Borgo, Castel Sant'Angelo represents the ideal space to host an exhibition that combines art, memory, and spirituality.

A bond that is renewed today as in 2000, when Giovanni Paolo II symbolically reopened the path between the Apostolic Palace and the mausoleum. Among the photographs on display, there is one depicting the Pope opening the Holy Door of St. Peter to inaugurate the Great Jubilee of the Third Millennium, and among the exhibited objects is his jubilee ring.

The exhibition welcomes a selection of images curated by Ilaria Schiaffini, Professor of the History of Photography at the Sapienza University of Rome. The photographs trace the 27 years of pontificate of Giovanni Paolo II, from his election to the pontifical throne, to the assassination attempt by Ali Agca, to the Jubilee of 2000, and up to the last years marked by physical suffering. Gianni Giansanti followed him on his numerous apostolic journeys around the world, documenting his encounters with religious leaders, heads of state, and crowds of faithful. Alongside the public aspects of the pontiff's life are the private ones, including moments of solitude and meditation.