Gianni Crea, custodian of the Vatican Museums, holds a large number of museum keys (French)

At night, Gianni Crea opens the main door of the Vatican Museum Complex, carrying a huge set of keys in his hand, and then continues his tour to open the doors of the galleries, which are among the most attractive to visitors in the world.

The fifty-year-old man, who knows his locks by heart, says, “There are exactly 2,797 keys, each with one to five copies, so the total amounts to more than 10,000 keys.”

From the grand staircase of Bramante to the gallery of geographical maps, Gianni Crea moves at dawn, in his suit and tie, between marble sculptures, Roman ruins and Renaissance paintings, preparing for a busy day.

A few hours after he completed this task, the 1,400 halls contained in the museums were filled with thousands of tourists flocking to them. But in these predawn hours, only the ringing of his metal key chain pierces the silence of the place immersed in darkness.

Corners of history

Gianni noted in an interview with Agence France-Presse during an exclusive visit by his team to the Vatican Museums that “every corner” in the place “is a piece of history,” pointing with the light of his flashlight to works by artists Raphael, Da Vinci, Caravaggio and others.

In order to complete the task morning and evening throughout the entire 7-kilometre visit route, Gianni supervises a team of 10 “key holders” (clavigeri in Italian).

He explains, "The museum complex is divided into 4 areas. Each key holder opens between 60 and 75 doors, meaning a total of more than 270 doors per day."

The 25 years that Gianni spent in this job did not diminish his amazement, and the man passionate about history, who got this job “by chance,” says: “There are always things to learn.”

A few special keys stand out from the pile, suspended by a large steel ring. The oldest one dates back to 1771 and is about 15 centimeters long. The Pio Clementino Museum is open.

The dome of St. Peter's Basilica can be seen through the key ring carried by the Vatican Museums guard (French)

Secret complex

It is noted that among the keys there are yellow marks, which are those used to close the doors leading to the halls in which the cardinals hold closed meetings to elect the pope during the conclave.

But the only unnumbered key is the most important, as it is the one that allows entry to the famous Sistine Chapel, decorated with Michelangelo's frescoes.

Strict protocol requires that this key be placed every evening in a sealed envelope and kept in a protected safe inside a vault, providing it with “maximum protection,” according to Gianni, who was speaking under an official portrait of Pope Francesco.

In recent years, Gianni's morning tour has become less isolated, as a special VIP ticket allows small groups of up to 20 visitors to go behind the scenes of the Vatican Museums, unknown to the general public, an initiative of its former director.

Gianni, who has received a number of celebrities such as American actors Sylvester Stallone and Christian Bale, comments, "I expected that no one would ever come at five in the morning. But it was a smart move. Today, this type of visit ranks second in terms of demand on a popular travel reservations website."

The Vatican Museums guard opens a wooden door during a special visit to the museums at night (French)

Art and architecture

The visit begins in a wide, polished wooden elevator and ends with a unique panoramic view of the Eternal City, the lush plants of the Vatican Gardens, and the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

But the most prominent stop of the visit is the Sistine Chapel, a masterpiece of art and architecture that has become a destination for visitors and cinema lovers.

What distinguishes this visit is that it does not take place in a hurry amidst the pressure of crowded queues of tourists, nor under calls to advance without stopping to photograph, but rather in light of the silence and grandeur of the place.

This “extraordinary privilege” allows each visitor to feel that the place is entirely his own, and enables him to “consider the works in complete peace,” explains Gianni.

As museums developed, so did the mission of this Catholic, who obtained the job in 1998 with the support of a priest in the parish to which he belongs, and he had no choice but to transfer his passion to others.

He says that the "Key Holders" team included only three people when he started his work.

He says, "Little by little, I started learning different languages, such as English, Spanish, and French, and studying the history of art to deepen my knowledge. They are our roots, and I am very happy with them."

The man who lived through the reigns of three popes: John Paul II, Benedict “The house is his house, so he can come whenever he wants,” he jokes.

Source: French