Reunited After 700 Years: The Sacred Gospel of Mark Fragments Return to Aquileia

From September 12, 2026, to April 25, 2027, the ancient Italian city of Aquileia will host a momentous cultural event. The exhibition, titled “The Gospel of Mark. Seven Centuries. Three Fragments. One European Story,” will take place at the historic venue of Palazzo Meizlik. For the first time in nearly seven hundred years, the three surviving fragments of the Codex Aquileiensis—a precious medieval manuscript—will be reunited under one roof.

To understand the weight of this event, one must understand the unique history of Aquileia, located in northeastern Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Today it is a quiet, sun-drenched town celebrated as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its sprawling Roman ruins. However, during antiquity, it was a massive Roman metropolis known as the Splendida Civitas (“Splendid City”). In the early Middle Ages, the Patriarchate of Aquileia grew into the largest ecclesiastical diocese in Europe. Positioned at a geographical crossroads, the city acted as a vital bridge connecting Rome, Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Slavic world. It is this exact pan-European heritage that makes the city the perfect setting to recompose the broken manuscript.

The Splitting of a Medieval Masterpiece

The Gospel of Mark manuscript is far more than just an ancient book; it represents a foundational pillar of European history. For centuries, medieval believers venerated the text as a holy relic, firmly believing it was an original autograph penned by the hand of Saint Mark the Evangelist himself. While modern historical research dates its actual craftsmanship to the 6th century, its spiritual and political importance remained immense.

The manuscript was safely kept in Aquileia for centuries before it was eventually dismantled. Its three fragments scattered across the continent, carving out separate historical paths:

• Prague (Czech Republic): In the 14th century, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV—an avid collector of sacred relics—acquired a significant portion of the text and moved it to Bohemia to enrich the crown’s prestige.
• Cividale del Friuli (Italy): Another fragment stayed closer to its origins, ultimately finding a home at the National Archaeological Museum of Cividale.
• Venice (Italy): The final section made its way to the famous Basilica of San Marco, forever linking the text to the patron saint of the Venetian Republic.

A Triumph of Cultural Diplomacy

Piecing this broken masterpiece back together required an extraordinary feat of international diplomacy led by the Fondazione Aquileia. The foundation successfully synchronized efforts between civil, religious, and museum institutions across both Italy and the Czech Republic.

The crown jewel of this collaboration is the loan of the Bohemian fragment, preserved by the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus in Prague and the Prague Castle Treasury. Regarded as an indivisible national heritage treasure of the Czech people, this precious artifact has never left the borders of the Czech Republic until now. Its historic journey back to Italian soil serves as a powerful testament to modern European unity and scientific collaboration.

Experiencing the Exhibition

Visitors to Palazzo Meizlik will be able to view the reunited text alongside an extensive array of educational displays, archival documents, and historical contexts that map out its 700-year journey. Following an official international press presentation in Rome on September 10, 2026, the doors will officially open to the general public on September 13, 2026.

For travelers, historians, and art lovers looking to plan their visit to Friuli Venezia Giulia for this once-in-a-lifetime reunion, ticketing and event schedules can be found directly on the official portal at Il Vangelo di Marco.