In the Third Millennium, during the year of the Jubilee, the Vatican granted VRWAY permission to release some of Rome's architectural treasures online. This most exclusive shoot, which included four of the Vatican's Basilicas, was carried out by three professional QTVR photographers from three different countries (Italy, Denmark and USA). Of the resulting images, the most impressive are undoubtedly those of the Araceli Church, which we discuss in our interview with Eric Poppleton (see spotlight in the V-artist section).

What's special about this collection of VR photographs, is that they are all exclusive. As a matter of fact, the Vatican guard their artistic treasures with caution and their demanding high standards limit the reproduction of any historical site, monument or art work to their own press-room. Hence, the only reproductions that are in circulation, are those bearing the Vatican's official seal of approval. Which means that they are usually executed by a staff of hand-picked photographers and graphic artists.

Obtaining permission for our crew to photograph the sites, therefore, was not an easy task. It took some persuading. However, even an institution as archaic and strict as the Roman Catholic Church is able to identify a golden opportunity when faced with one. Once the chief of the media department saw the high resolution of the images, the seamless panoramic views and superb printing quality achieved with Panoscan, he immediately understood the medium's potential. Besides, this wasn't the Vatican‚s first brush with multimedia. A part from having their own website, a CD-ROM was released on the occasion of the Jubilee. So once the authorities in charge were persuaded, our crew was given the go ahead and set out to record some of Rome's treasures.

Our photographers were thus faced with the challenge of bringing the Vatican's most significant Basilicas to the world, through the use of QuickTime. Despite the state-of-the-art digital technology, capturing the majestic structures in all their splendour and presenting them at 360 degrees, was an arduous task. Our crew was confronted with numerous technical and environmental difficulties. First of all it was winter and the lighting conditions in the Basilicas changed very rapidly. Generally, the light was also insufficient. Secondly, time was very limited. As it was the year of the Jubilee this meant that many visitors arrived each day, having made the pilgrimage to Rome. Thirdly, the daily Masses regularly forced the production crew to a complete standstill.

Once all these problems were overcome and the images were completed, a long and delicate post production process followed. The time-consuming task was crucial in ensuring that the atmosphere of each Basilica was recreated as accurately as possible and that every minuscule architectonic and decorative detail would be perfectly reproduced. This was complex work that required the skills of some of the most qualified specialists available. The result though, is impressive. Each image is technically flawless and of unequalled beauty.