In the last years of his career, between 1963 and 1971, Pier Luigi Nervi realised the extraordinary Vatican Audience Hall, which is so linked to his figure and name that it is also called Sala Nervi. MAXXI conserves and preserves numerous original materials about it, in its repositories: 240 drawings, 142 photographs, 4 photographic panels, 76 slides, 81 specimens.

Of particular interest, three albums that collect a selection of the most significant shots relating to the phases of the project.

In addition to these materials there are 976 photo cards, small photos glued on cardboard that narrate the phases of the work like a construction site diary. The documentation is completed by a corpus of correspondence and documents, which provide valuable insight into the design process and Nervi’s relations with the client. The general report reveals the technical and spatial aspects of the work and the relationship of respect and esteem between the architect and the Vatican officials.
By way of example, let us recall a letter dated 29^th April 1968 from Pope Paul VI, who, following a visit to the building site, declared that he had admired the growing structures that promised to give the Vatican City a great, valuable, and useful work of art.