For the first time in almost seven centuries, the three surviving parts of the Gospel of Mark, one of the most important codices of medieval Europe, will reunite in Aquileia.

From 12 September 2026 to 25 April 2027, Palazzo Meizlik will host the exhibition "THE GOSPEL OF MARK. Seven Centuries. Three Fragments. One European Story", promoted and organised by Fondazione Aquileia with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, and in collaboration with the Municipality of Aquileia, the Basilica of Aquileia, the National Archaeological Museum of Cividale del Friuli (part of the Museo storico e Parco del Castello di Miramare — Regional Directorate of National Museums of Friuli Venezia Giulia), the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus in Prague, the Prague Castle Archive at the Chancellery of the President of the Czech Republic, and the Archdiocese of Prague.

The project is the result of an extensive programme of cultural diplomacy promoted by Fondazione Aquileia, which has fostered dialogue between Italian and Czech civil, religious and museum institutions, thereby making possible an operation of extraordinary scientific and symbolic value. Among the most significant exhibits, is the fragment on loan from the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus in Prague and to the Cathedral Treasury, considered indivisible part of the heritage of the State and its people, which will be leaving the Czech territory for the first time.

Aquileia is where this story began. Known as the "Splendida Civitas" in late antiquity and, in the early Middle Ages, Europe's largest diocese, the Patriarchate of Aquileia served as a bridge between Rome, Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire and the Slavic world, representing one of the continent's principal spiritual, political and cultural centres. It is precisely this historical significance that has made it possible to reunite the three fragments in the same place, confirming the UNESCO site of Aquileia as a crossroads within a network of relationships that continues to this day to unite European institutions, cultures and countries.

More than an ancient manuscript, the Gospel of Mark is one of the greatest testimonies to medieval culture. Venerated as the autograph of the Evangelist Mark, it has been dated by historical research to the 6th century. Preserved in Aquileia for centuries, the Gospel was eventually dismembered, and its three parts followed different paths. The exhibition tells this story, restoring unity to a narrative that belongs to Europe's cultural heritage.

The project and the exhibition's programme of scientific and educational outreach initiatives will be presented to the Italian and international press on Thursday, 10 September 2026, in Rome.