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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1399

Sua Santità papa Leone XIII

18982 minItaly
Documentary
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: zxx.
This copy runs
2:20
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · William Kennedy Dickson · Public domain

Synopsis

Pope Leo XIII appears in the Vatican gardens and gives his blessing to the camera. Three views record the elderly pontiff in an early encounter between religious ceremony and moving pictures.

Cast

DirectorsWilliam Kennedy Dickson

Historical context

William Kennedy Dickson filmed the visit for Biograph after negotiations with Vatican officials. Later archival research corrected a longstanding attribution to an earlier Lumière production.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 16, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

  • Pope Leo XIII — Braun et Compagnie; Observador.pt: Info Pic Getty Images: Info 1 Info 2 · Public domain
  • Francesco S. Della Volpe — Leo-Gesellschaft, Wien; Die Katholische Kirche, Band 1 · Public domain
  • Rafael Merry del Val — Unknown photographer; one or more third parties have made copyright claims against Wikimedia Commons in relation to the work from which this is sourced or a purely mechanical reproduction thereof . This may be due to recognition of the " sweat of the brow " doctrine, allowing works to be eligible for protection through skill and labour, and not purely by originality as is the case in the United States (where this website is hosted). These claims may or may not be valid in all jurisdictions. As such, use of this image in the jurisdiction of the claimant or other countries may be regarded as copyright infringement . Please see Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag for more information. · Public domain

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