NFTs
Sacred Symbols? The Vatican Library is offering donors soulful NFTs
The Vatican Library is playing NFTs to strengthen your online following, bringing new meaning to the term “token linked to the soul” for users in Italy.
The library founded in the 15th century announced on Monday that NFTs will be distributed to supporters of its manuscript collection through an agreement with NTT DATA Italia, a multinational provider of information technology services, according to a translated document . Press release.
“The project aims to expand the online community of the Vatican Apostolic Library, putting the cultural institution in contact with its supporters through Web3 technology,” said the institution, which preserves 180,000 manuscripts and more than 1.5 million books, in a communicated.
Launched in Japan last year, the project is expanding to Europe, starting with users in Italy. People in the region who share their “Web3 Support Project” on social media by July 16 will receive a so-called Silver NFT that unlocks access to 15 different manuscripts, the library said.
Those who make a donation on behalf of the library will also receive a “Gold NFT”, which gives access to a total of 21 manuscripts. Described as non-transferable, NFTs appear to be soul-bound, meaning they are non-financial and tied to a wallet forever.
A proof of concept for the project listed on OpenSea shows that PolygonNFT-based NFTs have so far been distributed among 419 distinct owners. NTT DATA did not immediately respond to a query from Decrypt seeking confirmation that Italian users will receive NFTs on the Ethereum network at scale.
NTT DATA has played a crucial role in conserving the Vatican Library’s historical documents, library prefect Don Mauro Mantovani said in a statement, adding that the company’s digital archiving service, AMLAD, could be applied in multiple environments across the world.
The company has collaborated with the Vatican Library since 2014, and NTT DATA’s dedicated archive includes more than 2 million assets, according to company data. website. In the future, the library said immersive experiences could be built to view historic assets through extended reality.
Located in Vatican City, the library building dates back to the end of the 16th century. According to your websiteIn addition to books and manuscripts, the institution preserves 200,000 photographs, more than 150,000 engravings and more than 300,000 coins and medals.
“Our goal remains to make the priceless cultural heritage of the Vatican Library accessible,” said Ludovico Diaz, CEO of NTT DATA Italia, in a statement. “We will continue this important conservation work, […] extending the use of blockchain technology to other sectors.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward