A letter to Pope Alexander VI from his daughter, warning him that her own husband was in cahoots with his enemy, is one of 25 documents that are being exhibited outside of Rome for the first time.

In the letter, kept at the Vatican Secret Archives, Lucrezia Borgia describes a warm welcome she received when arriving at the City of Pesaro but also expresses her concern in between the lines.

The woman, who was married off aged 13, tells her father to beware the intentions of her husband Giovanni Sforza, who was forging an alliance with the Pope’s most bitter enemy, the King of France.

The high-definition authenticated replica of this letter is being displayed at the President’s Palace in Valletta, a few feet away from another letter by the doomed Marie Antoinette of France, which she penned on cheap, common paper just a few days before her beheading.

Marie Antoinette’s firm handwriting shows she was not afraid of her terrible fate: “The feelings of all those who are sharing my sorrows… are my only consolation, the only one that I can be given in these grim circumstances.”

Called Misericordia in Arcana (Charity in the Dark), the exhibition is open until April 7. However, once the curtain is drawn over the display, it will live through a book replete with pictures and penned by Joseph Fava, which goes by the same name and is being sold in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.

A few feet from another letter by the doomed Marie Antoinette of France, which she penned on cheap, common paper just a few days before her beheading

The documents are authenticated, high-definition copies of 25 manuscripts which cover 1,000 years of Church and European history.

The copies are an exact replica – meaning the paper they were copied on and the ink used is similar to that of the original. The shape is also true to the original, and some have even been hand-copied.

Entrance to the exhibition is free, but all proceeds are going to the MCCF. The Holy See has granted a special concession authorising the sale by auction of all the exhibits.

The exhibition marks interesting events spanning from 1075 to 1961 that have been documented in correspondence or manuscripts kept at the Holy See’s Secret Archives, Frank Zammit, one of the organisers, told this newspaper.

Flanked by Dr Fava, Mr Zammit kicked off discussions with the Holy See authorities in 2014 in a bid to bring the documents over. This will not be the last exhibition of the sort, Mr Zammit, who advises the President on Vatican Affairs on a voluntary basis, told this newspaper.

The documents currently on display also include the Bull marking the excommunication of Martin Luther, an appeal by astronomer Nicholas Copernicus to Pope Paul III, the juridical acts in the trial of Galileo Galilei and a Papal knighthood for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The exhibition provides a peek inside a conclave with a seating plan of the cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel and voting documents and ballots used between November of 1549 and February of 1550 to elect Pope Julius III.

A document dating to these same few months is a letter signed by the High Renaissance Master Michelangelo Buonarroti who wrote to his rich friend, the Bishop of Cesena, asking for financial help.

The Roman Curia had suspended the works on the Sistine Chapel following the death of Pope Farnese, and Michelangelo needed to pay his troupe of 200 artisans.

All his worries were however quelled with the election of the new pope, who was determined to finish the chapel.

Meanwhile, an exhibit that will probably prove popular with the Maltese is the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which is highly venerated across the island.

Dr Fava notes in his book that there is no reference to the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the Sacred Scriptures, however, there has always been a healthy debate between theologians, with some arguing that the Mother of God must have been without sin since her conception.

Before issuing the final document, Pope Pius IX set up a committee of 30 theologians and a congregation that included eight cardinals to examine the issue.

Their conclusion did not satisfy the Pope, so he asked all Catholic bishops to consult with the clergy and faithful of their respective dioceses, before electing nine separate study groups.

Rome’s church bells broke the news that the Church was upholding the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854, Dr Fava said.

A letter addressed to the same pope is penned by “maid of Lourdes” Bernadette Soubirous from her cell in the convent at Nevers.

She augurs the Pope, that “from Heaven above, the Blessed Virgin will turn her maternal looks on You, Holy Father, because you have declared her Immaculate”.

Another feature of the exhibition is the exposition of a number of original rare stamps and coins which belong to the Numismatic and Philatelic Office of the Holy See, which actually prints stamps in Malta.

Some of these items, including the first day covers, will also be sold by auction for the same philanthropic cause.

There are also 1,200 books on sale which have been donated by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, following discussions with the General Director Giuseppe Costa and head of editorial board Rev. Prof. Edmond Caruana.

The exhibition, supported by Transport Malta, will remain open until April 7 between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Saturday.

The proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.