Keen to enable the blind and deaf to enjoy their art, the Vatican museums have produced a tactile sense experience of two of their most famous works as well as sign-language routes.

“Works of art should be accessible to everyone,” Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo told reporters who had come to see the new projects unveiled on Tuesday.

Caravaggio’s Deposition From The Cross and Melozzo da Forli’s Angel Playing The Lute have been transformed for unsighted visitors thanks to raised reproductions, music, aromas and replica period cloths.

“We are the first in the world where the blind, poor-sighted, deaf or hard of hearing can discover masterpieces,” the museums’ head Antonio Paolucci said, adding he hoped the “ambitious project” would include other works soon.

Raised copies of the paintings allow visitors to feel the contours of the designs, which are accompanied by a caption in braille, an audio recording of a related passage from the bible and the strains of a Gregorian chant.

Visitors can even touch the types of material included in Caravaggio’s depiction of Christ’s death, which have been soaked in myrrh and aloe, scents used to grease Jesus’ body before his burial, according to the Gospels.

“It’s a splendid initiative that makes it possible to discover the painting and fresco on all levels,” said Deborah Tramentozzi, who was one of the first blind people to try out the new project.

The museums also offer two sign-language routes for hearing-impaired visitors around the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms and the Pio-Clementino statue collection.