The epigraphic heritage collection, collected and preserved by the Holy See in the 17th Century and entrusted to the Vatican Museums, consists of more than 15,000 ancient inscriptions. They are medieval and modern, in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and mostly on stone supports.

The Curator of this important collection is Professor Giorgio Filippi. Professor Filippi is essentially the librarian of a library made of stone where the visitor can find a lot of information about languages, religions, military, government, society, business, places and peoples, in particular about the ancient world. The Epigraphic Department was part of the Classical Antiquities Department until 1971, when it became the Department for the Epigraphic Collection.

The epigraphic materials are on show in various areas of the Vatican Museums, the most important being the Lapidary Gallery, where the Patrons Office is also located, and which represents the connection between the Vatican Museums, Classical Antiquities Gallery, and the Apostolic Building, the First Loggia. The members of the staff are supervised by Professor Filippi, Prof. Ivan Di Stefano Manzella and the assistant Dr. Rosanna Barbera.