According to myth, a pair of eyeglasses were crafted in Rome over two and a half centuries ago for the pope from a stone sent by God. It was understood that whoever had the good fortune to wear these glasses was blessed with superior vision. However, their real power was revealed when the wearer of the glasses was reading a book. The reader was given unmeasurable wisdom and knowledge beyond belief.
The Occhiali da vista scrolls of Pope Leo XIII from the 1881 Vatican Secret Archives, now missing, were rumoured to have told the story of this pair of book glasses commissioned between 1700 and 1800 by the Papal Basilica of St Peter for the sole use of the pope and all future popes. The lenses were to be crafted from a unique clear stone, rumoured to be blessed by angels. The origin of the sto
