Vatican Vault

The Vatican Vault was a large chamber constructed by Those Who Came Before, located beneath the Cappella Sistina in the Vatican. It was used to transmit a message of warning to Desmond Miles during the year 2012.

Renaissance
It appears that the only way to enter the Vault is by combining two Pieces of Eden, an Apple and the Staff. These two must also be held by a chosen descendant of Those Who Came Before.

Recognized as "The Prophet," Ezio Auditore was able to access the Vault by using the Staff in conjunction with the Apple of Eden taken from Cyprus. Despite attempting to use the same two Pieces of Eden, Rodrigo Borgia was unable to open the door to the Vault.

The floors, walls and pillars of the Vault were covered in glyphs that only appeared to Ezio as he moved toward them. The entire chamber and the hallway leading to it were marked with lines of blue light; an appearance iconic to most Vaults.

Rodrigo Borgia was convinced that the Vault contained God himself; however, it instead held the holographic projection of one of Those Who Came Before, Minerva.

Upon the arrival of Ezio Auditore, Minerva explained that her race had created mankind, but had faced rebellion soon thereafter. Glyphs on the wall confirmed this, showing an Egyptian hieroglyphic with one of Those Who Came Before holding a Piece of Eden, as humans charged toward him with weapons.

She also spoke of several Temples that had been built by "those who knew to turn away from war," presumably referring to those who did not fight or did not want to fight in the war between the humans and Those Who Came Before. These structures had been built to protect the world from a repeat of the First Disaster, which had nearly wiped out both warring species.

Finally, Minerva directly addressed Desmond Miles, speaking to him through Ezio, as she was aware that he would look through his ancestor's memories with the Animus. She tasked with locating the other Temples, and averting a second cataclysm.

Minerva's speech
thumb|right|300px|Minerva's message to Desmond.

"'When we were still flesh, and our homes still whole, your kind betrayed us... We who made you. We who gave you life. We were strong but you were many, and both of us craved war. So busy were we with earthly concerns, we failed to notice the heavens, and by the time we did, the world burned until naught remained but ash."

"'It should have ended then and there, but we built you in our own image. We built you, to survive, and so we did. Few were our numbers, your kind and mine. It took sacrifice, strength, compassion, but we rebuilt, and as life returned to the world, we endeavored to ensure this tragedy could not be repeated."

"'But now, we are dying, and time will work against us. Truth turned into myth and legend. What we built, misunderstood. Let my words preserve the message and make a record of our loss. But let my word also bring hope."

"'You must find the other temples, built by those who knew to turn away from war. They worked to protect us, to save us from the fire. If you can find them, if their work can be saved, so too might this world. Be quick, for time grows short, and guard against the cross, for there are many who will stand in your way."

"'It is done. The message is delivered. We are gone now from this world, all of us. We can do no more... The rest is up to you, Desmond.'"

Trivia

 * The walls of the cavern containing the Vault (also built by Those Who Came Before) are covered in symbols, amongst them Sumerian Numerals. It is implied by Minerva that after the First Disaster, a small number of her kind lingered amongst early human civilization before dying out.
 * During Minerva's speech, a glyph of step pyramids, with what appears to be a Piece of Eden hovering over it, appears on the wall. This could possibly mean that another Temple is possibly a structure located in South America, a ziggurat in Mesopotamia, or even the ancient Temple of Borobudur in Indonesia.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy, one of the memories involves Giovanni Borgia going to Mexico to find a Piece of Eden, one of the Crystal Skulls.
 * The Vault in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood appears to have been redesigned: the floor has a shiny, polished look, and the walls and obelisks are blue and give off a dim glow.
 * Once leaving the Vault with Mario, the player cannot return to the Vault even after completing the game.
 * The Vatican vault is the only one to appear in Assassin's Creed II, whereas three vaults appear in Brotherhood and its DLCs.