DALLAS (REUTERS).- Rare, lavishly-illustrated manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel that were rescued from Napoleon’s army, only to fall under the radar screen of art history for two centuries, go on display in Dallas on Sunday. The exhibit at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum, which will run until April 23, is the only chance for the U.S. public to see the stunning, hand-made codices or manuscripts. “The Lost Manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel: An Epic Journey from Rome to Toledo” features 40 codices that range in date from the 11th to the 18th century. “These were in the Sacristy of the Sistine Chapel so these were the most private books read by the popes and cardinals at very special ceremonies. There are some codices here that Michelangelo would have heard or read from,” said Meadows director Mark Roglan. “All of them are one of a kind … and done by hand. It is an art,” he said as he pointed to so