This paper reports the present stage of commissioning of the gas-phase photoemission beamline at Elettra, Trieste. The beamline is designed for atomic and molecular science experiments with high-resolution and high-flux synchrotron radiation. It consists of an undulator source, variable-angle spherical-grating monochromator and two experimental stations. The design value of the energy range is 20 to 800 eV with a specified resolving power of over 10000. The procedure adopted for calibration of this type of monochromator is discussed. At present a resolving power up to 20000 and a range up to 900 eV have been measured. Absorption spectra taken at the argon L(II,III)-edge and at the nitrogen, oxygen and neon K-edges are as sharp as, or sharper than, any reported in the literature. The instrumental broadening is well below the natural line-width making it difficult to quantify the resolution; this problem is discussed.