As the home of the pope, Vatican City is the spiritual capital of the Roman Catholic church. There, the pope directs the government of the church, which has more than a billion members around the globe. Vatican City is also called the Vatican, or the Holy See. When the name Holy See is used, however, it refers to the government of the Roman Catholic church. Vatican City is officially regarded as a country—in fact, it is the smallest independent nation-state in the world. It has an area of about 1/6 square mile (0.4 square kilometer), or about 109 acres (44 hectares). Within its walls are some of the world's most famous buildings, as well as priceless and beautiful paintings and sculptures. In addition, religious ceremonies attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Vatican each year. The city of Rome, Italy, surrounds the Vatican on all sides. Vatican City also owns many buildings in Rome. In the Alban Hills just south of Rome is Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer home. In addition, Vatican City has embassies, called nunciatures, in many of the national capitals of the world. People and cultureIn addition to the pope, hundreds of Roman Catholic clergy and lay people live and work in Vatican City. Dozens of Swiss Guards also live with their families in the city. The guards have been responsible for the safety of the pope since 1506. During any given week, roughly 3,000 people work in Vatican City. Most of the workers live in Rome. In the Vatican, they work as business professionals, police, secretaries, merchants, janitors, and maids. Nearly all are Italians, and Italian is the main language of Vatican City. The Latin language is used in official documents. - St. Peter's Basilica on St. Peter's Square, Vatican City.
Vatican City is bordered by stone walls on almost every side. On the southeast, however, Saint Peter's Square is a giant space open to the public. At Christmas and at other times throughout the year, the pope himself says Mass in the square. Saint Peter's Square leads to the great church called Saint Peter's Basilica. Saint Peter's Basilica is one of the largest religious buildings in the world. It stands above what is believed to be the tomb of Saint Peter the Apostle. The present basilica was built between 1506 and 1615. It replaced the original basilica, which was built in the 4th century. The artist Michelangelo designed the great dome, which rises more than 400 feet (122 meters) above the ground. Inside Saint Peter's Basilica are many great works of art. The Vatican Palace, just north of Saint Peter's Basilica, is a group of buildings with more than 1,400 rooms. A small part of the palace is taken up by the apartments of the pope and some of his government officials. The palace also contains the Sistine Chapel, museums, and a vast library. As the pope's own chapel, the Sistine Chapel is used for important ceremonies. Beautiful Renaissance art decorates the Sistine Chapel's high walls and ceiling, painted by such master artists as Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandajo, and Luca Signorelli. Michelangelo painted the most famous art in the chapel. On the ceiling, he showed events and people from the Old Testament of the Bible, especially from the Book of Genesis. Michelangelo also painted The Last Judgment on the west wall of the chapel. The Vatican museums have a wondrous collection of great paintings and sculptures, as well as ancient Roman and Greek relics. The Vatican's library contains priceless manuscripts and books, many from ancient times. EconomyVatican City's economy is different from all the world's national economies. Roman Catholics around the world give money to their local churches. Some of that money, in turn, is placed under the direct control of the church government at Vatican City. The Vatican also makes money on investments. In addition, it sells books, stamps, coins, and souvenirs, and tourists pay to enter the Vatican museums. The Vatican has its own telephone system, post office, supermarket, astronomical observatory, banking system, and pharmacy. The Vatican also has radio and television stations. It publishes its own newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano (The Roman Observer), and it prints books and pamphlets in several languages. Almost all supplies—including food, water, electricity, and gas—come from outside the Vatican's walls. HistoryIn the early years of the Roman Catholic church the city of Rome became the center of the faith. Saint Peter is thought to have lived and died there, and he is considered the first pope. At the time, Rome was also the center of the Roman Empire. By the 4th century, the popes had gained control of considerable property around Rome. In about the 5th century the Roman Empire began to break apart, and tribes from surrounding regions began to invade. The popes' influence in central Italy increased as the people of the area relied on them for protection against the barbarian invasions. Soon they controlled much of what is now central Italy. For hundreds of years, the area was called the Papal States. In the 19th century people in the rest of the Italian peninsula began to call for unification. In 1870 the Papal States joined with the other Italian states to form a nation with Rome as the capital. The Roman Catholic church resisted that change. For nearly 60 years afterward, the popes said that they were “prisoners in the Vatican.” In 1929 the Italian government and the Vatican signed the Lateran Treaty. That agreement declared that Vatican City was an independent country. In 1984 Vatican City was designated a World Heritage site by an agency of the United Nations. In the 1980s the Sistine Chapel's ceiling was cleaned and repaired. The dirt, smoke, and varnish of hundreds of years were removed. The Last Judgment was cleaned and repaired by 1994, so that the bright colors of the original painting can now be enjoyed again. Population (2001 estimate), 900. |