Portal:Vatican City

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Vatican City (/ˈvætɪkənˈsɪti/ ^ⓘ), officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), is a sovereign country, city-state, microstate, and enclave surrounded by, and historically a part of, Rome, Italy. It became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, and is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, which is itself a sovereign entity under international law, maintaining the city-state's temporal power, governance, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. The Vatican is also a metonym for the pope, the Holy See, and the Roman Curia. The country has the world's smallest land area and the smallest population, with 764 citizens as of 2023.

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and as of 2023 a population of about 764, it is the smallest state in the world both by area and by population. It is also the second-least populated capital in the world. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various origins. After the Avignon Papacy (1309–1377) the popes have mainly resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere. (Full article...)

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The transportation system in Vatican City, a country 1.05 km long and 0.85 km wide,^[1] is a small transportation system with no airports or highways. Given an average walking speed of 3.6 km/h,^[2] Vatican City can be crossed in 20 minutes or less. Thus, much of the infrastructure in the Vatican consists of St. Peter's Square itself, hallways and aisles in the basilica and surrounding buildings, and walkways behind and between the buildings.^[1] There is a heliport in the western corner of the city-state that is used for officials of the Holy See and official visitors.^[3]

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Credit: Sailko

Sistine Chapel (Latin: Sacellum Sixtinum; Italian: Cappella Sistina) is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City.

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The following are images from various Vatican City-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Seal of Vatican City. Note the use of the Italian language. (from Vatican City)
Image 2President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on July 10, 2009. (from Women in Vatican City)
Image 3The Apostolic Palace (Palazzo Apostolico), the official residence of the Pope. Here, Benedict XVI is at the window marked by a maroon banner hanging from the windowsill at centre. (from Vatican City)
Image 4Polish ambassador to the Vatican, Kazimierz Papée, was critical of Pius XII's pre-war mediation efforts. (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 5Armenian cross monument (Khatchkar) inside the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 6Gendarmerie car (from Vatican City)
Image 7St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most renowned works of Renaissance architecture. (from Vatican City)
Image 8An ATM in Vatican City with Latin instructions (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 9View of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michelangelo's dome (from Vatican City)
Image 10The Italian peninsula in 1796. The Papal States in central Italy are coloured purple. (from Vatican City)
Image 11Empress Saint Helena of Constantinople carrying the One True Cross laying the grounds for the gardens using the sacred soil from Mount Calvary. (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 12The Vatican's post office was established on 11 February 1929. (from Vatican City)
Image 13Pay phone in the Vatican City (from Vatican City)
Image 14Map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 15Part of the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 16Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Vatican City)
Image 17The Ingresso di Sant'Anna, an entrance to Vatican City from Italy (from Vatican City)
Image 18Map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens (from Vatican City)
Image 19Bernardino Nogara, the chief Vatican financier during the war (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 20Vatican Museums' "New Wing", built by Raffaele Stern (1774–1820) (from Vatican City)
Image 21The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula. (from Vatican City)
Image 22Cesare Orsenigo (left, with Hitler and Ribbentrop), nuncio to Germany, also served as de facto nuncio to Poland. (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 23Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 24The crowds of tourists in St. Peter's Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Vatican City)
Image 25Image of the United Nations member state borders on a map (from Vatican City)
Image 26A guard of the Vatican at his sentry box (from Vatican City)
Image 27A monument to Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, among the estimated 3,000 members (18%) of the Polish clergy who were killed by the Nazis; of these, 1,992 died in concentration camps. (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 28A souvenir shop on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 29Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 30The Fountain of the Eagle "Fontana dell'Aquilone" in the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 31Enlargeable, detailed map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 32One possible modern interpretation (from Vatican City)
Image 33Pope Francis in Vatican City, 2021 (from Vatican City)
Image 34Musicians of the British Army's 38th (Irish) Brigade playing in front of St. Peter's Basilica in June 1944 (from Vatican City)
Image 35The Little Flower, Saint Therese of Lisieux is the official Patroness of the gardens. (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 36Members of the Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment in audience with Pope Pius XII, following the 1944 Liberation of Rome. (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 37A view of the Gardens of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 38The shortest national railway system in the world (from Vatican City)
Image 39Territory of Vatican City State according to the Lateran Treaty (from Vatican City)
Image 40The Vatican City came into existence in 1929, a decade before the start of World War II (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 41The crowds of tourists in St. Peter's Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Crime in Vatican City)
Image 42Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 43An early interpretation of the relative locations of the circus, and the medieval and current Basilicas of St. Peter (from Vatican City)

Did you know?

... that a Vatican Hebrew manuscript has been used as a source for analysing and emending modern editions of the Palestinian Talmud?
... that Sans's boss theme, "Megalovania", was played at the Vatican as part of a circus act during an audience with Pope Francis?
... that the final silent film directed by Giulia Cassini Rizzotto was partly funded by the Vatican and featured Italian aristocrats?
... that some Catholics considered Tom Lehrer's "The Vatican Rag" (audio featured) to be blasphemous?
... that the Second Vatican Council tried to undo the latinization of Eastern Catholic liturgy?
... that sport in Vatican City has included cricket, calcio fiorentino, and taekwondo?