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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A post-restoration section of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which includes the two panels reproduced above.

The restoration of the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel was one of the most significant art restorations of the 20th century. The Sistine Chapel was built by Pope Sixtus IV within the Vatican immediately to the north of St. Peter's Basilica and completed in about 1481. Its walls were decorated by a number of Renaissance painters who were among the most highly regarded artists of late 15th century Italy, including Ghirlandaio, Perugino, and Botticelli. The Chapel was further enhanced under Pope Julius II by the painting of the ceiling by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 and by the painting of the Last Judgment, commissioned by Pope Clement VII and completed in 1541, again by Michelangelo. The tapestries on the lowest tier, today best known from the Raphael Cartoons (painted designs) of 1515–16, completed the ensemble.

Together the paintings make up the greatest pictorial scheme of the Renaissance. Individually, some of Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling are among the most notable works of western art ever created. The frescoes of the Sistine Chapel and in particular the ceiling and accompanying lunettes by Michelangelo have been subject to a number of restorations, the most recent taking place between 1980 and 1994. This most recent restoration had a profound effect on art lovers and historians, as colours and details that had not been seen for centuries were revealed.

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The Vatican post office has operated its own postal service and issued its own postage stamps since 1929. Pictured is the stamp vending machine of the Vatican Postal Service.

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

Image 1View of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michelangelo's dome (from Vatican City)
Image 2The Vatican's post office was established on 11 February 1929. (from Vatican City)
Image 3Enlargeable, detailed map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 4An ATM in Vatican City with Latin instructions (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 5The Little Flower, Saint Therese of Lisieux is the official Patroness of the gardens. (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 6A guard of the Vatican at his sentry box (from Vatican City)
Image 7Map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens (from Vatican City)
Image 8Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 9Part of the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 10Map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 11Pope Francis in Vatican City, 2021 (from Vatican City)
Image 12Cesare 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 13A 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 14St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most renowned works of Renaissance architecture. (from Vatican City)
Image 15The Vatican City came into existence in 1929, a decade before the start of World War II (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 16The Ingresso di Sant'Anna, an entrance to Vatican City from Italy (from Vatican City)
Image 17Polish ambassador to the Vatican, Kazimierz Papée, was critical of Pius XII's pre-war mediation efforts. (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 18President 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 19Territory of Vatican City State according to the Lateran Treaty (from Vatican City)
Image 20Members 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 21An early interpretation of the relative locations of the circus, and the medieval and current Basilicas of St. Peter (from Vatican City)
Image 22Empress 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 23Armenian cross monument (Khatchkar) inside the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 24The Italian peninsula in 1796. The Papal States in central Italy are coloured purple. (from Vatican City)
Image 25A souvenir shop on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 26The shortest national railway system in the world (from Vatican City)
Image 27One possible modern interpretation (from Vatican City)
Image 28Image of the United Nations member state borders on a map (from Vatican City)
Image 29The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula. (from Vatican City)
Image 30Gendarmerie car (from Vatican City)
Image 31The crowds of tourists in St. Peter's Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Crime in Vatican City)
Image 32Bernardino Nogara, the chief Vatican financier during the war (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 33Vatican Museums' "New Wing", built by Raffaele Stern (1774–1820) (from Vatican City)
Image 34The 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 35Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 36Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Vatican City)
Image 37Musicians of the British Army's 38th (Irish) Brigade playing in front of St. Peter's Basilica in June 1944 (from Vatican City)
Image 38The Fountain of the Eagle "Fontana dell'Aquilone" in the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 39The Seal of Vatican City. Note the use of the Italian language. (from Vatican City)
Image 40The crowds of tourists in St. Peter's Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Vatican City)
Image 41A view of the Gardens of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 42Pay phone in the Vatican City (from Vatican City)
Image 43Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Gardens of Vatican City)

Did you know?

... that the Second Vatican Council tried to undo the latinization of Eastern Catholic liturgy?
... that Sans's boss theme, "Megalovania", was played at the Vatican as part of a circus act during an audience with Pope Francis?
... that some Catholics considered Tom Lehrer's "The Vatican Rag" (audio featured) to be blasphemous?
... that the Vatican selected Mary Milligan in 1987 to be one of only three U.S. experts to assist the International Synod of Bishops on the Laity in Rome?
... that a Vatican Hebrew manuscript has been used as a source for analysing and emending modern editions of the Palestinian Talmud?
... that the final silent film directed by Giulia Cassini Rizzotto was partly funded by the Vatican and featured Italian aristocrats?

...that the 22 Bodmer Papyri from a fifth-century Egyptian monastic library near Nag Hammadi contain three plays by Menander and fragments of the Iliad, as well as early versions of the Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John?"