Portal:Vatican City

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Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), is a landlocked 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.

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and a population of about 764 (as of 2023), it is the smallest sovereign 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 Vatican Apostolic Library (Latin: Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly called simply the Vatican Library, is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from throughout history.

Scholars have traditionally divided the history of the library into five periods:

Pre-Lateran. The initial days of the library, dating from the earliest days of the church, before it moved to the Lateran Palace.
Lateran. Lasted until the end of the 13th century and the reign of Pope Boniface VIII.
Avignon. This period saw a great growth in book collection and record keeping by the popes who were in residence in southern France in Avignon between the death of Boniface and the 1370s when the Papacy returned to Rome.
Pre-Vatican. From about 1370 to 1446, the library was scattered, with parts in Rome, Avignon and elsewhere.
Vatican. Starting around 1448, the library moved to the Vatican and a continuous history begins to the present time.

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Credit: Chris Greenberg

Popemobile (Italian: Papamobile) is an informal name for the specially designed motor vehicles used by the pope during outdoor public appearances without having to employ the antiquated and often impractical sedia gestatoria.

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

Image 1Map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens (from Vatican City)
Image 2Part of the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 3Musicians of the British Army"s 38th (Irish) Brigade playing in front of St. Peter"s Basilica in June 1944 (from Vatican City)
Image 4The crowds of tourists in St. Peter"s Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Crime in Vatican City)
Image 5The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter"s Square was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula. (from Vatican City)
Image 6The Vatican"s post office was established on 11 February 1929. (from Vatican City)
Image 7One possible modern interpretation (from Vatican City)
Image 8Image of the United Nations member state borders on a map (from Vatican City)
Image 9Territory of Vatican City State according to the Lateran Treaty (from Vatican City)
Image 10The shortest national railway system in the world (from Vatican City)
Image 11The 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 12Empress 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 13Polish ambassador to the Vatican, Kazimierz Papée, was critical of Pius XII"s pre-war mediation efforts. (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 14The crowds of tourists in St. Peter"s Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Vatican City)
Image 15A view of the Gardens of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 16Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 17The Vatican City came into existence in 1929, a decade before the start of World War II (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 18Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 19Map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 20An ATM in Vatican City with Latin instructions (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 21Gendarmerie car (from Vatican City)
Image 22Members 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 23St. Peter"s Basilica is one of the most renowned works of Renaissance architecture. (from Vatican City)
Image 24Vatican Museums" "New Wing", built by Raffaele Stern (1774–1820) (from Vatican City)
Image 25A guard of the Vatican at his sentry box (from Vatican City)
Image 26Enlargeable, detailed map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 27Armenian cross monument (Khatchkar) inside the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 28Pay phone in the Vatican City (from Vatican City)
Image 29An early interpretation of the relative locations of the circus, and the medieval and current Basilicas of St. Peter (from Vatican City)
Image 30President 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 31Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 32A souvenir shop on the roof of St. Peter"s Basilica (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 33The Ingresso di Sant"Anna, an entrance to Vatican City from Italy (from Vatican City)
Image 34The Fountain of the Eagle "Fontana dell"Aquilone" in the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 35The Italian peninsula in 1796. The Papal States in central Italy are coloured purple. (from Vatican City)
Image 36Cesare 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 37The Seal of Vatican City. Note the use of the Italian language. (from Vatican City)
Image 38View of St. Peter"s Square from the top of Michelangelo"s dome (from Vatican City)
Image 39Pope Pius XI decree and conferment of Saint Therese of France to be Patroness of the gardens, flanked by Cardinal Louis Billot. The Leonine walls, 17 May 1927. (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 40Pope Francis in Vatican City, 2021 (from Vatican City)
Image 41A 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 42Bernardino Nogara, the chief Vatican financier during the war (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 43Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (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 sport in Vatican City has included cricket, calcio fiorentino, and taekwondo?
... 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 the final silent film directed by Giulia Cassini Rizzotto was partly funded by the Vatican and featured Italian aristocrats?
... 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?