What was
known as the much larger Papal States seized to exist in 1870. It then took a
few decades to establish the reduced temporal territories of the Papacy. The
Vatican City State is the smallest state in the world with some 800 inhabitants.
In its present form it was established in 1929.
It should
be noted that the Vatican City is distinct from the Holy See, which is the episcopal
jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, the Diocese of Rome, of which the
Pope is the bishop and supreme Pontiff. The Diocese includes the City of Rome –
with the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the official cathedral of the
diocese … and the Vatican City with the Basilica of St. Peter, which thus is - only - one of four churches
in Rome that hold the rank of "Major Basilica".
It’s however
in the Vatican City where the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, has his residence, in
the Apostolic Palace - most Popes have remained here since the return from
Avignon in 1377 - and although not being the mother church of the Roman
Catholic Church, nor the Cathedral
of the Bishop of Rome, the Basilica of St. Peter is of course considered as one
of the holiest Catholic sites.
The present
Basilica, which replaced a former one with beginnings from the 4th
century, the old Constantinian basilica, was built between 1506 and 1626 with a
number of successive plans with contributions of Bramante, Raphael … and especially Michelangelo.
The St.
Peter’s Piazza was created by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. In the middle
stands an Egyptian obelisk from the 13th century BC, which was erected in Rome
in 37 AD. It’s referred to as “The
Witness”, thought to have witnessed St. Peter’s crucifixion around 64 AD.
The Vatican
“army” consists today of some 130 Swiss Guards. (The guards must be catholic,
single males with Swiss citizenship…)
According
to tradition, and some historical evidence, the main altar, the “baldacchino”
by Bernini and the cupola (see also top picture) are just over the tomb of St. Peter – the first
bishop of Rome - which can be visited underground, together with the tombs of a
number of Popes and others.
(The first time I saw Michealangelo's Pietà was at the New York's World Fair in 1965!)
(The first time I saw Michealangelo's Pietà was at the New York's World Fair in 1965!)
The
Apostolic Palace contains the Papal Apartments, the Vatican Library… and the
Vatican Museums where you can walk through a number of fresco decorated apartments
and rooms and admire statues and paintings by Carvaggio, da Vinci, Fra Angelico…
and several by Raphael, including “The
School of Athens” of which you can see a detail with da Vinci in the role of
Plato…
… and a
number of chapels, including the Sistine Chapel (photos not allowed), decorated by
Botticelli… and of course especially known for the ceiling by Michelangelo.
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