Portal:Vatican City

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Welcome to the Vatican City Portal

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 state of Vatican City has established no official language by law. However, in accordance with paragraph 2 of the Legge sulle fonti del diritto of 7 June 1929, it promulgates its laws and regulations by publishing them in the Italian-language Supplemento per le leggi e disposizioni dello Stato della Città del Vaticano attached to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.^[1]

On its official website Vatican City uses Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish, but not Latin or Portuguese, which are found on the official website of the Holy See.

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

...that Pope Pius XII's retention of Cesare Orsenigo (pictured left, with Hitler and von Ribbentrop) as Apostolic Nuncio to Germany is a "chief point of criticism" of his response to the Holocaust?