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The VaticanA City within A city


A Tour Of It's Treasures

Vatican City is completely walled except for its main entrance into St. Peter Square from Via della Concillazione. Entering the square at its center you will notice a giant obelisk. it was brought to Rome in 40 A.D. from Egypt by emperor Caligula and it is believed near this spot is where St. Peter was Crusified.

St. Peter's Basilica
Front view of St. Peter's Basilica

At 108.7 acres Vatican City is the smallest state in the world, and known to the ancient Romans as Vaticanus. It is smaller than the grounds of the U.S. Capital in Washignton D.C. Its about a quarter the size of Monaco, and Toronto High Park. The United Nations has declared the Vatican a World Heritage Site for its extraordinary cultural importance, thus entitling it special protection. No other country has so been designated

The primary purpose of the Vatican State is to provide political independence to the pope, head of the Catholic Church. He is subject to no government or political power.

The Holy See also has sovereignty of about a dozen other buildings behond the Vatican Walls. Some of those properties are:

Some of the worlds's greatest collections of art, books and documents are preserved within the Vatican Walls. in 1508 Pope Julius II commissioned the young Raphael to decorate the Stanza della Segnatura. There is where you find the painting of The School of Athens. Some of the great thinkers of antiquity such as Plato, and Aristotle are represented in the painting. He also painted his contemporaries: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Another masterpice to be admired in the Sistene Chapel is The Fall and Expulsion from Paradise by Michelangelo. One of the world best known art treasure is to be found inside St. Peter's Basilica, such as Michelangelo creatio,n Pieta a sorrowful, but yet serene Mary grieving her son Jesus. Note: it had been restored after it was attacked by a madman in 1972.

Sistine Chapel

Pope Sixtus IV had the Sistine Chapel built. It was the year 1512 when Michelangelo first showed it to the Romans. In one of the nine Sistine Chapel ceilings frescoes you can admire Michelangelo Gods Completes the Creation of Adam by imparting life with a touch of hand, an event from the Books of Genesis.

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The Vatican Library

One of the world's greatest repositories of medival and Renaissance manuscripts, and books printed before 1501 are found here. Here you find fifteen century sketches of now vanished Roman ruins as well Greek and Romans coins... Scholars are permitted to handle rare books in a well lighted reading rooms for research purposes.

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The Vatican Archives

Founded by Pope Paul V in 1612 its primary purpose: a repository for the pope's records and files. You find here a letter written in 1587 by Mary Queen of Scots. "Today I have a message. ... that I must prepare myself to death." As well Henry VIII love letter sent in 1527 to Anne Boleyn which proclaims " ... Hence forward my heart shall be dedicated to you alone ... ".

Note: the full name for the institution is the "Vatican Secret Archives. The name is misleading, secret originally ment private. As of 1991 the archive contains the pope's private files, open to scholars, for all years up to 1921.

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La Stanza della Segnatura

"The School of Athens" was commissioned in 1508 by Pope Juliues II to decorate La stanza della Segnature. In this work Raphael represents some of the antiquity thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. He also included his contenporaries, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

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