Portal:Vatican City

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Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), often shortened as the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign state and city-state. It is an enclave within Rome, seat of the Catholic Church, and serves as the administrative centre of the Catholic Church. It became independent from the Kingdom of Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty. Vatican City is governed by the See of Rome, commonly known as the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains its temporal power, governance, diplomacy, and spiritual independence. Vatican is also used as a metonym for the Holy See, which is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City, comprising the pope and the Roman Curia.

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and a population of about 882 in 2024, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world both by area and by population. It is among the least populated capitals 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 Gallery of Maps is a gallery located on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican containing a series of painted topographical maps of Italy based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti.

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General images -

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

Image 1Italian Garden (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 2A map of the United Nations member states (from Vatican City)
Image 3Vatican Museums' "New Wing", built by Raffaele Stern (1774–1820) (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 territory of Vatican City State according to the Lateran Treaty (from Vatican City)
Image 6A view of the Gardens of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 7Bernardino Nogara, the chief Vatican financier during the war (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 8A souvenir shop on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 9An ATM in Vatican City with Latin instructions (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 10A map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens (from Vatican City)
Image 11An early interpretation of the relative locations of the circus, and the medieval and current Basilicas of St. Peter (from Vatican City)
Image 12A Vatican gendarmerie car (from Vatican City)
Image 13The Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Vatican City)
Image 14Cesare 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 15Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 16Armenian cross monument (Khatchkar) inside the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 17Vatican City's post office was established in February 1929. (from Vatican City)
Image 18The 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 19The shortest national railway system in the world (from Vatican City)
Image 20View of Vatican City in the evening. (from Vatican City)
Image 21Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 22The Ingresso di Sant'Anna, an entrance to Vatican City from Italy (from Vatican City)
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 24One possible modern interpretation (from Vatican City)
Image 25A guard of the Vatican at his sentry box (from Vatican City)
Image 26Map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 271€-Vatican_Franciscus-Revers (from Economy of Vatican City)
Image 28St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most renowned works of Renaissance architecture. (from Vatican City)
Image 29Empress 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 30The Vatican City came into existence in 1929, a decade before the start of World War II (from Vatican City during World War II)
Image 31Pope Leo XIV, 2025 (from Vatican City)
Image 32The crowds of tourists in St. Peter's Square are a target for pickpockets. (from Vatican City)
Image 33A pay phone in the Vatican City (from Vatican City)
Image 34The Fountain of the Eagle "Fontana dell'Aquilone" in the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)
Image 35The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula. (from Vatican City)
Image 36Enlargeable, detailed map of Vatican City (from Geography of Vatican City)
Image 37A 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 38President 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 39A view of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michelangelo's dome (from Vatican City)
Image 40The Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Casina Pio IV. (from Vatican City)
Image 41The Seal of Vatican City. Note the use of the Italian language. (from Vatican City)
Image 42Members 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 43Pope 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 44Musicians of the British Army's 38th (Irish) Brigade playing in front of St. Peter's Basilica in June 1944 (from Vatican City)
Image 45The Italian peninsula in 1796. The Papal States in central Italy are coloured purple. (from Vatican City)
Image 46Part of the Vatican Gardens (from Gardens of Vatican City)

Did you know?

... that Karl Malte von Heinz designed the Vatican, Pakistani, Yugoslav and Thai diplomatic missions in India?
... that the Second Vatican Council tried to undo the latinization of Eastern Catholic liturgy?
... that sport in Vatican City has included cricket, calcio fiorentino, and taekwondo?
... that Antiqua et nova is a Vatican document that expresses serious ethical concerns surrounding the usage of artificial intelligence?
... that some Catholics considered Tom Lehrer's "The Vatican Rag" (audio featured) to be blasphemous?
... that the Vatican's website was first made available in Latin under Pope Benedict XVI?

...that Cædwalla of Wessex conquered southeast England during his brief 7th century reign?

...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?