VATICAN

With Vatican City declared as an independent state in 1929, it became the global heart of Roman Catholicism. Because of its special status, it was not occupied during WWII like the rest of Rome. It is governed by an absolute elective monarchy, with the Pope the principal executive, legislative, and judicial power, and the only absolute monarch in Europe. He is elected for life by and assisted by cardinals who are appointed for five-year terms, with the current Pope, Benedict XVI, having been elected in 2005. The state is not a member of the UN, but the Holy See is a permanent observer. The Vatican has no army but it employs Swiss Guards to protect the Pope, a tradition which begun in the early 16th century.

Government

With the pope at its head, Vatican City is ruled as an absolute monarchy. The Vatican mints its own euro, prints its own coins, issues passports and license plates, has its own flag and anthem and runs media outlets.

Society

The Vatican City, the State of the Vatican City, the Italian Stato della Città del Vaticano, the State of the Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Rome enclave on the western side of the River Tiber. Vatican City is the smallest sovereign nation-state in the country. With the exception of St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pi) to the southeast, its medieval and Renaissance walls frame its limits. Just three of the six entrances are open to the public, the piazza, the Arco delle Campane (Arch of the Bells) on the facade of St. Peter's Basilica, and the north wall entry to the Vatican Museums and Galleries. St. Peter's Basilica, built in the 4th century and restored in the 16th century, is the most imposing church. It is the second largest religious building in Christendom (after Yamoussoukro Basilica), erected above the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle.

Culture

The permanent population of the Vatican City is predominantly male, although two communities of nuns live in the Vatican. A minority are senior Catholic clergy, some are members of institutes of consecrated life, and the Swiss Guards make up an important segment.

Entrance to Vatican Museum

Pasta is popular food in Vatican

Literature

The bible is so fundamental and central to the Second Vatican Council that it is impossible to do justice to this sweeping title in a short paper. The most important teachings of Vatican II are founded on the Bible, more directly than those of any previous ecumenical council. Of its four documents which bear the special title of 'Constitution', clearly the most fundamental one is Dei Verbum (hereafter DV), 'the Word of God', which expounds the Church's faith in God's revelation to humankind in the Bible, in Christ and in all the Church's living tradition.

Arts

The Vatican Museums are a must see when you're in Rome, whether you're a committed Christian or not. They not only have some of Italy's best architectural buildings to sell, but they also host some of the most internationally praised works of art in the world. Presenting a blend of masterpieces from the greatest minds of the art world, including Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael and even Picasso, The Museums of the Vatican are a refuge for art lovers everywhere. With this guide to the art collection of the Holy See and where to find the most notable masterpieces, make the most of your tour of the Sistine Chapel or your Vatican Museums tour.

Music

Places

The Sistine Chapel

Laocoön and His Sons

ST. PETER’S SQUARE

The Gallery Maps

Music

in the history of Christian music, the Vatican City and its precursor, the Papal States, played an important part as the seat of the Papacy. As well as contemporary polyphonic singing, they perform chants of ancient origin, such as Gregorian chants. The papal choir is a well-known group dating back over four hundred years. Singers were originally from northern Europe, but began arriving more from Spain and Italy in the 16th century.

Places

The Vatican has been a sovereign state since 1929, when the Pope signed a compromise with Mussolini, with just 0.44 square kilometers being the smallest in the world. But sufficient landmarks and activities to do are within its walls to keep visitors busy for several days, so it is best to prioritize your sightseeing. The two must-see sights are St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, but the Vatican Palace contains magnificent rooms decorated by the greatest artists of their time, as well as priceless collections in more than a dozen museums. In addition to the major museums, smaller collections will appeal to specialized interests: the Museum of Secular Art's ancient sculpture, the Museum of Sacred Art's finds from catacombs and early Christian churches, the Map Gallery, a gallery of candelabras and tapestries, as well as objects brought back by missionaries, Papal carriages, vintage cars, and a collection of more than 800 works of modern religious art by Matisse, Dali, Munch, Rouault, and others.

1 St. Peter's Basilica

The majestic St. Peter's Basilica, the centerpiece of the Vatican and one of the finest places to visit, was constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries, replacing older buildings that started in 326 with what is believed to be where St. Peter was buried. Ironically, in the 16th century, it was the sale of indulgences to fund this building that prompted Martin Luther to initiate the Protestant Reforestation. Before you reach the cathedral, the work of renowned artists begins: there is an equestrian statue of Constantine by Bernini in the portico and fragments of a mosaic by Giotto above the main doorway. It's from the old church, much as the bronze double doors are. The massive nave - 185 meters long and 46 meters wide - rises to a dome 119 meters higher and can hold more than 60,000 congregations. Compare it to the size of the floor marked by most great churches. On your right, behind the reinforced glass, is Michelangelo's iconic Pietà, sculpted when he was just 24. The richly decorated Chapel of the Sacrament is also on the right, with the tabernacle of Bernini and the bronze grille of his competitor, Borromini.

Sistine Chapel

Designed in 1473-84 by Pope Sixtus IV, the Sistine Chapel is a rectangular space, the domestic chapel of the Pope, which is often used for services and special occasions. The conclave to elect his successor is held here after the death of the Pope. Since 1980, the frescoes by Michelangelo and others covering the walls and ceiling, known as the summit of Renaissance decoration, have been thoroughly restored. Wide frescoes of Biblical scenes against the backdrop of Umbrian and Tuscan backgrounds, painted for Sixtus IV by the most prominent painters of the day, Perugino, Botticelli, Rosselli, Pinturicchio, Signorelli, and Ghirlandaio, cover the side walls. These paintings of the late 15th century already reflect the ideals of humanism, acknowledging humans as people and significant in historical terms.

Vatican Palace Highlights - the Raphael Rooms, Appartamento Borgia, and Cappella Niccolina

These quarters, commissioned by the art-loving Pope Julius II and later by Pope Leo X for the Palace of the Vatican Papal Apartments, are covered with a beautiful collection of frescoes by Raphael. Raphael started a tradition of art to be continued for decades by re-discovering the traditions of historical painting. He uses a classic symmetry in the composition in each of the scenes. While some scenes were painted by students or other great artists after his death, the Stanza della Segnatura and the Stanza di Eliodoro were both painted by Raphael himself, as were those in the Sala della Segnatura. Completed between 1508 and 1511, these works and those in the Sistine Chapel represent the supreme achievement of Renaissance painting. The paintings convey that period's culture in all its splendor and show humanist themes - the natural sciences attainable without divine revelation, philosophy, history, mathematics, civil law, and justice.

Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery)

Even though it was robbed of many of its treasures by Napoleon, the Pinacoteca contains 16 rooms of priceless art from the Middle Ages to contemporary works. Arranged in chronological order, the pictures give an excellent survey of the development of Western painting. Medieval art includes Byzantine, Sienese, Umbrian, and Tuscan paintings, as well as a Giotto triptych and a Madonna and St. Nicholas of Bari by Fra Angelico.

Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square)

The grand Piazza San Pietro in front of St. Peter's Basilica was laid out by Bernini between 1656 and 1667 to provide a setting where the faithful from all over the world could gather. It still serves that purpose admirably, and is filled to capacity each Easter Sunday and on other important occasions. The large oval area, 372 meters long, is enclosed at each end by semicircular colonnades surmounted by a balustrade with 140 statues of saints. On either side of the oval are fountains, and in the center is a 25.5-meter Egyptian obelisk brought from Heliopolis by Caligula in AD 39 and set up in his circus. It was moved here in 1586, no small task in those days as the monument weighs 350 tons.

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