Vatican City is a tiny independent state which lies on the right bank of the River Tiber within the city of Rome, in Italy.
Its area is only about 1 square kilometer (less than half a square mile) and it has only about 800 inhabitants, yet it is revered above all cities by millions of Roman Catholics throughout the world. The reason for this is that the Vatican City is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and is ruled over by the Pope, who is himself the Bishop of Rome.
The Vatican City is a complete state in miniature. It is administered by a governor who is appointed by the Pope. It has its own flag, postal facilities, telephone system, and a powerful radio station capable of worldwide broadcasts. It has its own banking system, and by agreement with the Italian government, the coins of the Vatican City are allowed to circulate in Italy itself. The state also has an official newspaper which is published daily. The Vatican City has law courts, and maintains diplomatic relations with foreign states.
The most famous of the Vatican City’s
buildings are St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican palace which contains a library of ancient and valuable manuscripts. The Vatican museums contain many treasures.
St. Peter’s, is the largest and most majestic of the Christian Churches. The Vatican palace is a huge collection of buildings which have been constructed at different periods and in different styles of architecture. Some of the oldest parts go back to the 4th
century AD and the crypt of St. Peter’s has in it tombs which date from the time of the Apostles themselves. The main buildings were built in the 16th century. Altogether there are about 1,400 rooms and chapels, including the famous Sistine Chapel whose vast walls were decorated by the great artist Michelangelo. One of the features of the Vatican City is the Swiss Guard, who are the Pope’s personal bodyguard. They make a splendid sight in their picturesque uniforms which were designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century.
The Vatican City did not come into existence as a separate state until 1929. In that year Pope Pius XI signed a treaty, known as the Lateran Treaty, with the Italian government. This treaty brought to an end the quarrels which had gone on since 1870 between the popes and the Italian government over the Papal States, an area of central Italy which had until then been directly under the control of the Pope. The Pope fully recognized the Papal States as a part of Italy and in return he was recognized as the sovereign of the independent state of the Vatican City.