Vatican City

The Vatican City, officially Vatican City State (in Latin, Status Civitatis Vaticanæ; in Italian, Stato della Città del Vaticano), or simply the Vatican, is a sovereign landlocked state, whose territory It is an enclave within the city of Rome, in Italy. It is one of the six European micro-states, and it is also the smallest sovereign state in the world in size and population. Its form of government, according to the international classification, is that of a theocracy organized as an absolute monarchy.

Vatican City has an area of 0.44 km² (44 hectares) and a population of approximately 800 inhabitants, making it a hybrid of a city elevated to the rank of an independent state, also being the smallest in the world It is so small that only the Basilica of Saint Peter is 7% of its surface; Saint Peter's Basilica and Square occupy 20% of the territory, making it the most urbanized independent territory in the world. Vatican City began its existence as an independent state in 1929 after the signing of the Lateran Pacts concluded between the Holy See and the then Kingdom of Italy, which in 1870 had conquered the Papal States.

Vatican City is home to the Holy See, the highest institution of the Catholic Church. Although the two names, "Vatican City" and "Holy See", are often used as if they were equivalent, the former refers to the city and its territory, while the latter refers to the institution that runs the Church and that has its own legal personality as a subject of international law. Strictly speaking, it is the Holy See and not the Vatican State that maintains diplomatic relations with the other countries of the world. On the other hand, the Vatican is the one who gives temporary and sovereign support (territorial substrate) for the activity of the Holy See.

The highest authority of the Vatican and its head of state is the Pope of the Catholic Church, which is why it can be considered the only theocracy and the last absolute monarchy in Europe. The Supreme Pontiff delegates the functions of government to the Secretary of State.

The architectural and historical-artistic complex that makes up Vatican City was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

Etymology

Its name comes from the Vatican Hill (from the Latin vaticinĭum: prediction, prediction; or vāticinātio: prophecy, prediction, since in ancient times the hill was the seat of an oracle Etruscan or perhaps from the name of a town of the same origin, Vaticum).

In Italian the full name is Stato della Città del Vaticano. In Latin, the official language of the Holy See, it is translated as Status Civitatis Vaticanæ.

History

• 756, the history of the Pontifical States began with Pope Stephen II.
• 1798, the French army makes Pope Pius VI prisoner.
• 1860, the army of the king of Italy Victor Manuel II conquers the Pontifical States, leaving the Holy See only in possession of Rome and its coastal region, during the papacy of Pius IX.
• 1870, Victor Manuel takes Rome largely thanks to the Franco-Prussian war and proclaimed it the new capital of his kingdom.
• 1917, Benedict XV proposes a peace plan for the First World War, which is totally ignored by the international community.
• 1929, The Lateran Pacts are signed by Pietro Gasparri, representing the Holy See, and Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy with dictatorial powers, on 11 February during the pontificate of Pius XI. These agreements ended the dispute with Italy that existed since 1870. The Vatican is created with 44 hectares of surface, its sovereignty is recognized. The concordat also guaranteed the full independence of the Pope. The first governor was the eminent numismatic Camillo Serafini.
• 1937, Pius XI publishes the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge where it makes a strong criticism of National Socialism considering it incompatible with the Catholic faith.
• 1939, Pius XI dies and Pius XII happens to him. The Second World War breaks out; the Vatican declares itself neutral.
• 1958, Pius XII dies and John XXIII happens to him.
• 1962, John XXIII inaugurates the Second Vatican Council.
• 1963, dies John XXIII and is succeeded by Paul VI.
• 1965, Paul VI closed the Second Vatican Council.
• 1978, the year of the three Popes: Paul VI dies (6 August) and is succeeded by John Paul I, who died suddenly after a pontificate of only 33 days (26 August-28 September). Finally, on October 16, John Paul II is elected.
• 1981, John Paul II suffered an attack on St. Peter's Square.
• 2001, John Paul II promulgates the Basic Law of the State of the Vatican City, currently in force (11 February).
• 2005, John Paul II dies and is succeeded by Benedict XVI.
• 2013, the successor of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, renounces his pontificate. 2013 Conclave. Jorge Mario Bergoglio is chosen as Pope, under the name of Francis.
• 2013, the State of the Vatican City is consecrated to Saint Joseph and Saint Michael Archangel.

Government and politics

General organigram of the State of the Vatican City.

Vatican Government Building.

The State of Vatican City was created with the aim of being an instrument of the independence of the Holy See and the Catholic Church with respect to any other external power. The Pope, who is the supreme head of the Catholic Church, It is also sovereign of Vatican City and holds full executive, legislative and judicial powers, so this country can be considered a theocracy in the form of an absolute monarchy.

The Pope administers the State through the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City, except in cases that he intends to reserve to himself or to other instances. It is equivalent to the legislative power and is made up of cardinals appointed by the Pope to a five-year period The pope delegates executive power to the president of the Commission, assisted by the general secretary and vice-secretary. The president of the Commission also has legislative power: he can issue ordinances, and in cases of urgent need he can adopt provisions with the character of law, provided that the Commission confirms them within the following 3 months. He also assumes the diplomatic representation of the State except before foreign States, a function that is reserved to the Pope. Currently the president of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City and of the Governorate of Vatican City State is Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello.

The post of Governor of Vatican City State was, at one time, one-person and held by the marquis and well-known numismatist Camillo Serafini, from 1929, the year the State was founded, until his death in 1952. Subsequently, he was not designated Serafini's successor, and the position itself was not mentioned in the Fundamental Law of the State, issued by Pope John Paul II on November 26, 2000, and which entered into force on February 22, 2001. The president of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State has exercised since 1952 the functions that were previously attributed to the governor, and since 2001 he has also received the title of president of the Vatican City State Governorate.

During the period of the vacant see, produced after the death or resignation of the pope, the powers rest with the College of Cardinals, although this may only dictate laws in case of urgency and with their duration limited to said period of time. task of this college of cardinals to elect a new pontiff in conclave.

The most widely spoken language is Italian. The currency, according to an agreement signed with the European Union, is the euro.

In January 2014, there were 180 states that maintained diplomatic relations with the Holy See, acknowledging the existence of the microstate. Among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See are China, North Korea, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

Sovereign Pontiffs

Pontificate	Photography	Pontiff	Origin	Papal shield	Comments
11 February 1929 - 10 February 1939		Pius PP. XI (Pius XI) Achille Damiano Ratti	ItalyItaly		On 11 February 1929 he signed the Lateran covenant with the kingdom of Italy and founded the present pontifical state.
2 March 1939 - 9 October 1958		Pius PP. XII (Pius XII) Eugenio Maria Pacelli	ItalyItaly		The Pope of the Second World War sent to dig the Vatican caves to clarify whether the tomb of Saint Peter was under the altar of the Vatican Basilica as tradition said. The result was positive.
28 October 1958 - 3 June 1963		Ioannes PP. XXIII (John XXIII) Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli	ItalyItaly		It called the Second Vatican Council. Sold as a saint.
30 June 1963 - 6 August 1978		Paulus PP. VI (Paul VI) Giovanni Battista Montini	ItalyItaly		It concluded the Second Vatican Council. Sold as a saint.
26 August 1978 - 28 September 1978		Ioannes Paulus PP. I (John Paul I) Albino Luciani	ItalyItaly		He ruled only for 33 days. Before he was elected he was a Patriarch of Venice. Sold as a beato.
16 October 1978 - 2 April 2005		Ioannes Paulus PP. II (John Paul II) Karol Józef Wojtyła	PolandPoland		He ruled the Church for almost 27 years, the third longest pontificate in history. Sold as a saint.
19 April 2005 - 28 February 2013		Benedictus PP. XVI (Benedict XVI) Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger	GermanyGermany		His pontificate lasted almost eight years. He resigned on 28 February 2013.
13 March 2013 - current		Franciscus PP. (Francisco) Jorge Mario Bergoglio	Argentina		First native Pope of the American continent, besides being the first of the Society of Jesus, and to be called Francis. He is the current head of State of the Vatican City.

Legislative body

The Vatican City's legislative body acts, by delegation of the Supreme Pontiff, the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State (Latin: Pontificia Commissio pro Civitate Vaticana; Italian: Pontifical Commission for the State of the Vatican City). It is made up of the president, who is also president of the Vatican City State Governorate, and six cardinals appointed by the pope for a five-year term.

Laws and regulations proposed by the Commission must be submitted to the Pope through the Secretary of State before they are made public and take effect. Laws, regulations, and instructions issued by the Commission are published in the Act Apostolicae Sedis.

Ordinary government

The ordinary government of Vatican City is entrusted to the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

Defense

Members of the Swiss Guard in their traditional uniform.

Vatican Service of the Italian Police.

The Swiss Guard is the military body in charge of the pope's security. It is made up of about 100 soldiers (all men): four officers, 23 middle managers, 70 halberdiers, 2 drummers and a chaplain. They are trained in the procedures and handling of modern weapons (such as the Swiss Sig 550 rifle), although they are also taught to handle the sword and halberd.

The Swiss Guard has its headquarters in front of the Pontifical Apostolic Palace. According to the Lateran Treaty, it has been established that the Italian Police guard, together with the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Security Services, Saint Peter's Square.

The defense of Vatican City is provided by Italy.

Police and security

The Vatican City Gendarmerie Corps (Italian: Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano) is the gendarmerie, police and security force of Vatican City and properties extraterritorial powers of the Holy See.

The body is responsible for security, public order, border control, traffic control, criminal investigation, and other general police tasks in Vatican City, including providing security for the pope outside the Vatican. The corps has 130 members and is a part of the Department of Security and Civil Defense Services, which also includes the Vatican Fire Brigade, an organ of the Vatican City Governorate.

Geography

The State of Vatican City consists of the Vatican City proper, the approximate extension of which is about 44 hectares and over which it exercises full sovereignty, and other buildings and places, both in the city of Rome and in the rest of Italy, which enjoy the right of extraterritoriality. It is located on the right bank of the Tiber river and the Vatican hill, place where the first settlements were established in primitive Christian times.^{[citation required]}

Among them, it is worth noting the summer residence of the popes, the palace of Castel Gandolfo with its gardens, whose extension is around 55 ha, and which is about 34 km from the city; the major basilicas of Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Walls, several other buildings in the city of Rome: the Apostolic Chancellery, the palace of Saint Callixtus in Trastevere, the General Curia of the Jesuits, the General Curia of the Augustinians together with the Augustinianum, the Vicariate and the Palace of Propaganda Fide, among others, as well as the Television Center of Santa María de Galería.

With a 360-degree view, from the dome of the Basilica of Saint Peter, which allows you to appreciate much of the Vatican City, with St. Peter's Square (to the centre) and the city of Rome (to the bottom).

Vatican Museums Muralla Basilica Plaza de San Pedro Italy(Rome) Italy(Rome)

Map of the State of the Vatican City.

The Basilica

The Basilica of Saint Peter.

During the 15th century, due to the fact that the early Christian basilica was quite deteriorated and threatened to collapse, the pope Nicholas V commissioned Bernardo Rosellino to rebuild it in 1452, but the work was interrupted three years after the death of the pope and the walls only reached one meter above the ground.

It is with Julio II in 1506 when the works are restarted, accepting the design proposed by Bramante, and they are finished with Paulo V in 1626, thanks to the sales of indulgences. The name of this pope appears on the facade of the basilica.

There were two initial projects, carried out by Bramante and Rafael, respectively. The first is a project of a Greek cross and the second of a Latin cross. Subsequently, Michelangelo resumed Bramante's Greek cross project, also designing the dome of the basilica. The last architect to intervene in the construction was Gian Lorenzo Bernini. On the dome, in letters two meters high, it is written "Tu est Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo eclessia meam", that is to say: "You are Peter, and on this stone I will build my church& #3. 4;. In that same place another paleochristian basilica with three longitudinal naves was built some thousand years before. This, in the 15th century, threatened to collapse and was replaced.

Your visit is currently allowed, including the dome, always keeping in mind that you have to dress modestly. It is forbidden to enter with suspenders and shorts for both men and women.^{[citation required]}

Since 1277, it has been connected to Castel Sant'Angelo by a fortified corridor, called Passetto, about 800 meters long.

The Tomb of Saint Peter

Tomb of Saint Peter in the Vatican Basilica.

In 1939, when Pius XII was Pope, and when excavations were being carried out to prepare the tomb of Pius XI, a mosaic was discovered. There was a tradition that said that under the papal altar, under Bernini's canopy, under Michelangelo's dome, there was a necropolis, a cemetery, where Saint Peter had been buried, but there was still no certainty about this. Pius XII ordered them to continue excavating and the necropolis appeared.

Constantine I the Great, to thank Christ who, according to him, had given him victory in the battle of Puente Milvio over Maxentius, converts to Christianity; In Rome, there is an obelisk that reads: "Here Constantine was baptized by Pope Silvestre." After that, Constantine began to build a series of Christian temples; one of them was the basilica in honor of Peter, which according to him, would be built on the tomb of the apostle. There are indications that lead us to think that he was sure of the exact location of the tomb: for example, he began to build his basilica on the side of a hill that has a lot of unevenness (11 meters), which requires a great deal of movement work. of land to achieve an esplanade (without machinery), although not so far away he had a place that seemed ideal: the esplanade of the circus of Nero, which measured three hundred meters long and about a hundred meters wide. By building on this site he would have avoided great costs and work. Other difficulties that must have arisen, in addition to the technical ones, would be the moral and legal ones, since a necropolis was buried under this construction, which was very important in Rome and in which important figures of that society were buried, such as the Flavios and the Valerians.

Pope Pius XII announced on the radio at Christmas time in 1950 that the tomb of Saint Peter had been found, although he acknowledged that it could not be confirmed with certainty that the remains belonged to him. Once the investigation was completed On said tomb in 1952, Professor Margherita Guarducci, an authority on Greek epigraphy, began to decipher the graffiti on one of the walls next to that tomb. Some of them, which were almost written one on top of the other, are: "Peter, pray for the Christians who are buried next to your body." The Pedro logo was also achieved, which was like a P and on the vertical stick three horizontal stripes in the shape of a key. This teacher concluded that the tomb of Saint Peter is there, because among the graffiti on the wall called G (white) and on the adjacent wall (red), she deciphered a graffiti that she interpreted as: "Peter is here.". When digging they discovered a niche lined with white marble, which contained bones.

The responsibility of studying these bones fell to Venerato Correnti, professor and professor of Anthropology at the University of Palermo. In the study he defined that there were human bones in the niche and that of a mouse. Regarding the animal, he indicated that it slipped through a crack and, unable to get out, died there. An interesting detail is that the bones of the feet did not appear among the remains found, and it can be remembered that whoever was crucified upside down (among the different ways that existed in crucifixion), was lowered by cutting off the feet and thus the body. fell to the ground.

Pope Paul VI communicated such a finding to the world in June 1968, assuring that the remains (relics) of the Apostle Peter had been found, although without the consensus of archaeologists. The Vatican publishing house published a book written by Professor Guarducci with all the information and entitled The Relics of Saint Peter.

Gardens

Vatican Gardens

Within the territory of Vatican City are the Vatican Gardens (Italian: Giardini Vaticani), which represent about half of its territory. The gardens, established during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, are decorated with fountains and sculptures.

The gardens cover approximately 23 hectares (0.23 square kilometers). The highest point is 60 meters (197 feet) above mean sea level. The stone walls delimit the area in the north, south and west.

The gardens date from medieval times, when orchards and vineyards stretched north of the Papal Apostolic Palace. In 1279, Pope Nicholas III (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, 1277-1280) moved his residence to the Vatican from the Lateran Palace and enclosed this area with walls. He planted an orchard (pomerium), a lawn (pratellum) and a garden (viridarium).

Climate

The climate of Vatican City, like that of Rome, is a temperate, Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters from September to mid-May and hot, dry summers from May to August.

Average Vatican City climate parameters (Rome)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	11.9	13.0	15.2	17.7	22.8	26.9	30.3	30.6	26.5	21.4	15.9	12.6	20.4
Average temperature (°C)	7.5	8.2	10.2	12.6	17.2	21.1	24.1	24.5	20.8	16.4	11.4	8.4	15.2
Temp. medium (°C)	3.1	3.5	5.2	7.5	11.6	15.3	18.0	18.3	15.2	11.3	6.9	4.2	10.0
Total precipitation (mm)	67	73	58	81	53	34	19	37	73	113	115	81	804
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	7.0	7.6	7.6	9.2	6.2	4.3	2.1	3.3	6.2	8.2	9.7	8.0	79.4
Hours of sun	120.9	132.8	167.4	201.0	263.5	285.0	331.7	297.6	237.0	195.3	129.0	111.6	2472.8
Source: Meteorological Service, Sun Hours Data

In July 2007, the Vatican accepted a proposal by two companies based in San Francisco and Budapest respectively, whereby it would become the first carbon-neutral state, offsetting its carbon dioxide emissions. with the creation of a Vatican Climate Forest in Hungary, as a purely symbolic gesture to encourage Catholics to do more to safeguard the planet.

On November 26, 2008, the Vatican itself launched a plan announced in May 2007 to cover the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall with solar panels.

Demographics

Nationality

Vatican nationality is not obtained by birth, but by grant. It is the only one of its kind. All diplomats employed in the nunciatures such as the Vatican embassies around the world and those who perform functions for the City State are citizens of Vatican nationality. Vatican nationality is added to the nationality of origin and is lost when people stop exercising these functions.

In the Vatican reside the Supreme Pontiff, the cardinals —who live within the walls, or in Rome—, the members of the diplomatic corps, the priests and religious brothers, the Swiss guards and some lay men and women, in their majority employees in the State, together with their respective spouses and children.

Economy

Vatican City Station.

The Vatican cannot remain at the mercy of the productive activity of its own territory, limited to the sale of tourist souvenirs, books, stamps and museum tickets. But it has the income of the Catholic organization throughout the world, coming from: the economic contributions of the States where it has financing agreements (called Concordats) (due to its Catholic tradition); donations from Catholics (personal or business level); and profits from Church-owned businesses, schools, universities, and banks.

The economy was seriously damaged around 1979, and three years later there was the bankruptcy of one of the most illustrious banks in Italy, Banco Ambrosiano, which handled the international finances of the Vatican, and the assassination of its director Roberto Calvi: the ensuing investigations would reveal that the bank was engaged in laundering mafia money. Later, Pope John Paul II transferred responsibility for the Vatican economy starting in 1984. Five years later, the Pope carried out a restructuring of the economic organization and the direction of the economy had been entrusted to five internationally recognized financiers (under the supervision of a commission of five cardinals). The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See is in charge of these controls.

Coins

The Vatican lira was on a par with the Italian lira, which also circulated as valid currency within Vatican City. These monetary units changed with the entry into force of the single European currency. By agreement with Italy, on behalf of the European Union, the Vatican currency is the euro, with its own design and acceptance throughout the euro zone. Since the Vatican does not have its own mint, it has established an agreement with Italy for its minting. The total value of the minted coins cannot exceed one million euros per year.

Media

Antenna of Vatican Radio.

Vatican City issues its own postage stamps, has its own newspaper (L'Osservatore Romano), a radio station (Vatican Radio) and a television (Vatican Television Center).

It also has different foundations, academies and pontifical universities.

Phone service

The Vatican State has a telephone service that has modern facilities for communication both internally and externally to the city and highly trained personnel. Please note that there is no right to confidentiality of telephone or other communications. The city-State consists of a complex infrastructure of networks for which it has complete autonomy.

Transportation

The Vatican City rail network connects the Vatican City station with the Italian rail network at the Roma San Pietro station.

The city also has a heliport. Bus services from the city of Rome are frequent.

The Vatican grants, through the Vatican Vehicle Registry, a patent for automobiles from that city-state. The cars that belong to the government carry the initials SCV and those that belong to the citizens CV.

Electric vehicles

The Vatican is one of the states that has promoted initiatives to reduce air pollution, since it promotes the use of electric vehicles. Within the Vatican territory, twelve charging towers for electric cars have been installed.

By the end of 2019, Roberto Mignucci, Vatican technical director, expected around twenty of these structures to be installed.

These are 22 kW charging stations and allow up to two cars to recharge at the same time. Its use is simple. Simply present a card and connect the vehicle to the column.

Culture

Vatican Museums.

Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Vatican Pinacoteca.

The culture of the Vatican is obviously corresponding to the culture of the Catholic religion, although it is also open to the art of other cultures, and its greatest exponent are the works of architecture, such as Saint Peter's Basilica, Saint Peter's Square, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums.

Among the Vatican Museums are: the Gregorian Museum of Egyptian art and Etruscan art, the Pío Clementino Museum, the Chiaramonti Museum and the Vatican Pinacoteca.

Many famous artists and architects such as Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini worked on important works of art that can be admired today in Vatican buildings.

Gastronomy

In November 2006, a book was published that reveals the cuisine of the Vatican, and that takes a tour of historical gastronomy from the first pope to the present day, seasoned with a collection of recipes that include menus as representative as that of the Last Supper or the favorite dishes of many of the potatoes. The author of the book comments that the gastronomy of this country is "one of the most complex and rich in the world, much more than that of any Royal House."

The book also contains curious facts about the origins of some of the numerous recipes that were invented in this City, such as green sauce (also called Vatican sauce), carmelite sauce or cooking in a bain-marie, as well as information on protocol and numerous references that show the indissoluble union between the history and the gastronomy of the potatoes.

Sports

The Vatican hosts the Vatican City soccer team, which is not affiliated with UEFA, FIFA, or the IOC. The team is made up of volunteers from the Swiss Guard, members of the Papal Council and museum guards. Since 2007, the city has had a championship; In addition, the seminarians who, while studying in Rome, live in the various pontifical colleges participate in the Clerical Cup, a championship made up of religious that began to be played in February of the same year.

The relationship of the Holy See with sports organizations is entrusted to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, where Pope John Paul II created a section called "Church and Sport" in 2004.

To date, it is the only country that has not participated in the Olympic Games.