The Vatican is a special place for many reasons. One of them is that it is a City-State, in the style of the old Greek polis. Another, that it is the smallest country in the world. And the third: it is the capital of the Catholic world, headquarters of the Catholic Church. In addition to this, it is also highly visited for its rich and ancient artistic and architectural heritage.
We echo him in this article that aims to be a guide to take advantage of the visit to places that can be accessed such as the Cathedral of Saint Peter, the Vatican Museum (guided tour without queues Vatican museums here) or the gardens of a the Holy City.
Geographic and historical data
Since when has the Vatican existed? What size it has? How many people live in the Holy See? These are the typical questions that every traveler asks, even after visiting the Vatican. We answer the most important ones:
- The Vatican City State was created in 1929, at the initiative of the then Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy Benito Mussolini, who would become a dictator. However, from the year 756 to 1870 (the latter date of the unification of Italy), the Papal States existed in central and northern Italy since they were under the government of the Pope.
- Was there a church in the Vatican before the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica? Yes, the so-called “Basilica of Constantine”, emperor of Rome who was convinced that the tomb of Peter Simon was in this place. The basilica was built during the middle of the 4th century AD and survived until the 16th century when construction of the current basilica began.
- The size of Vatican City is 44 hectares, 440,000 square meters or 0.44 km2. Its perimeter is 4 kilometers.
- The population of the Holy See varies quite a bit. In recent years it has been between 650 and almost 900 current inhabitants.
- Vatican City is located northwest of the city of Rome, on the western bank of the Tiber River. It can be reached by bus, tram, metro, train and on foot, a walk of about an hour from the center of Rome.
Finally, is the Vatican accessible for free? There are places that can be accessed free of charge and others that are not. Let’s go over them.
The Castell de Sant Angelo and the Via della Conciliazione
You will not be in the Vatican State yet, but it is the most common route that visitors choose to access the Holy See, after visiting the mentioned castle. This is one of the oldest buildings in the area. In fact, it is a fortress from the 2nd century and ordered to be built by Emperor Hadrian. Yes, the one who also ordered the famous Hadrian’s Wall to be erected in what was then Britain. As a fortress and mausoleum it has survived all these centuries fulfilling various functions. Among them, it was a prison, also a residence of the Popes, a defensive bastion and barracks, and now a museum.
We must highlight its interior frescoes and innumerable statues inside and outside the building, especially in the upper part. From it you have privileged views of Rome and the Vatican itself. This and the castle have been linked since 1277 by the Passetto, a paved road of about 800 meters.
Once you leave the castle behind, on Via della Conciliazione (similar in length to the Passetto) you can see the entrance to the great St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican State.
Saint Peter’s Square
Together with the basilica, they occupy a fifth of the Holy See. It is its main entrance and a place where hundreds of thousands of people can congregate thanks to its almost 300 meters in diameter from north to south.
It was built as an extension of a previous square in the mid-17th century. Hence the baroque style that you will recognize. The architect and director of the works was Lorenzo Bernini and the design of such a magnificent construction had its central reference in the Obelisk in Saint Peter’s Square. This is from the 1st century AD and was brought from Egypt by Emperor Caligula. Its first location was that of the circus of the time until at the end of the 16th century it was moved to this square.
Next to the obelisk, the square has two large fountains, flanked to the north and south by two rows of columns that also serve as the limit of the city itself. And if you wonder whose statues, in a row, crown both colonnades and the entrance facade of the basilica, there are 140 figures of saints and doctors from the history of the Catholic Church.
St Peter’s basilica
It is the largest in the world with colossal dimensions: the facade is 115 meters wide by 46 meters high. But it is that its interior exceeds 190 meters in length from east to west and the dome is 136.
Built before the square, the works began in 1506 and took 120 years. During that time, great architects and artists participated so that today you can enjoy:
- The central nave, which runs through the entire basilica with its 187 meters in length.
- The dome itself.
- The side arches, which house numerous statues.
- The smaller ships of the Epistle and Gospel.
- Ambulatory and heart of the basilica.
- The great organ
- The Prebisterium
- The Papal Altar.
- The fresh ones.
- The statue of La Pieta by Michelangelo.
There are other places such as the Vatican Grottoes where many popes are buried or the tomb of Saint Peter (discovered in 1939), with restricted access and only open to the public on certain occasions or with guides.
Sistine Chapel
It is possibly one of the most famous places in the Vatican, but not the largest. The Sistine Chapel was built while the basilica was being built and has its great attraction in the frescoes on the vault painted by the Renaissance artist Michelangelo.
The building is close to the basilica, but it belongs to the complex of buildings made up of the Apostolic Palace (where the pope resides), the Vatican Museums, government buildings and the Vatican Library. It is the place where , behind closed doors, the famous “conclaves” to elect the Pope are held.
Access to the Sistine Chapel is not free but is included in the ticket that is paid to also visit the Vatican Museums or the Vatican library itself.
Vatican Museums and Vatican Apostolic Library
To the north of the Sistine Chapel, in addition to part of the Vatican gardens, there are several large buildings with a great artistic and cultural heritage.
The first of these is the Vatican Library, one of the largest in the world with more than two million books, as well as statues, works of art and a large collection of coins and medals. Among the great jewels that can be found in this place, highlight a Bible with more than a millennium and a half old. It is known as the Codex Vaticanus. In addition, it is one of the places in the world with the largest number of “incunabula”.
As for the Vatican Museums, we are talking about several buildings north of the Vatican. Opposite the Library are the Galleries Degli Arazzi, Galleries Delle Carte Geogrfiche and the Museo Braccio Nuovo. Further north, there are a few more: the one with ancient sculptures Pio Clementino; the Renaissance art Vatican Museum; the Sala della Biga; the Galleria dei Candelari; the Pio Cristiano Museum or the Musei Vaticani Pinacoteca. And the list does not end here, because there are still more rooms or old residences, chapels and mansions with great museum interest.
In short, works of all kinds from Imperial Rome to the present day.
The Vatican Gardens
They occupy almost 50% of the Vatican, and are to the west of the city. For tourists, they can be accessed from the Vatican Museums, although they also have entrance through two southern gates: Porta Pertusa and Perusino. Both closed to the general public.
The best option to get to know the Vatican Garden is with the help of guides, since the place has various attractions, such as the medieval wall that surrounds it. Other places of interest are the headquarters of Vatican Radio or the Chapel of Santa Maria Reina de la Familia, accessible to the public.
In the garden there is also a monastery: the Mater Ecclesiae. And numerous statues such as that of Saint Paul, or small squares with fountains such as the Dell’Aquilone, in front of the monastery.
