10 interesting facts about the Vatican

Among the micro-states on the world map, the Vatican is of great interest. What do we know about this famous dwarf country?

In this center of concentration of everything Catholic, there is the residence of the Pope, and the film adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestseller “Angels and Demons” with Tom Hanks in the title role was also filmed here. This information is usually limited to the knowledge of the average layman concerning the Vatican.

And most people will not be able to give the correct answer to questions about the political structure of this state, its history, flag and coat of arms. But this tiny country has a rich history and, despite its small area, has many attractions.

Here are 10 fun facts about the Vatican City.

10 The Vatican is the smallest sovereign state on the planet.

The area of ​​the Vatican is only 44 hectares. However, the country issues its own postage stamps, issues passports and, accordingly, has its own flag and anthem.

9. The Vatican is an enclave state

The Vatican is surrounded on all sides by Italian territory. Geographical coordinates of the country: 42° north latitude and 12° east longitude.

The Vatican is located 20 km from the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the very center of the Apennine Peninsula. The Vatican Hill is located in the northwestern part of Rome on the right bank of the Tiber River.

The border of this country is marked by a defensive wall. You can enter the Vatican only through one of the six gates.

8. The legendary St. Peter’s Basilica was built on the territory of the city of the dead

When in 64 AD The great fire destroyed most of Rome, the emperor Nero decided to blame the Christians, whose faith was banned at that time. He arranged mass executions, as a result of which a huge number of followers of the teachings of Christ were killed.

Among the victims of this terrible massacre was the apostle Peter. Subsequently, he was presumably buried in the hill of the Vatican. In the IV century, when Christianity in the Roman Empire had already acquired official status, Emperor Constantine decided to build an original basilica on the territory of mass graves, in the center of which was the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

Now this Catholic Cathedral is the central and largest building of the Vatican, in addition, it is considered the largest historical Christian church in the world. Several generations of great masters of the Renaissance worked on the construction of the basilica. The capacity of St. Peter’s Basilica is 60 people, and another 000 people can fit in the cathedral square.

7. Caligula Conquered the Obelisk in St. Peter’s Square

The obelisk was brought to Rome in 37 AD. e. from Egypt, at the direction of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, who went down in history under the name Caligula. Being an ardent fan of chariot racing, the emperor decorated his circus with a monumental stele.

6. Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bernini lived and worked in the Vatican

The Vatican Museum is one of the most recognizable in the world, thanks to the architecture of the halls with paintings by Raphael and frescoes by Michelangelo. These and other outstanding masters of the Renaissance left behind many magnificent monuments of painting and architecture, which to this day delight every tourist who visited the Vatican.

The Museum in the Vatican consists of many different galleries (Vatican Pinacoteca, Pio Clementino Museum, Collection of Contemporary Religious Art, Chiaramonti Museum, Gregorian Etruscan Museum and Gregorian Egyptian Museum). There are 54 galleries in total, including the Sistine Chapel. About 70 thousand works of art are stored here, of which 20 thousand are on display.

5. The Vatican was not the residence of the pontiff until the XlV century

Even after the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica was completed, the pontiffs lived mainly in the Lateran Palace. Moreover, they even had to leave the city in 1309, when the entire papal court moved to Avignon.

Here, of course, the Popes were safer than in troubled Rome, in which then every now and then new conflicts broke out between aristocratic clans.

And only after the Lateran Palace burned down, the Vatican became a full-fledged papal residence. However, at that time, large-scale and painstaking work was done to restore the Vatican, because by that time it had fallen into a terrible decline.

4. The security of the Vatican is provided by the Swiss Guard

This is the only branch of the armed forces of the Vatican today. The Swiss Guard is rightfully considered one of the most ancient armies in the world, which still functions today.

The guard was founded back in 1506 by order of Pope Julius II, who was considered a lover of the fine arts and one of the most militant popes – throughout his pontificate, he waged continuous wars. Realizing that he needed to have a loyal regular army, the pope decided to opt for the Swiss soldiers, who were then considered one of the most combat-ready soldiers in Europe.

To this day, the Swiss Guard includes about a hundred guardsmen who are trained in the Swiss Armed Forces.

3. In the Vatican, total literacy of the population

Absolutely all the inhabitants of this dwarf state are educated. There are not many countries on the world map that can boast the same literacy rate.

2. There are 78 objects on the map of the country

This map shows in great detail all the objects located in the state. Interestingly, it has a “Sports Street”, which in fact is nothing more than a small path leading to the only sports facility in the Vatican – a tennis court.

1. Most citizens of the Vatican live abroad

More than 450 have the citizenship of this state. Most of the citizens of the Vatican do not live on the territory of the state, but in other countries, mostly they are there in the service. The acquisition or renunciation of Vatican citizenship and other procedures relating to access to this territory or residence are carried out by special Lateran agreements.