Vatican City

Enclaved Holy See's independent city-state

This article is about the city-state in Europe. For the city-state's government, see Holy See.

Vatican City State

* Stato della Città del Vaticano (Italian)
* Status Civitatis Vaticanae (Latin)

Flag

Coat of arms

Anthem: Inno e Marcia Pontificale (Italian)
"Anthem and Pontifical March"

noicon
National Seal

* Sigillo dello Stato della Città del Vaticano (Italian)
Sigillum Status Civitatis Vaticanae (Latin)

National Seal of Vatican City

Location of the Vatican City in Italy

Capital| Vatican City (city-state)
41°54.2′N 12°27.2′E﻿ / ﻿41.9033°N 12.4533°E﻿ / 41.9033; 12.4533
Official languages| Italian[1][2]
National language| Latin (de jure)
Italian (de facto)[a]
Religion

| Catholicism
(state religion)
Demonym(s)| None (de jure)[4]
Vatican (de facto)
Government| Unitary theocratic Catholic elective absolute monarchy[5][6][7][8]

• Sovereign entity

| Holy See

• Pope

| Leo XIV

• President of the Governorate

| Raffaella Petrini
Legislature| Pontifical Commission[b]
Independence

from the Kingdom of the Franks and Italy

• Donation of Pepin

| 756 (1269 years ago)

• Lateran Treaty

| 11 February 1929[c] (96 years ago)
Area

• Total

| 0.49[d] km2 (0.19 sq mi) (195th)
Population

• 2024 estimate

| 882[15] (237th)

• Density

| 1,800/km2 (4,662.0/sq mi) (7th)
GDP (PPP)| 2021 estimate

• Total

| €14,859,970

• Per capita

| €19,450.22
Currency| Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone| UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

| UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code| +379[e]
ISO 3166 code| VA
Internet TLD| .va
Vatican CityUNESCO World Heritage Site

Vatican City

Criteria| Cultural: i, ii, iv, vi
Reference| 286
Inscription| 1984 (8th Session)

Vatican City,[g] officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano;[h] Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae),[i][j] or Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign state[18][19] and city-state. It is an enclave within Rome, seat of the Catholic Church, and serves as the administrative centre of the Catholic Church.[20][21] It became independent from the Kingdom of Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty. Vatican City is governed by the See of Rome, commonly known as the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains its temporal power, governance, diplomacy, and spiritual independence. Vatican is also used as a metonym for the Holy See, which is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City, comprising the pope and the Roman Curia.[22]

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres)[d] and a population of about 882[15] in 2024, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world both by area and by population.[23] It is among the least populated capitals in the world. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church.[6][24] The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various origins. After the Avignon Papacy (1309– 1377) the popes have mainly resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

The Holy See dates to early Christianity and is the principal episcopal see of the Catholic Church, which in 2018 had about 1.329 billion baptized Catholics in the world, in the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.[25] The independent state of Vatican City came into existence in 1929 via the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation,[26] not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of Central Italy.

Vatican City contains religious and cultural sites such as St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Apostolic Library, and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The economy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from Catholic believers, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications. Vatican City has no taxes, and items are duty-free.

## Name

[edit]

The name Vatican City was first used in the Lateran Treaty, signed on 11 February 1929, which established the modern city-state named after Vatican Hill, the geographic location of the state within the city of Rome. "Vatican" itself is derived from the name of an Etruscan settlement, Vatica or Vaticum, located in the general area the Romans called Ager Vaticanus, "Vatican territory".[27]

The Italian-language name of the city is Città del Vaticano or, more formally, Stato della Città del Vaticano, meaning 'State of Vatican City'. Its Latin name is Status Civitatis Vaticanae;[28][29] this is used in official documents by the Holy See, the Church and the pope.

## History

[edit]

Further information: History of the Papacy and Holy See § History

### Early history

[edit]

The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula.

The name "Vatican" was already in use in the time of the Roman Republic for the Ager Vaticanus, a marshy area on the west bank of the Tiber across from the city of Rome, located between the Janiculum, the Vatican Hill and Monte Mario, down to the Aventine Hill and up to the confluence of the Cremera creek.[30] The toponym Ager Vaticanus is attested until the 1st century AD: afterwards, another toponym appeared, Vaticanus, denoting an area much more restricted: the Vatican Hill, today's St. Peter's Square, and possibly today's Via della Conciliazione.[30] Because of its vicinity to Rome's archenemy, the Etruscan city of Veii (another naming for the Ager Vaticanus was Ripa Veientana or Ripa Etrusca), and for being subjected to the floods of the Tiber, the Romans considered this originally uninhabited part of Rome dismal and ominous.[31]

The particularly low quality of Vatican wine, even after the reclamation of the area, was commented on by the poet Martial (AD 40 – c. AD 102).[32] Tacitus wrote that in AD 69, the Year of the Four Emperors, when the northern army that brought Vitellius to power arrived in Rome, "a large proportion camped in the unhealthy districts of the Vatican, which resulted in many deaths among the common soldiery; and the Tiber being close by, the inability of the Gauls and Germans to bear the heat and the consequent greed with which they drank from the stream weakened their bodies, which were already an easy prey to disease".[33]

An early interpretation of the relative locations of the circus, and the medieval and current Basilicas of St. Peter One possible modern interpretation[34]

During the Roman Empire, many villas were constructed there, after Agrippina the Elder (14 BC – 18 October AD 33) drained the area and laid out her gardens in the early-1st century AD. In AD 40 her son the emperor Caligula built in her gardens a circus for charioteers. It was later completed by the emperor Nero and named the Circus Gaii et Neronis,[35] usually called, simply, the Circus of Nero.[36]

The Vatican obelisk in St Peter's Square is the last visible remnant from the Circus of Nero. It was brought from Heliopolis in Roman Egypt by the emperor Caligula. The obelisk originally stood at the centre of the spina (median) of the Roman circus.[37] The circus became the site of martyrdom for many Christians after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64\. Tradition states that it was in this circus that Saint Peter was crucified upside-down.[38] In 1586, the obelisk was moved to its current position by Pope Sixtus V, using a method devised by the Italian architect Domenico Fontana.[39]

Opposite the circus was a cemetery separated by the Via Cornelia. Funeral monuments, mausoleums, small tombs, and altars to pagan gods of all kinds of polytheistic religions, were constructed before the construction of the Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter in the first half of the 4th century. A shrine dedicated to the Phrygian goddess Cybele and her consort Attis remained active long after the ancient Basilica of St. Peter was built nearby.[40] Remains of this ancient necropolis were discovered during renovations by popes throughout the centuries, increasing in frequency during the Renaissance until it was systematically excavated from 1939 to 1941 on the order of Pope Pius XII.

The Constantinian basilica was built in 326 over what was believed to be the tomb of Saint Peter, buried in that cemetery.[41] From then on, the land mass became more populated in connection with activity at the basilica. A palace was constructed nearby as early as the 5th century during the pontificate of Pope Symmachus (reigned 498–514).[42]

### Papal States

[edit]

Main article: Papal States

See also: History of the Papacy

The Italian peninsula in 1796. The Papal States in central Italy are coloured purple.

Popes gradually came to have a secular role as governors of regions near Rome. They ruled the Papal States, which covered a large portion of the Italian peninsula, for more than a thousand years until the mid-19th century, when all the territory belonging to the papacy was seized by the newly created Kingdom of Italy.

For most of this time, the popes did not live at the Vatican. The Lateran Palace, on the opposite side of Rome, was their habitual residence for about a thousand years. From 1309 to 1377, they lived in Avignon in France. On their return to Rome, they chose to live at the Vatican. They moved to the Quirinal Palace in 1583, after work on it was completed under Pope Paul V (1605–1621). In 1870, after the capture of Rome, popes have lived in the Vatican. Their prior residence at the Quirinal Palace was taken over by the King of Italy.

### Under Italian rule (1871–1929)

[edit]

Main article: Roman Question

In 1870 the pope's holdings were left in an uncertain situation when Rome was annexed by Italian forces, bringing to completion the Italian unification, after a nominal resistance by the papal forces. Between 1861 and 1929, the status of the pope of Rome was referred to as the "Roman Question".

Italy made no attempt to interfere with the Holy See within the Vatican walls. However, it confiscated church property in many places. In 1871 the Quirinal Palace was confiscated by the king of Italy and became the royal palace. Thereafter, the popes resided undisturbed within the Vatican walls, and certain papal prerogatives were recognized by the Law of Guarantees, including the right to send and receive ambassadors. The popes did not recognize the Italian king's right to rule in Rome, and they refused to leave the Vatican compound until the dispute was resolved in 1929. Pope Pius IX (1846–1878), the last ruler of the Papal States, was referred to as a "prisoner in the Vatican". Forced to give up secular power, the popes focused on spiritual issues.[43]

### Lateran treaties

[edit]

Main article: Lateran Treaty

This situation was resolved on 11 February 1929, when the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy was signed by Prime Minister and Head of Government Benito Mussolini on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III and by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri for Pope Pius XI.[26][22][44] The treaty, which was ratified[11] and took effect on 7 June 1929,[12] established the independent state of Vatican City and reaffirmed the special status of Catholic Christianity in Italy.[44]

### World War II

[edit]

Main article: Vatican City in World War II

Musicians of the British Army's 38th (Irish) Brigade playing in front of St. Peter's Basilica in June 1944

The Holy See, which governed the Vatican City, pursued a policy of neutrality during World War II under the leadership of Pope Pius XII. German troops occupied Rome after the September 1943 Armistice of Cassibile, with Allied forces pushing them out in 1944. Both sides respected the Vatican City's status as neutral territory.[45]

One of the main diplomatic priorities of Pius XII was to prevent the bombing of Rome. A high level of sensitivity led him to protest even the dropping of pamphlets over Rome by the Royal Air Force, claiming that the few which landed within the Vatican City violated its neutrality.[46] The British government's policy towards the Vatican, as expressed in the minutes of a Cabinet meeting, was "that we should on no account molest the Vatican City, but that our action as regards the rest of Rome would depend upon how far the Italian government observed the rules of war".[46]

After the United States entered into the war, US officials were against bombing the Vatican City, fearful of offending Catholic members of the American military, but said that "they could not stop the British from bombing Rome if the British so decided". The US military even exempted Catholic servicemembers from air raids on Rome and other areas with a significant Catholic presence, unless they voluntarily agreed to participate. Notably, with the exception of Rome, and presumably the possibility of the Vatican, no Catholic US servicemember refused a mission within German-held Italy. On the other hand, the British insisted "they would bomb Rome whenever the needs of the war demanded".[47]

In December 1942, the British envoy to the Holy See suggested that Rome be declared an open city, a suggestion that the Holy See took more seriously than was probably meant by the envoy, who did not want Rome to be an open city. Mussolini rejected the suggestion when the Holy See put it to him. In connection with the Allied invasion of Sicily, 500 United States Army Air Forces aircraft bombed Rome on 19 July 1943, targeting Rome's railway hub in particular. Approximately 1,500 people were killed, and Pius XII, who had been described in the previous month as "worried sick" about the possibility of Rome being bombed, toured the affected areas. Another Allied bombing raid took place on 13 August 1943, after Mussolini had been ousted from power.[48] The following day, the new Italian government declared Rome an open city, after consulting the Holy See on the wording of the declaration.[49]

### Post-war history

[edit]

A view of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michelangelo's dome

Pius XII refrained from creating cardinals during the war. By the end of World War II, there were several prominent vacancies: Cardinal Secretary of State, Camerlengo, Chancellor, and Prefect for the Congregation for the Religious among them.[50] Pius XII created 32 cardinals in early 1946, having announced his intention to do so in his preceding Christmas message.

In 1970 the Pontifical Military Corps, except for the Swiss Guard, was disbanded by Paul VI.[51] The Gendarmerie Corps was transformed into a civilian police and security force.

In 1984 a new concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified provisions of the earlier treaty, including the position of Catholic Christianity as the Italian state religion, a position given to it by a statute of the Kingdom of Sardinia of 1848.[44]

In 1995 construction of a new guest house, Domus Sanctae Marthae, adjacent to St Peter's Basilica was criticized by Italian environmental groups, backed by Italian politicians. They claimed the new building would block views of the Basilica from nearby Italian apartments.[52] For a short while the plans strained the relations between the Vatican and the Italian government. The head of the Vatican's Department of Technical Services robustly rejected challenges to the Vatican State's right to build within its borders.[52]

In 2015 John R. Morss wrote in the European Journal of International Law that due to the terms of the Lateran Treaty, Vatican City's status as a sovereign state, and the pope's status as a head of state, are problematic.[clarification needed][53]

## Geography

[edit]

Main article: Geography of Vatican City

A map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens

The territory of Vatican City is part of the Vatican Hill, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields. It is in this territory that St Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built, along with other buildings. The area was part of the Roman rione of Borgo until 1929. Being separated from Rome, on the west bank of the river Tiber, the area was an outcrop of Rome that was protected by being included within the walls of Leo IV (847–855), and later expanded by the current fortification walls, built under Paul III (1534–1549), Pius IV (1559–1565), and Urban VIII (1623–1644).[54]

The territory of Vatican City State according to the Lateran Treaty

When the Lateran Treaty of 1929 that gave the state its form was being prepared, the boundaries of the proposed territory were influenced by the fact that much of it was all but enclosed by this loop. For some tracts of the frontier, there was no wall, but the line of certain buildings supplied part of the boundary, and for a small part of the frontier a modern wall was constructed.[55]

The territory includes St Peter's Square, distinguished from the territory of Italy only by a white line along the limit of the square, where it touches Piazza Pio XII. St. Peter's Square is reached through the Via della Conciliazione which runs from close to the Tiber to St Peter's. This grand approach was constructed by Benito Mussolini after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaty. St Peter's Square is also partially encircled by the Ricciolo d'Italia, a small strip of Italian territory.[56]

According to the Lateran Treaty, certain properties of the Holy See that are located in Italian territory, most notably the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo and the major basilicas, enjoy extraterritorial status similar to that of foreign embassies.[44][57] These properties, scattered all over Rome and Italy, house essential offices and institutions necessary to the character and mission of the Holy See.[57]

Castel Gandolfo and the named basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of Vatican City State and not by Italian police. According to the Lateran Treaty, St. Peter's Square, up to but not including the steps leading to the basilica, is normally patrolled by the Italian police.[44]

There are no passport controls for visitors entering Vatican City from the surrounding Italian territory. There is free public access to Saint Peter's Square and Basilica and, on the occasion of papal general audiences, to the hall in which they are held. For these audiences and for major ceremonies in Saint Peter's Basilica and Square, tickets free of charge must be obtained beforehand. The Vatican Museums, incorporating the Sistine Chapel, usually charge an entrance fee. There is no general public access to the gardens. Guided tours for small groups can be arranged to the gardens and excavations under the basilica. Other Vatican locations are only open to individuals who have business to transact there.[58]

St. Peter's Square, the basilica and obelisk, from Piazza Pio XII

### Climate

[edit]

Vatican City's climate is the same as Rome's: a temperate, Mediterranean climate Csa. It has mild, rainy winters from October to mid-May, and hot, dry summers from May to September. Some minor local features, principally mists and dews, are caused by the anomalous bulk of St Peter's Basilica, the elevation, the fountains, and the size of the large paved square. The highest temperature ever recorded was 40.8 °C (105.4 °F) on 28 June 2022.[59]

Climate data for Vatican City (data of Aeroporto Roma-Ciampino "Giovan Battista Pastine")

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 19.8
(67.6)  | 21.2
(70.2)  | 26.6
(79.9)  | 27.2
(81.0)  | 33.0
(91.4)  | 37.8
(100.0)  | 40.8
(105.4)  | 40.7
(105.3)  | 38.4
(101.1)  | 30.0
(86.0)  | 25.0
(77.0)  | 20.2
(68.4)  | 40.8
(105.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 11.9
(53.4)  | 13.0
(55.4)  | 15.2
(59.4)  | 17.7
(63.9)  | 22.8
(73.0)  | 26.9
(80.4)  | 30.3
(86.5)  | 30.6
(87.1)  | 26.5
(79.7)  | 21.4
(70.5)  | 15.9
(60.6)  | 12.6
(54.7)  | 20.4
(68.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 7.5
(45.5)  | 8.2
(46.8)  | 10.2
(50.4)  | 12.6
(54.7)  | 17.2
(63.0)  | 21.1
(70.0)  | 24.1
(75.4)  | 24.5
(76.1)  | 20.8
(69.4)  | 16.4
(61.5)  | 11.4
(52.5)  | 8.4
(47.1)  | 15.2
(59.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 3.1
(37.6)  | 3.5
(38.3)  | 5.2
(41.4)  | 7.5
(45.5)  | 11.6
(52.9)  | 15.3
(59.5)  | 18.0
(64.4)  | 18.3
(64.9)  | 15.2
(59.4)  | 11.3
(52.3)  | 6.9
(44.4)  | 4.2
(39.6)  | 10.0
(50.0)
Record low °C (°F)  | −11.0
(12.2)  | −4.4
(24.1)  | −5.6
(21.9)  | 0.0
(32.0)  | 3.8
(38.8)  | 7.8
(46.0)  | 10.6
(51.1)  | 10.0
(50.0)  | 5.6
(42.1)  | 0.8
(33.4)  | −5.2
(22.6)  | −4.8
(23.4)  | −11.0
(12.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 67
(2.6)  | 73
(2.9)  | 58
(2.3)  | 81
(3.2)  | 53
(2.1)  | 34
(1.3)  | 19
(0.7)  | 37
(1.5)  | 73
(2.9)  | 113
(4.4)  | 115
(4.5)  | 81
(3.2)  | 804
(31.7)
Average 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
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 120.9  | 132.8  | 167.4  | 201.0  | 263.5  | 285.0  | 331.7  | 297.6  | 237.0  | 195.3  | 129.0  | 111.6  | 2,472.8
Source: https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/noaa-earth-had-its-third-warmest-year-record-2017 https://weatherspark.com/h/y/71896/2022/Historical-Weather-during-2022-in-Vatican-City

In July 2007 the Vatican accepted a proposal by two firms based respectively in San Francisco and Budapest,[62] to become the first carbon neutral state by offsetting its carbon dioxide emissions with the creation of a Vatican Climate Forest in Hungary,[63] as a purely symbolic gesture[64] to encourage Catholics to do more to safeguard the planet.[65] Nothing came of the project.[66][67]

In November 2008 the Vatican installed solar panels on the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall.[68][69]

### Gardens

[edit]

Main article: Gardens of Vatican City

Within the territory of the Vatican City are the Vatican Gardens (Italian: Giardini Vaticani),[70] which account for about half of the Vatican territory. The gardens, established during the Renaissance and Baroque era, are decorated with fountains and sculptures.

The gardens cover approximately 23 hectares (57 acres). The highest point is 60 metres (197 ft) above mean sea level. Stone walls bound the area in the north, south, and west.

The gardens date back to medieval times when orchards and vineyards extended to the north of the Papal Apostolic Palace.[71] In 1279 Pope Nicholas III (1277–1280) moved his residence back to the Vatican from the Lateran Palace and enclosed this area with walls.[72] He planted an orchard (pomerium), a lawn (pratellum), and a garden (viridarium).[72]

A panorama of the gardens viewed from St. Peter's Basilica

## Governance

[edit]

Main article: Politics of Vatican City

The politics of Vatican City takes place in the context of an absolute elective monarchy and being governed by the Holy See, in which the head of the Catholic Church holds power. The pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over the State of Vatican City, which is a rare case of a non-hereditary monarchy.

### State and Holy See

[edit]

The Vatican City State, created in 1929 by the Lateran Pacts, provides the Holy See with a temporal jurisdiction and independence within a small territory. It is distinct from the Holy See. The state can thus be deemed a significant but not essential instrument of the Holy See. The Holy See itself has existed continuously as a juridical entity since Roman Imperial times and has been internationally recognized as a powerful and independent sovereign entity since Late Antiquity to the present, without interruption even at times when it was deprived of territory (e.g. 1870 to 1929).

Vatican City is one of the few widely recognized independent states that has not become a member of the United Nations.[73] The Holy See, which is distinct from Vatican City State, has permanent observer status, with all the rights of a full member except for a vote in the UN General Assembly.

### Structure

[edit]

See also: Pontificate

Pope Leo XIV, 2025

The government of Vatican City has a unique structure. As governed by the Holy See, the pope is the sovereign of the state, but he is supported by different bodies. Legislative authority is managed, in the pope's name, by the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, a body of cardinals appointed by the pope for five-year periods. Executive power is exercised by the president of that commission, who is consequently also the president of the governorate, assisted by the general secretary and the deputy general secretary.[74][75] The state's foreign relations are entrusted to the Holy See's Secretariat of State and diplomatic service.

Nevertheless, the pope has absolute power in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches over Vatican City,[76] and is thus the only absolute monarch in Europe.[77]

Operationally, there are departments that deal with health, security, telecommunications and other matters.[76]

#### Sede vacante

[edit]

The Cardinal Camerlengo presides over the Apostolic Camera, to which is entrusted the administration of the property and protection of other papal temporal powers and rights of the Holy See during the period of the empty throne or sede vacante (papal vacancy).[78] Those of the Vatican State remain under the control of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. Acting with three other cardinals chosen by lot every three days, one from each order of cardinals (cardinal bishop, cardinal priest, and cardinal deacon), he in a sense performs during that period the functions of head of state of Vatican City.[79] All the decisions these four cardinals take must be approved by the College of Cardinals as a whole.

#### Papal nobility

[edit]

Main article: Papal nobility

The nobility that was closely associated with the Holy See at the time of the Papal States continued to be associated with the Papal Court after the loss of these territories, generally with merely nominal duties (see Papal Master of the Horse, Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, Hereditary officers of the Roman Curia, Black Nobility). They also formed the ceremonial Noble Guard. In the first decades of the existence of the Vatican City State, executive functions were entrusted to some of them, including that of delegate for the State of Vatican City, now denominated president of the Commission for Vatican City. With the motu proprio Pontificalis Domus of March 1968,[80] Pope Paul VI abolished the honorary positions that had continued to exist until then, such as Quartermaster general and Master of the Horse.

### Head of state

[edit]

Main articles: Pope and President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State

See also: List of Sovereigns of the Vatican City State

The Apostolic Palace (Palazzo Apostolico), the official residence of the pope. Here, Benedict XVI is at the window marked by a maroon banner hanging from the windowsill at centre.

As Vatican City is governed by the Holy See, the pope is ex officio the head of state,[81] a function dependent on his primordial function as bishop of the diocese of Rome and head of the Catholic Church.[82] The term "Holy See" refers not to the Vatican state but to the pope's spiritual and pastoral governance, largely exercised through the Roman Curia.[83] His official title with regards to Vatican City is Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, United States, was elected on 8 May 2025. His principal subordinate government official for Vatican City as well as the country's de facto head of government is the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, who since 1952 exercises the functions previously belonging to the Governor of Vatican City. Since 2001, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also has the title of president of the Governorate of the State of Vatican City. The president is the Italian sister Raffaella Petrini, who was appointed by Pope Francis on 1 March 2025,[84] and was reconfirmed by Pope Leo XIV on 9 May 2025.[85]

### Government and justice

[edit]

See also: Politics of Vatican City and Law of Vatican City

The Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State

Legislative functions are administered by the pope, but are also delegated to the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, led by the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. Its members are cardinals appointed by the pope for terms of five years. Acts of the commission must be approved by the Pope, through the Holy See's Secretariat of State,[citation needed] and must be published in a special appendix of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis. Most of the content of this appendix consists of routine executive decrees, such as approval for a new set of postage stamps.[citation needed]

Executive authority is delegated to the president of the Governorate of Vatican City, who is also the president of the Pontificial Commission. In addition, the Governorate include two immediate collaborators of the president: the general secretary and the deputy general secretary, members of the General Secretariat, each appointed by the pope for five-year terms.[citation needed] Important actions of the Governorate must be confirmed by the Pontifical Commission and by the Pope through the Secretariat of State.[citation needed]

Both the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and the president of the Governorate of Vatican City can be assisted by the councilors of Vatican City State in drafting legislation and other important issues. The president of the Governorate can convoke the members of the Council of Directors, together with external experts and people. The Governorate oversees the central governmental functions through several departments and offices.[86][87][88] The directors and officials of these offices are appointed by the Pope for five-year terms.[citation needed]

The Governorate is organized into central offices, one for law and another for personnel matters, and directorates with roles in the following matters:

* Infrastructure and services
* Telecommunications and information systems
* Security and civil protection services
* Economy
* Health and hygiene
* Museums and cultural heritage
* Pontifical villas[89][90]

There are subsidiary bodies for monetary, disciplinary, personnel and personnel selection matters.[91]

In the pope's name, judiciary functions (Vatican judiciary) are exercised by four bodies: a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, a Tribunal and a Sole Judge, whose roles are established by the Vatican codes of criminal and civil procedure, and the 2013 "Motu Proprio On the Jurisdiction of Judicial Authorities of Vatican City State in Criminal Matters".[92] At the Vatican's request, sentences imposed can be served in Italy (see the section on crime, below).

Due to obvious territorial constraints, many headquarters and offices of the Holy See are located on Italian territory. They are granted the same immunity as diplomatic missions thanks to the Lateran Treaty and are commonly defined as "extraterritorial areas".[93]

### National and public security

[edit]

Main articles: Military in Vatican City, Pontifical Swiss Guard, Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City, and Corps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State

A guard of the Vatican at his sentry box

As Vatican City is an enclave within Italy, its military defence is provided by the Italian Armed Forces. There is no formal defence treaty with Italy, as Vatican City is a neutral state. Vatican City has no armed forces of its own, although the Swiss Guard is a military corps of the Holy See responsible for the personal security of the pope, and residents in the state. Soldiers of the Swiss Guard are entitled to hold Vatican City State passports and nationality.[93]

Swiss mercenaries were historically recruited by popes as part of an army for the Papal States. The Pontifical Swiss Guard was founded by Pope Julius II on 22 January 1506 as the pope's personal bodyguard and continues to fulfill that function. It is listed in the Annuario Pontificio under "Holy See", not under "State of Vatican City". In 2005, the Guard had 134 members. Recruitment is arranged by a special agreement between the Holy See and Switzerland.[93]

All recruits must be Catholic, unmarried males with Swiss citizenship who have completed their basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces with certificates of good conduct, be between the ages of 19 and 30, and be at least 174 cm (5 ft 9 in) in height. Members are equipped with small arms and the traditional halberd, and trained in bodyguarding tactics. Together with the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City, the Swiss Guard have roles in the Italy-Vatican border control.[93] The Palatine Guard and the Noble Guard, the last armed forces of the Vatican City State, were disbanded by Pope Paul VI in 1970.[51]

As the entire territory of Vatican City has been listed on the International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection and, in 1984, among World Heritage Sites, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict provides international legal protection against armed conflicts.[94][95] A large part of the historical documents of the very extensive Vatican Apostolic Archive is stored in the "Bunker", which was inaugurated in 1980, a two-storey reinforced concrete vault, under the Cortile della Pigna, equipped with systems for fire protection, climate and humidity control, and physical security.[96]

A Vatican gendarmerie car

Civil defence is the responsibility of the Corps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State, the national fire brigade. Dating its origins to the early nineteenth century, the Corps in its present form was established in 1941. It is responsible for fire fighting, and civil defence scenarios including flooding, natural disasters, and mass casualty incidents. The Corps is governmentally supervised through the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Defence, which is also responsible for the Gendarmerie (see below).

The Gendarmerie Corps (Corpo della Gendarmeria) is the gendarmerie, or police and security force, of Vatican City and the extraterritorial properties of the Holy See.[97] The corps is responsible for security, public order, border control, traffic control, criminal investigation, and other general police duties in Vatican City including providing security for the pope outside Vatican City. The corps has 130 personnel and is a part of the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Defence (which also includes the Vatican Fire Brigade), an organ of the Governorate of Vatican City.[98][99]

Even though St Peter's Square is part of Vatican territory, it is normally safeguarded by Italian police forces.[93]

#### Crime

[edit]

Main article: Crime in Vatican City

The crowds of tourists in St. Peter's Square are a target for pickpockets.

Crime in Vatican City consists largely of purse snatching, pickpocketing and shoplifting by outsiders.[100] The tourist foot-traffic in St Peter's Square is one of the main locations for pickpockets in Vatican City.[101] If crimes are committed in the square, the perpetrators may be arrested and tried by the Italian authorities, since that area is normally patrolled by Italian police.[102]

Under the Lateran Treaty,[44] Italy will, at the request of the Holy See, punish individuals for crimes committed within the Vatican City and will itself proceed against the person who committed the offence, if that person takes refuge in Italian territory. Persons accused of crimes recognized as such both in Italy and in Vatican City that are committed in Italian territory will be handed over to the Italian authorities if they take refuge in the Vatican City or in buildings that enjoy immunity under the treaty.[44][103]

The Vatican City has no prison system, apart from a few detention cells for pre-trial detention.[104] People convicted of committing crimes in the Vatican serve terms in Italian prisons (Polizia Penitenziaria), with costs covered by the Vatican.[105]

### Foreign relations

[edit]

See also: Foreign relations of the Holy See and List of diplomatic missions of the Holy See

The Ingresso di Sant'Anna, an entrance to Vatican City from Italy

Vatican City State is a recognized national territory under international law. The Holy See conducts diplomatic relations on its behalf, in addition to the Holy See's own diplomacy, entering into international agreements in its regard. Vatican City thus has no diplomatic service of its own.

Because of space limitations, Vatican City is one of the few countries in the world that are unable to host embassies. Foreign embassies to the Holy See are located in Rome. Only during the Second World War were the staff of some embassies accredited to the Holy See given what hospitality was possible within the narrow confines of Vatican City – embassies such as that of the United Kingdom while Rome was held by the Axis Powers and Germany's when the Allies controlled Rome.

The size of Vatican City is unrelated to the large global reach exercised by the Holy See as an entity quite distinct from the state.[106]

Vatican City State itself participates in some international organizations whose functions relate to the state as a geographical entity, distinct from the non-territorial legal persona of the Holy See. These organizations are much less numerous than those in which the Holy See participates either as a member or with observer status. They include the following eight, in each of which Vatican City State holds membership:[107][108]

* European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
* European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat IGO)
* International Grains Council (IGC)
* International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
* International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
* Interpol[109]
* Universal Postal Union (UPU)

It also participates in:[107]

* World Medical Association
* World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

#### Non-party, non-signatory policy

[edit]

A map of the United Nations member states

The Vatican City is not a member of the United Nations (UN), but the Holy See was granted observer status to the United Nations General Assembly in 1968; the only other country in a similar position is the partially recognized State of Palestine. Since it is not a member of the UN, the Vatican City is not subjected to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It engages with UN specialized agencies through its observer status, including the Central Emergency Response Fund, to which it contributed US$20,000 between 2006 and 2022.[110]

The Vatican City State is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In Europe, only Belarus is also a non-party, non-signatory state. Ukraine and Monaco are signatory states that have not ratified and Russia withdrew from it in 2016.

The Vatican City State is not a member of the Council of Europe nor a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, thus is not subject to the European Court of Human Rights. Among European states, Belarus is also not a member, while Russia has ceased to be part of it after being expelled from the Council of Europe following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The OECD's "Common Reporting Standard" (CRS), aiming at preventing tax evasion and money laundering, has also not been signed.[111][112][113] The Vatican City State has been criticized for money-laundering practices in the past decades.[114][115][116] The only other country in Europe that has not agreed to sign the CRS is Belarus.

The Vatican City State is one of few countries in the world that do not provide any publicly available financial data to the International Monetary Fund.[117][failed verification]

## Economy

[edit]

Main article: Economy of Vatican City

View of Vatican City in the evening.

The Vatican City State budget includes the Vatican Museums and post office and is supported financially by the sale of stamps, coins, medals and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by publications sales.[k] The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.[118] Other industries include printing, the production of mosaics, and the manufacture of staff uniforms.

The Institute for Works of Religion (IOR, Istituto per le Opere di Religione), also known as the Vatican Bank, is a financial agency situated in the Vatican that conducts worldwide financial activities. It has multilingual ATMs with instructions in Latin, possibly the only ATM in the world with this feature.[119]

Vatican City issues its own coins and stamps. It has used the Euro as its currency since January 1999, owing to a special agreement with the European Union. Euro coins and notes were introduced on 1 January 2002 — the Vatican City does not issue euro banknotes. Issuance of euro-denominated coins is strictly limited by treaty. More coins than usual are allowed in a year with a new papacy.[120] Because of their rarity, Vatican euro coins are highly sought by collectors.[121] Until the adoption of the Euro, Vatican coinage and stamps were denominated in their own Vatican lira currency, which was on par with the Italian lira.

Vatican euro coins with images of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI |  |

|
|

Vatican City State, which employs nearly 2,000 people, had a surplus of 6.7 million euros in 2007. It ran a deficit in 2008 of over 15 million euros.[122]

In 2012 the US Department of State's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report listed Vatican City for the first time among the nations of concern for money-laundering, placing it in the middle category, which includes countries such as Ireland, but not among the most vulnerable countries, which include the United States itself, Germany, Italy, and Russia.[123]

Vatican Museums' "New Wing", built by Raffaele Stern (1774–1820)

In February 2014 the Vatican announced it was establishing a secretariat for the economy, to be responsible for all economic, financial, and administrative activities of the Holy See and the Vatican City State, headed by Cardinal George Pell. This followed the charging of two senior clerics including a monsignor with money-laundering offences. Pope Francis appointed an auditor-general authorized to carry out audits of any agency at any time and engaged a US financial services company to review the Vatican's 19,000 accounts, to ensure compliance with international money-laundering practices. The pontiff appointed the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See as the Vatican's central bank, with responsibilities similar to other central banks around the world.[124]

In 2022 the Vatican planned to release NFTs of its museum collection.[125]

### Transport

[edit]

Main article: Transport in Vatican City

The shortest national railway system in the world

The Vatican City has a reasonably well-developed transport network considering its size, consisting mostly of a piazza and walkways. As a state that is 1.05 kilometres (1,150 yards) long and 0.85 km (930 yd) wide,[126] it has a small transportation system, with no airports or highways.

The only aviation facility in Vatican City is the Vatican City Heliport. Vatican City is one of the few independent countries without an airport, and is served by the airports that serve the city of Rome, Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport and to a lesser extent Ciampino Airport.[127]

There is a standard gauge Vatican Railway and a Vatican City railway station, mainly used to transport freight. It is connected to Italy's network at Rome's Roma San Pietro railway station by an 852-metre-long (932 yd) spur, 300 metres (330 yd) of which is within Vatican territory.[127] Pope John XXIII was the first pope to use the railway. Pope John Paul II rarely used it.[127]

The closest metro station is Ottaviano – San Pietro – Musei Vaticani.[128]

### Telecommunications and mass media

[edit]

A pay phone in the Vatican City

The City is served by an independent, modern telephone system named the Vatican Telephone Service.[129]

The Vatican controls its own Internet top-level domain, which is registered as (.va). Broadband service is widely provided within Vatican City. Vatican City has a radio ITU prefix, HV, and this is sometimes used by amateur radio operators.

Vatican Radio, which was organized by Guglielmo Marconi, broadcasts on short-wave, medium-wave and FM frequencies and on the Internet.[130] Its main transmission antennae are located in Italian territory, and exceed Italian environmental protection levels of emission. For this reason, the Vatican Radio has been sued. Television services are provided through another entity, the Vatican Television Center.[131]

L'Osservatore Romano is the multilingual semi-official newspaper of the Holy See. It is published by a private corporation under the direction of Catholic laymen, but reports on official information. The official texts of documents are in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official gazette of the Holy See, which has an appendix for documents of the Vatican City State.

Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Center, and L'Osservatore Romano are organs of the Holy See. They are listed in the Annuario Pontificio, which places them in the section "Institutions linked with the Holy See", ahead of the sections on the Holy See's diplomatic service abroad and the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, after which is placed the section on the State of Vatican City. In 2015, these organisations were brought together under the Dicastery for Communication.[132]

### Postal service

[edit]

The Vatican's post office was established in February 1929.

A postal system (Poste Vaticane) was created on 13 February 1929. On 1 August, the state started to release its own postal stamps, under the authority of the Philatelic and Numismatic Office of the Vatican City State.[133] The city's postal service is sometimes said to be "the best in the world",[134] and faster than the postal service in Rome.[134]

The international postal country code prefix is SCV. The postal code is 00120 – altogether SCV-00120.[135]

### Healthcare

[edit]

See also: Vatican Pharmacy and Bambino Gesù Hospital

### Sustainability

[edit]

The Vatican has implemented several environmental initiatives aimed to reduce its ecological footprint. Since 2008, the Vatican has expanded its solar energy systems, including the installation of photovoltaic panels at various locations such as the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall. The city-state has introduced 35 electric vehicle charging stations to promote the use of electric vehicles and intends to gradually replace State-owned cars with electric vehicles.[136]

Well before the European Union's 2021 deadline, Vatican City successfully banned single-use plastics in 2019, reducing plastic waste. The Vatican's waste management system has improved, achieving a recycling rate of 55 per cent for municipal solid waste, with a goal of reaching the EU standard of 70–75 per cent.[137] Energy-efficiency measures, such as installing LED lighting in St Peter's Basilica and transitioning to digital document management, have been implemented to reduce energy consumption and paper use. These efforts reflect the Vatican's commitment to the vision of Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato si' and the Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum.

## Demographics

[edit]

See also: Women in Vatican City

As of 2024[update] Vatican City has a population of 882 residents, regardless of citizenship.[15] There are 372 Vatican citizens residing elsewhere,[15] consisting of diplomats of the Holy See to other countries and cardinals residing in Rome.[138]

The population is composed of clergy, other religious members, laypeople serving the state (such as the Swiss Guard) and their family members.[139] In 2013 there were 13 families of the employees of the Holy See living in Vatican City.[140] In 2019 there were 20 children of the Swiss Guards living at the Vatican.[141] All citizens, residents, and places of worship in the city are Catholic. The city receives thousands of tourists and workers every day.

Vatican City population on 31 December 2024[15] Citizenship | Vatican | other

|
|

Residency | other | Vatican City
Pope |  | 1 |
Cardinals | 56 | 10 |
Diplomats | 316 |  |
Swiss Guard |  | 104 |
Others |  | 131 | 636
Total | 618 | 636
372 | 246
882
1,254

Vatican City population on 1 March 2011[139] Sex | all | male | female

|
|
|

Citizenship | Vatican | other | Vatican | other | Vatican | other
Residency | other | Vatican City | other | Vatican City | other | Vatican City
Pope |  | 1 |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |
Cardinals | 43 | 30 |  | 43 | 30 |  |  |  |
Diplomats | 306 |  |  | 306 |  |  |  |  |
Swiss Guard |  | 86 |  |  | 86 |  |  |  |
Other religious |  | 50 | 197 |  | 49 | 102 |  | 1 | 95
Other lay |  | 56 | 24 |  | 25 | 3 |  | 31 | 21
Total | 572 | 221 | 540 | 105 | 32 | 116
349 | 223 | 349 | 191 |  | 32
444 | 296 | 148
793 | 645 | 148

### Languages

[edit]

Further information: Languages of Vatican City

The Seal of Vatican City. Note the use of the Italian language.

Vatican City has no formally enacted official language, but, unlike the Holy See which most often uses Latin for the authoritative version of its official documents, Vatican City uses only Italian in its legislation and official communications.[142] Italian is the everyday language used by most of those who work in the state. In the Swiss Guard, Swiss German is the language used for giving commands. Individual guards take their oath of loyalty in their own languages: German, French, Italian or Romansh. The official websites of the Holy See[143] and of Vatican City[144] are primarily in Italian, with versions of their pages in a large number of languages, to varying extents.

### Citizenship

[edit]

Unlike citizenship of other states, which is based either on jus sanguinis (birth from a citizen, even outside the state's territory) or on jus soli (birth within the territory of the state), citizenship of Vatican City is granted on jus officii, namely on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of the Holy See. It usually ceases upon the cessation of the appointment. Citizenship is extended to the spouse and children of a citizen, provided that they are living together in the city.[138] Some individuals are authorized to reside in the city but do not qualify or choose not to request citizenship.[138] Anyone who loses Vatican citizenship and does not possess other citizenship automatically becomes an Italian citizen, as provided in the Lateran Treaty.[44]

The Holy See, not being a country, issues only diplomatic and service passports, whereas Vatican City issues ordinary passports for its citizens.

### Statistical oddities

[edit]

In statistics comparing countries in per capita or per area metrics, Vatican City is often an outlier – these stem from the state's small size and ecclesiastical function.[145] For example, as most of the roles which would confer citizenship are reserved for men, the gender ratio of Vatican City citizenship is several men per woman.[146] Further oddities are petty crimes against tourists, resulting in a very high per-capita crime rate,[147] and the city-state leading the world in per-capita wine consumption due to its sacramental use.[145] A jocular illustration of these anomalies is sometimes made by calculating a "popes per km2" statistic, which is greater than two because Vatican City is less than half a square kilometre in area.[148]

A 360-degree view from the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, looking over the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square (centre) and out into Rome, showing Vatican City in all directions

## Culture

[edit]

See also: Music of Vatican City

### Cultural heritage

[edit]

See also: Architecture of Vatican City and Vatican Museums

St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most renowned works of Renaissance architecture.[149]

The Vatican City is home to some of the most famous art in the world. St Peter's Basilica, designed by a succession of architects including Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is a renowned work of Renaissance architecture. The Sistine Chapel is famous for its frescos, which include works by Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sandro Botticelli, as well as the ceiling and Last Judgment by Michelangelo. The interiors of the Vatican were decorated by artists including Raphael and Fra Angelico.

The Vatican Apostolic Library and the collections of the Vatican Museums are of the highest historical, scientific and cultural importance.[150] Added by UNESCO to the List of World Heritage Sites in 1984, the Vatican is the only site to consist of an entire state.[151] It is the only UNESCO site registered as a centre containing monuments in the "International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection" according to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.[151]

### Science

[edit]

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Casina Pio IV.

Following in the footsteps of the Pontifical Academy of New Lincei founded by Pope Pius IX in 1847, Pope Pius XI founded the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1936, which, located in the Casina Pio IV, guarantees academic freedom to contribute to mathematical, physical (including astronomy, Earth sciences, physics and chemistry) and natural sciences (e.g., medicine, neuroscience, biology, genetics, biochemistry), and confront epistemological issues, with interests also in the history of science. Among the academicians, there are or were the astrophysicist Martin John Rees, the mathematician Cédric Villani, the theoretical physicist Edward Witten, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Ernest Rutherford, the geneticists Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and Francis Collins, the head transplant pioneer Robert J. White, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Alexander Fleming.[152][153]

The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is another pontifical academy of the Holy See located in the Vatican City, which deals with anthropology, communication studies, information sciences, cybernetics, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, behavioral sciences, sociology and demography.[154] The seat of the Pontifical Academy for Life, whose domains are bioethics and ethics of technology, is at San Callisto complex, a Vatican extraterritorial property.[155][156]

The Vatican Observatory, whose origins date back to the 16th century, continues to contribute to astronomical research, especially through a partnership with the University of Arizona and the infrared and optical Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope in Arizona, and to astronomical education and "popular science" projects. As a member of the International Astronomical Union and the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, it deals with research on cosmological models, stellar classification, binary stars, and nebulae. It has contributed to philosophical interdisciplinary studies at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences in Berkeley, California and research on the history of astronomy thanks to its extensive library, which includes a meteorite collection.[157]

Some of the Vatican telescopes of the astronomical institution named Vatican Observatory participated in creating the Carte du Ciel, but they have progressively become useless or limited for research purposes due to light pollution in their locations: Vatican City (the Gardens of Vatican City and near St. Peter's Basilica) and the Vatican extraterritorial Palace of Castel Gandolfo.[citation needed]

### Sport

[edit]

Main article: Sport in Vatican City

The Vatican City is not a member of the International Olympic Committee and does not compete in the Olympic Games, though it has participated in some international sporting events, including the World Cycling Championships,[158] the Championships of the Small States of Europe and the Mediterranean Games.[159] Vatican City has its own athletics association, Athletica Vaticana.[160]

Football in Vatican City is organized by the Vatican Amateur Sports Association, which holds the national championship, called the Vatican City Championship, with eight teams, including, for example, the Swiss Guard's FC Guardia and police and museum guard teams.[161] The association organizes the Coppa Sergio Valci and the Vatican Supercoppa. It controls the Vatican City national football team, which is neither affiliated with UEFA nor FIFA.

## See also

[edit]

* Architecture of Vatican City
* Holy city
* Index of Vatican City-related articles
* Law of Vatican City
* Vatican News
* Outline of Vatican City
* Timeline of fictional stories set in Vatican City

## References

[edit]

### Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Many other languages are used by institutions situated within the state, such as the Holy See, the Pontifical Swiss Guard, and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
The Holy See uses Latin as its official language and Italian as its main working and diplomatic language; in addition, its Secretariat of State uses English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish. The Swiss Guard has three command languages: German, French and Italian; the chaplain of the guard reads aloud the full oath of allegiance in these three languages.[3]
2. ^ All powers delegated by the sovereign[9][10]
3. ^ The Lateran Treaty was ratified,[11] and took effect, on 7 June 1929.[12]
4. ^ a b The De Agostini Atlas Calendar listed the area of Vatican City as 44 ha in its 1930 edition[13] but corrected it to 49 ha in its 1945–1946 edition.[14] The figure of 44 ha is still widely cited by many sources despite its inaccuracy.
5. ^ ITU-T assigned code 379 to Vatican City. However, Vatican City is included in the Italian telephone numbering plan and uses the Italian country code 39, followed by 06 (for Rome) and 698.
6. ^ Visitors and tourists are not permitted to drive inside the Vatican City without specific permission, which is normally granted only to those on official business inside the Vatican City.
7. ^ /ˈvætɪkənˈsɪti/ ⓘ
8. ^ Stato della Città del Vaticano[16][17] (Italian pronunciation: [ˈstaːto della tʃitˈta ddel vatiˈkaːno]) is the name used in the text of the state's Fundamental Law and in the state's official website.
9. ^ The ecclesiastical, and therefore official, pronunciation is [ˈstatus tʃiviˈtatis vatiˈkane]; the classical one is [ˈstatʊs kiːwɪˈtaːtɪs waːtɪˈkaːnae̯].
10. ^ In the languages used by the Secretariat of State of the Holy See (except English and Italian as already mentioned above):
* French: Cité du Vatican—État de la Cité du Vatican
* German: Vatikanstadt, cf. Vatikan—Staat Vatikanstadt (in Austria: Staat der Vatikanstadt)
* Polish: Miasto Watykańskie, cf. Watykan—Państwo Watykańskie
* Portuguese: Cidade do Vaticano—Estado da Cidade do Vaticano
* Spanish: Ciudad del Vaticano—Estado de la Ciudad del Vaticano.
11. ^ The Holy See's budget, which is distinct from that of Vatican City State, is supported financially by a variety of sources, including investments, real estate income, and donations from Catholic individuals, dioceses, and institutions; these help fund the Roman Curia (Vatican bureaucracy), diplomatic missions, and media outlets. Moreover, an annual collection taken up in dioceses and direct donations go to a non-budgetary fund known as Peter's Pence, which is used directly by the Pope for charity, disaster relief and aid to churches in developing nations.

### Citation notes

[edit]

1. ^ Reuters Staff (6 October 2014). "Pope ditches Latin as official language of Vatican synod". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
2. ^ "What language is spoken at the Vatican?". Visiting The Vatican. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
3. ^ Solemn oath of the Vatican Swiss guards. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021 - via YouTube.
4. ^ "Vatican City :: Italy Explained". Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
5. ^ "Internet Portal of Vatican City State". Vatican City State. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
6. ^ a b "Holy See (Vatican City)". CIA—The World Factbook. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
7. ^ Robbers, Gerhard (2006) Encyclopedia of World Constitutions Archived 29 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0-81606078-8. p. 1009
8. ^ Nick Megoran (2009) "Theocracy" Archived 4 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine, p. 226 in International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, vol. 11, Elsevier ISBN 978-0-08-044911-1
9. ^ "Legislative and Executive Bodies". Vatican City State. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
10. ^ Pope John Paul II (26 November 2000). "Fundamental Law of Vatican City State" (PDF). Vatican City State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
11. ^ a b Ekpo, Anthony (2024). The Roman Curia: History, Theology, and Organization. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. p. 8\. ISBN 978-1-64712-436-6.
12. ^ a b "Lateran Treaty". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
13. ^ De Agostini Atlas Calendar Archived 3 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, 1930, p. 99. (in Italian)
14. ^ De Agostini Atlas Calendar Archived 3 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, 1945–1946, p. 128. (in Italian)
15. ^ a b c d e "Population" (in Italian). Vatican City State. 31 December 2024.
16. ^ "Stato della Città del Vaticano". Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
17. ^ "La Santa Sede". Vatican.va. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
18. ^ Ray, Michael (20 May 2023). "Vatican City". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
19. ^ Duignan, Brian (31 March 2023). "nation-state". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
20. ^ "Vatican City". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
21. ^ "Vatican country profile". BBC News. 17 November 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
22. ^ a b "Text of the Lateran Treaty of 1929". Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
23. ^ "Europe :: Holy See (Vatican City) — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
24. ^ "Vatican City". Catholic-Pages.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
25. ^ "Catholics increasing worldwide, reaching 1.329 billion". AsiaNews. 26 March 2020. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
26. ^ a b "Preamble of the Lateran Treaty" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
27. ^ Richardson, L. (October 1992). New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 405\. ISBN 0-8018-4300-6.
28. ^ "Apostolic Constitution" (in Latin). Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
29. ^ Pope Francis (8 September 2014). "Letter to John Cardinal Lajolo" (in Latin). The Vatican. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
30. ^ a b Liverani 2016, p. 21
31. ^ Petacco 2016, p. 11
32. ^ "Damien Martin, "Wine and Drunkenness in Roman Society"" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
33. ^ Tacitus, The Histories, II, 93, translation by Clifford H. Moore (The Loeb Classical Library, first printed 1925)
34. ^ Based on "Outline of St. Peter's, Old St. Peter's, and Circus of Nero".
35. ^ Lanciani, Rodolfo (1892). Pagan and Christian Rome [dead link] Houghton, Mifflin.
36. ^ "Vatican City in the Past". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
37. ^ Pliny the Elder, Natural History XVI.76.
38. ^ "St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles". Catholic Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
39. ^ Travels and Adventures Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Chapter 3, Pero Tafur, digitized from The Broadway Travellers series, edited by Sir E. Denison Ross and Eileen Power, translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts (New York, London: Harper & brothers 1926)
40. ^ "Altar dedicated to Cybele and Attis". Vatican Museums. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
41. ^ Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner's Art through the Ages (Cengage Learning 2012 Archived 12 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 978-1-13395479-8), p. 126
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### Bibliography

[edit]

* Chadwick, Owen (1988). Britain and the Vatican During the Second World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-36825-4.
* Nichols, Fiona (2006). Rome and the Vatican. London: New Holland. pp. 85–96\. ISBN 978-1-84537-500-3.[permanent dead link]
* Petacco, Laura (2016). "La Meta Romuli e il Terebinthus Neronis". In Claudio Parisi Presicce; Laura Petacco (eds.). La Spina: dall'Agro vaticano a via della Conciliazione (in Italian). Rome. ISBN 978-88-492-3320-9.
* Liverani, Paolo (2016). "Un destino di marginalità: storia e topografia dell'area vaticana nell'antichità". In Claudio Parisi Presicce; Laura Petacco (eds.). La Spina: dall'Agro vaticano a via della Conciliazione (in Italian). Rome. ISBN 978-88-492-3320-9.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Kent, Peter C. (2002). The Lonely Cold War of Pope Pius XII: The Catholic Church and the Division of Europe, 1943–1950. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-2326-5.
* Morley, John F. (1980). Vatican Diplomacy and the Jews During the Holocaust, 1939–1943. New York: Ktav Pub. House. ISBN 978-0-87068-701-3.
* Ricci, Corrado; Begni, Ernesto (2003) [1914]. The Vatican: Its History, Its Treasures. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7661-3941-1.
* Shaw, Tamsin, "Ethical Espionage" (review of Calder Walton, Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Simon and Schuster, 2023, 672 pp.; and Cécile Fabre, Spying Through a Glass Darkly: The Ethics of Espionage and Counter-Intelligence, Oxford University Press, 251 pp., 2024), The New York Review of Books, vol. LXXI, no. 2 (8 February 2024), pp. 32, 34–35. "[I]n Walton's view, there was scarcely a US covert action that was a long-term strategic success, with the possible exception of intervention in the Soviet–Afghan War (a disastrous military fiasco for the Soviets) and perhaps support for the anti-Soviet Solidarity movement in Poland." (p. 34.)

## External links

[edit]

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Ceiling 9
(Gallery)|

| Scenes from
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Sacraments|

* Baptism
* Confirmation
* Eucharist
* Penance
* Anointing of the Sick
* Last rites
* Holy orders
* Matrimony

Mariology|

* Assumption
* History
* Immaculate Conception
* Mariology of the popes
* Mariology of the saints
* Mother of God
* Perpetual virginity
* Veneration
* See also:
* Josephology

Philosophy|

* Natural law
* Moral theology
* Personalism
* Social teaching
* Philosophers
* Philosophy of canon law
* See also:
* Science
* Evolution
* Separation of church and state
* Relations
* Politics

Saints|

* Holy Family
* Mary
* Joseph
* Patriarchs
* Prophets
* Archangels
* Martyrs
* Doctors of the Church
* Evangelists
* Confessors
* Disciples
* Virgins

Organisation
Hierarchy
Canon law
Laity
Precedence
By country|

| Holy See
(List of popes)|

* Pope Leo XIV
* Ecumenical councils
* College of Cardinals
* List
* Advisers
* Roman Curia
* Dicasteries
* Synod of Bishops
* Properties

|

Vatican City|

* Index
* Outline
* Apostolic Palace
* Lateran Treaty
* Roman Rota
* St. Peter's Basilica
* Swiss Guard
* Vatican Museums

Polity (Holy orders)|

* Diocese
* Episcopal conference
* Eparchy
* Bishop
* Patriarch
* Major
* Primate
* Metropolitan
* Archbishop
* Diocesan
* Coadjutor
* Auxiliary
* Titular
* Emeritus
* Parish
* Priest
* Deacon

Consecrated life|

* Religious:
* Superior
* Abbot, Abbess
* General
* Provincial
* Prior, Prioress
* Grand master
* Brother
* Friar
* Monk
* Sister
* Nun
* Hermit
* Novice
* Master
* Oblate
* Postulant

Particular churches
sui iuris|

* Latin Church
* Eastern Catholic Churches
* Albanian
* Armenian
* Belarusian
* Bulgarian
* Chaldean
* Coptic
* Croatian and Serbian
* Eritrean
* Ethiopian
* Georgian
* Greek
* Hungarian
* Italo-Albanian
* Macedonian
* Maronite
* Melkite
* Romanian
* Russian
* Ruthenian
* Slovak
* Syriac
* Syro-Malabar
* Syro-Malankara
* Ukrainian

Catholic liturgy|

* Eastern Catholic liturgy
* Alexandrian
* Antiochian
* Armenian
* Byzantine
* East Syriac
* West Syriac
* Malankara
* Latin
* Ambrosian
* Braga
* Mozarabic
* Roman
* Paul VI
* Tridentine
* Anglican
* Zaire

Culture|

* Art
* Marian
* Artists
* Writers
* Church buildings
* Altarpieces
* Folk
* Library
* Museums
* Music
* Distinctions
* Role in civilisation
* See also:
* Criticism of the Catholic Church
* Anti-Catholicism

Media|

* Holy See Press Office
* Vatican Media
* Vatican News
* Vatican Television Center
* Vatican Radio
* Vatican Press [it]
* L'Osservatore Romano
* Acta Apostolicae Sedis
* Annuario Pontificio

Religious orders,
institutes, societies|

* Assumptionists
* Annonciades
* Augustinians
* Basilians
* Benedictines
* Bethlehemites
* Blue nuns
* Camaldoleses
* Camillians
* Carmelites
* Carthusians
* Cistercians
* Clarisses
* Conceptionists
* Crosiers
* Dominicans
* Franciscans
* Good Shepherd Sisters
* Hieronymites
* Jesuits
* Legionaries
* Mercedarians
* Minims
* Olivetans
* Oratorians
* Piarists
* Premonstratensians
* Redemptoristines
* Servites
* Theatines
* Trappists
* Trinitarians
* Visitandines

Associations
of the faithful|

* Confraternities
* Lay
* Marian
* Youth
* Workers
* Third orders
* Saint Dominic
* Lay Carmelites
* Discalced
* Saint Francis
* Secular
* Military orders
* Fimcap
* Catholic Action
* Charismatic Renewal
* Communion and Liberation
* Sant'Egidio
* Focolare
* International Alliance of Catholic Knights
* Scouting
* Legion of Mary
* Neocatechumenal Way
* Opus Dei
* Schoenstatt

Charities|

* Aid to the Church in Need
* Caritas
* Catholic Charities USA
* Home Missions
* Relief Services
* CIDSE
* Pax Christi
* Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

* See also:
* Health care
* Schools
* Universities

* Catholic Church portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Holy See

* Apostolic see of Pope Leo XIV as bishop of the Diocese of Rome
* Sovereignty of Vatican City
* Legal status of the Holy See

History|

* Apostolic see
* Primacy of Peter
* History of papal primacy
* Patrimony of Saint Peter
* Old St. Peter's Basilica
* Lateran Palace
* Museum
* Duchy of Rome
* Donation of Sutri
* Donation of Pepin
* Avignon Papacy
* Papal States
* Temporal power
* Investiture Controversy
* Age of Revolution
* "Prisoner in the Vatican"
* Savoyard era
* Vatican City
* Lateran Treaty
* World War II
* Warsaw Pact

Sovereign
judicial entity
under
international law
(Legal status)|

| Officials|

* Pope Leo XIV
* Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin
* Cardinals
* List
* Advisers

|

Governance|

* Secretariat of State
* College of Cardinals
* Conclave

Government|

* Roman Curia
* Apostolic Camera
* Commissions
* For Vatican City State
* Councils
* Congregations
* Dicasteries

Foreign affairs
(Multilateral policy)|

* Section for Relations with States
* To the Holy See
* Of the Holy See
* Heads
* Italy
* United Nations
* Permanent Observer
* in Geneva
* European Union
* Permanent Observer to the Council of Europe
* Apostolic nunciature
* Nuncio
* Treaties
* Concordats

Diocese
of Rome
with universal
full communion
(Papal primacy)|

| Synods|

* Ordinary general assemblies
* Extraordinary general assemblies
* Special assemblies

|

Ecclesiastical
province of Rome
(Vicariate: Rome,
Vatican City)|

| Suburbicarian sees|

* Ostia
* Velletri–Segni
* Porto–Santa Rufina
* Frascati
* Palestrina
* Albano
* Sabina–Poggio Mirteto

|

Territorial abbeys|

* Monte Cassino
* Subiaco

Suffragan dioceses|

* Gaeta
* Anagni-Alatri
* Civita Castellana
* Civitavecchia-Tarquinia
* Frosinone-Veroli-Ferentino
* Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno
* Rieti
* Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo
* Tivoli
* Viterbo

Properties
including
extra-
territoriality|

| Inside
Rome|

Major basilicas|

* St. Peter's Basilica
* Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
* Santa Maria Maggiore
* Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

|

* Lateran Palace
* Lateran University
* Scala Sancta
* Sancta Sanctorum
* Adjoining buildings
* Palace of Saint Callixtus
* Gianicolo Hill area
* Pontifical Urban University
* Pontifical North American College
* Bambino Gesù Hospital
* Palazzo della Cancelleria
* Palace of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
* Palace of the Holy Office
* Palace of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
* Palazzo Pio
* Palazzo Maffei Marescotti (Palace of the Vicariate}
* Pontifical Roman Minor Seminary
* Collegio Teutonico
* Teutonic Cemetery
* Benedictine monastery
* Pontifical Oratory of San Paolo
* Beda College
* Paul VI Audience Hall
* St. Peter's Square

Non-
extraterritorial|

* Palace of the Holy Apostles
* Palace of San Carlo ai Catinari
* Collegio Bellarmino
* Archaeological Institute
* Pontifical Oriental Institute
* Pontifical Lombard Seminary
* Russian College
* Two Palaces of Sant'Apollinare
* House of Retreat for the Clergy of Saints John and Paul
* Nympheum of Nero

|

Outside
Rome|

* Palace of Castel Gandolfo
* Papal farm
* Gardens of the Villa Cybo
* Villa Barberini
* Adjacent gardens
* Pontifical College Josephinum
* Summer estate of Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide
* Vatican Radio antennae area of Santa Maria di Galeria

| Non-
extraterritorial|

* Basilica della Santa Casa
* Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
* Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua

|

See also|

* Acta Apostolicae Sedis
* Awards
* Papal household
* Peter's Pence
* Roman Rota
* Apostolic Penitentiary
* Apostolic Signatura
* Swiss Guard
* Vatican.va

* Vatican City portal
* Catholic Church portal

* v
* t
* e

Papacy

Episcopate of the bishop of Rome

Jurisdiction|

| Holy See
(full communion)|

* Pope Leo XIV as bishop of the Diocese of Rome
* primacy
* history

| Vatican City
(index, outline)|

* Enclaved in Rome, Italy
* Lateran Treaty, 1929
* along with extraterritorial properties of the Holy See

|

Headquarters|

* Vatican City:
* Apostolic Palace
* papal apartments
* Sistine Chapel
* Italy:
* Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (cathedra)

Major basilicas|

* Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
* St. Peter's Basilica
* Basilica of Saint Mary Major
* Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Titles
(Papal names)|

* His Holiness
* Bishop of Rome
* Vicar of Jesus Christ
* Successor of the Prince of the Apostles
* Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church
* Patriarch of the West
* Primate of Italy
* Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province
* Sovereign of the Vatican City State
* Servant of the servants of God

Symbols|

* Coats of arms
* Coat of arms of the Holy See
* Cross
* Keys of Heaven
* Regalia and insignia
* Rota
* Umbraculum

Proclamations|

* Infallibility
* Apostolic constitution
* Bull
* list
* Encyclical
* Apostolic exhortation
* Ecclesiastical letter
* Interdict

Activities|

* Arbitration
* deposition
* Blessing
* "pontifical"
* Urbi et Orbi
* Conclave
* list
* Coronation
* Consistory
* Diplomacy
* Inauguration
* Mass
* High Mass
* Travel

Vestments|

* Camauro
* Falda
* Fanon
* Ferula
* Flabellum
* Mantle
* Mitre
* Mozzetta
* Pallium
* Ring of the Fisherman
* Shoes
* slippers
* Subcinctorium
* Tiara
* list
* Zucchetto

Transportation|

* Popemobile
* Sedia gestatoria
* Shepherd One

Household|

* Camerlengo
* Commander of the Swiss Guard
* Chaplain
* Palatinus
* papal majordomo
* Gentlemen
* Preacher
* Prefect
* Prelate of Honour
* Prince assistant
* Theologian

Staff|

* College of Cardinals
* cardinals
* list
* Roman Curia
* Apostolic Camera
* commissions
* for Vatican City State
* councils
* congregations
* dicasteries
* Synods
* Cappella Giulia
* Sistine Chapel Choir

Related|

* Antipope
* Western Schism
* Canonised popes
* Fat pope, thin pope
* Gammarelli
* Legends
* Orders, decorations, and medals
* Papabile
* Papal nobility
* "Black"
* Pontifical academy
* Pontifical colleges in Rome
* Major Seminary
* Pontifical university
* in Rome
* Popes by country
* Sexually active popes
* St. Peter's Square
* Swiss Guard

* Vatican City portal
* Catholic Church portal

* v
* t
* e

History of the Catholic Church

General|

* History of the Catholic Church
* By country or region
* Ecclesiastical history
* Timeline
* Papacy
* Papal primacy
* Catholic ecumenical councils
* First seven
* Catholic Bible
* Biblical canon
* Vulgate
* Crusading movement
* History of the Roman Curia
* Religious institutes
* Christian monasticism
* Catholic culture
* Art
* Role in civilization
* Vatican City
* Papal States
* Latin Church
* Eastern Catholic Churches

Early Church
(30–325/476)|

| Origins and
Apostolic Age (30–100)|

* Jesus
* Ministry
* Crucifixion
* Resurrection
* Great Commission
* Holy Spirit
* Mary
* John the Baptist
* Apostles in the New Testament
* Commissioning
* Peter
* John
* Paul
* Stephen
* Council of Jerusalem
* Split with Judaism
* New Testament
* Background
* Gospels
* Acts
* Pauline epistles
* General epistles
* Revelation

|

Ante-Nicene period (100–325)|

* Persecution
* Church Fathers
* Apostolic Fathers
* Pope Clement I
* Polycarp
* Ignatius
* Irenaeus
* Justin Martyr
* Canon
* Tertullian
* Origen

Late antiquity
(313–476)|

| Great Church
(180–451)
Roman
state church
(380–451)|

* Constantine the Great
* Christianity
* Arian controversy
* Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
* Old St. Peter's Basilica
* First Council of Nicaea
* Pope Sylvester I
* First Council of Constantinople
* Biblical canon
* Jerome
* Vulgate
* Council of Ephesus
* Council of Chalcedon

|

Early Middle Ages|

* Benedict of Nursia
* Monasticism
* Second Council of Constantinople
* Pope Gregory I
* Gregorian chant
* Third Council of Constantinople
* Saint Boniface
* Byzantine Iconoclasm
* Second Council of Nicaea
* Charlemagne
* Pope Leo III
* Fourth Council of Constantinople
* East–West Schism

High Middle Ages|

* Pope Urban II
* Investiture Controversy
* Clash against the empire
* Crusades
* Universities
* Scholasticism
* First Council of the Lateran
* Second Council of the Lateran
* Third Council of the Lateran
* Pope Innocent III
* Latin Empire
* Francis of Assisi
* Fourth Council of the Lateran
* Inquisition
* First Council of Lyon
* Second Council of Lyon
* Bernard of Clairvaux

Late Middle Ages|

* Thomas Aquinas
* Pope Boniface VIII
* Western Schism
* Avignon Papacy
* Pope Clement V
* Council of Vienne
* Knights Templar
* Catherine of Siena
* Pope Alexander VI
* Age of Discovery

Protestant Reformation
Counter-Reformation

* Protestant Reformation
* Catholic Counter-Reformation
* Exsurge Domine
* Dissolution of the monasteries
* Council of Trent
* Thomas More
* Pope Leo X
* Society of Jesus
* Ignatius of Loyola
* Francis Xavier
* Pope Pius V
* Tridentine Mass
* Teresa of Ávila
* John of the Cross
* Peter Canisius
* Philip Neri
* Robert Bellarmine
* European wars of religion
* Thirty Years' War

Baroque period to the
French Revolution

* Pope Innocent XI
* Pope Benedict XIV
* Suppression of the Society of Jesus
* Age of Enlightenment
* Anti-clericalism
* Pope Pius VI
* Shimabara Rebellion
* Edict of Nantes
* Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution

19th century|

* Pope Pius VII
* Pope Pius IX
* United States
* Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
* Our Lady of La Salette
* Our Lady of Lourdes
* First Vatican Council
* Papal infallibility
* Pope Leo XIII
* Mary of the Divine Heart
* Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
* Rerum novarum

20th century|

* Pope Pius X
* Our Lady of Fátima
* Persecutions of the Catholic Church and Pius XII
* Pope Pius XII
* Pope Pius XII 1942 consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
* Dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
* Lateran Treaty
* Nazi Germany
* Mit brennender Sorge
* Pope John XXIII
* Pacem in terris
* Second Vatican Council
* Ecumenism
* Judaism
* Pope Paul VI (coronation)
* Pope John Paul I
* Mother Teresa
* USSR
* Pope John Paul II
* HIV/AIDS
* World Youth Day
* 1995

21st century|

* Sexual abuse scandal
* Islam
* World Youth Day
* 2000
* 2002
* 2005
* 2008
* 2011
* 2013
* 2016
* 2019
* 2023
* Pope Benedict XVI
* Pope Francis
* Laudato si'
* Patriarch Kirill
* COVID-19 pandemic
* Pope Leo XIV

* Vatican City portal
* Catholicism portal

Geographic locale

* v
* t
* e

Countries and dependencies of Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia2
* Austria
* Azerbaijan1
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus2
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia1
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland3
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kazakhstan1
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia1
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey1
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City4

States with limited
recognition

* Abkhazia2
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus2
* South Ossetia2
* Transnistria

Dependent
territories

| Denmark|

* Faroe Islands3
* autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark

|

United Kingdom|

* Akrotiri and Dhekelia2 (Sovereign Base Areas)
* Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory)

Crown Dependencies|

* Bailiwick of Guernsey
* Alderney
* Guernsey
* Sark
* Bailiwick of Jersey
* Isle of Man

Special areas
of internal
sovereignty

| Finland|

* Åland (autonomous region subject to the Åland convention of 1921)

|

Norway|

* Svalbard (unincorporated area subject to the Svalbard Treaty)

United Kingdom|

* England
* Scotland
* Wales
* Northern Ireland (country of the United Kingdom subject to the British-Irish Agreement)

* 1 Spans the conventional boundary between Europe and another continent.
* 2 Considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons but is geographically in Western Asia.
* 3 Oceanic islands within the vicinity of Europe are usually grouped with the continent even though they are not situated on its continental shelf.
* 4 Governed by the Holy See which has sovereignty over Vatican City.

* Category
* Europe portal

* v
* t
* e

Capitals of Europe

Capitals of dependent territories and states whose sovereignty is disputed shown in italics.

Sovereign states|

* Amsterdam, Netherlands1
* Andorra la Vella, Andorra
* Ankara, Turkey2
* Astana, Kazakhstan2
* Athens, Greece
* Baku, Azerbaijan2
* Belgrade, Serbia
* Berlin, Germany
* Bern, Switzerland
* Bratislava, Slovakia
* Brussels, Belgium3
* Bucharest, Romania
* Budapest, Hungary
* Chișinău, Moldova
* Copenhagen, Denmark
* Dublin, Ireland
* Helsinki, Finland
* Kyiv, Ukraine
* Lisbon, Portugal
* Ljubljana, Slovenia
* London, United Kingdom
* Luxembourg, Luxembourg
* Madrid, Spain
* Minsk, Belarus
* Monaco5
* Moscow, Russia
* Nicosia, Cyprus2
* Oslo, Norway
* Paris, France
* Podgorica, Montenegro
* Prague, Czech Republic
* Reykjavík, Iceland
* Riga, Latvia
* Rome, Italy
* San Marino, San Marino
* Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Skopje, North Macedonia
* Sofia, Bulgaria
* Stockholm, Sweden
* Tallinn, Estonia
* Tbilisi, Georgia2
* Tirana, Albania
* Vaduz, Liechtenstein
* Valletta, Malta
* Vatican City4
* Vienna, Austria
* Vilnius, Lithuania
* Warsaw, Poland
* Yerevan, Armenia2
* Zagreb, Croatia

States with
limited recognition|

* North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus2
* Pristina, Kosovo
* Sokhumi, Abkhazia2
* Tiraspol, Transnistria
* Tskhinvali, South Ossetia2

Dependencies|

| United Kingdom|

| Constituent countries|

* London, England
* Edinburgh, Scotland
* Cardiff, Wales
* Belfast, Northern Ireland

|

Crown Dependencies and
Overseas Territories|

* Douglas, Isle of Man
* Episkopi Cantonment, Akrotiri and Dhekelia
* Gibraltar, Gibraltar
* St Helier, Jersey
* Saint Peter Port, Guernsey

Other|

* Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Norway)
* Tórshavn, Faroe Islands (Denmark)

Federal states|

| Austria|

* Bregenz, Vorarlberg
* Eisenstadt, Burgenland
* Graz, Styria
* Innsbruck, Tyrol
* Klagenfurt, Carinthia
* Linz, Upper Austria
* Salzburg, Salzburg
* Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria
* Vienna, Vienna

|

Belgium|

| Communities|

* Brussels, Flemish Community and French Community
* Eupen, German-speaking Community

|

Regions|

* Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region and Flanders
* Namur, Wallonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina|

* Banja Luka (de facto), Republika Srpska
* Brčko, Brčko District
* Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Germany|

* Berlin, Berlin
* Bremen, Bremen
* Dresden, Saxony
* Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia
* Erfurt, Thuringia
* Hamburg, Hamburg
* Hanover, Lower Saxony
* Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
* Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt
* Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate
* Munich, Bavaria
* Potsdam, Brandenburg
* Saarbrücken, Saarland
* Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
* Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg
* Wiesbaden, Hesse

Russia|

| Republics|

* Cheboksary, Chuvashia
* Cherkessk, Karachay-Cherkessia
* Elista, Kalmykia
* Grozny, Chechnya
* Izhevsk, Udmurtia
* Kazan, Tatarstan
* Magas, Ingushetia
* Makhachkala, Dagestan
* Maykop, Adygea
* Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria
* Petrozavodsk, Karelia
* Saransk, Mordovia
* Simferopol, Crimea (disputed)
* Syktyvkar, Komi
* Ufa, Bashkortostan
* Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia–Alania
* Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El

|

Autonomous okrugs|

* Naryan-Mar, Nenets

Krais|

* Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai
* Perm, Perm Krai
* Stavropol, Stavropol Krai

Oblasts|

* Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast
* Astrakhan, Astrakhan Oblast
* Belgorod, Belgorod Oblast
* Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast
* Ivanovo, Ivanovo Oblast
* Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast
* Kaluga, Kaluga Oblast
* Kirov, Kirov Oblast
* Kostroma, Kostroma Oblast
* Krasnogorsk and Moscow, Moscow Oblast (de facto)
* Kursk, Kursk Oblast
* Lipetsk, Lipetsk Oblast
* Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast
* Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
* Orenburg, Orenburg Oblast
* Oryol, Oryol Oblast
* Penza, Penza Oblast
* Pskov, Pskov Oblast
* Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast
* Ryazan, Ryazan Oblast
* Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast
* Samara, Samara Oblast
* Saratov, Saratov Oblast
* Smolensk, Smolensk Oblast
* Tambov, Tambov Oblast
* Tula, Tula Oblast
* Tver, Tver Oblast
* Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Oblast
* Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast
* Vladimir, Vladimir Oblast
* Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast
* Vologda, Vologda Oblast
* Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast
* Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Oblast

Federal cities|

* Moscow
* Saint Petersburg
* Sevastopol (disputed)

Switzerland|

* Aarau, Aargau
* Altdorf, Uri
* Appenzell, Appenzell Innerrhoden
* Basel, Basel-Stadt
* Bellinzona, Ticino
* Chur, Grisons
* Delémont, Jura
* Frauenfeld, Thurgau
* Fribourg, Canton of Fribourg
* Geneva, Canton of Geneva
* Herisau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden
* Lausanne, Vaud
* Liestal, Basel-Landschaft
* Lucerne, Canton of Lucerne
* Neuchâtel, Canton of Neuchâtel
* Sarnen, Obwalden
* Schaffhausen, Canton of Schaffhausen
* Schwyz, Canton of Schwyz
* Sion, Valais
* Solothurn, Canton of Solothurn
* Stans, Nidwalden
* St. Gallen, Canton of St. Gallen
* Glarus, Canton of Glarus
* Zug, Canton of Zug
* Zurich, Canton of Zürich

Autonomous
entities|

| Italy|

| Autonomous regions|

* Cagliari, Sardinia
* Palermo, Sicily
* Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
* Aosta, Aosta Valley
* Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia

|

Portugal|

| Autonomous regions|

* Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo, & Horta, Azores
* Funchal, Madeira

|

Spain|

* Barcelona, Catalonia
* Las Palmas & Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
* Logroño, La Rioja
* Madrid, Community of Madrid
* Mérida, Extremadura
* Murcia, Region of Murcia
* Oviedo, Asturias
* Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands
* Pamplona, Navarre
* Santander, Cantabria
* Santiago de Compostela, Galicia
* Seville, Andalusia
* Toledo, Castilla–La Mancha (de facto)
* Valencia, Valencian Community
* Valladolid, Castile and León (de facto)
* Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country (de facto)
* Zaragoza, Aragon

Other|

* Ajaccio, Corsica Collectivité (France)
* Batumi, Adjara (Georgia)
* Comrat, Gagauzia (Moldova)
* Karyes, Mount Athos (Greece)
* Mariehamn, Åland Islands (Finland)
* Nakhchivan, Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan)
* Novi Sad, Vojvodina (Serbia)
* Simferopol, Crimea (Ukraine)

* 1 Also the capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
* 2 Continental placement may vary depending on geographic convention being followed
* 3 Also the seat of the European Union, see Institutional seats of the European Union and Brussels and the European Union
* 4 A city-state

Portals:

* Vatican City
* Italy
* Cities

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* 2
* BnF data
* 2
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Norway
* Sweden
* Vatican
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Artists|

* KulturNav

People|

* UK Parliament

Other|

* IdRef
* NARA
* Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine
* İslâm Ansiklopedisi
* Yale LUX

41°54′09″N 12°27′09″E﻿ / ﻿41.90250°N 12.45250°E﻿ / 41.90250; 12.45250
*[c.]: circa
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