The Vatican City

It is an independent state under the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic Church. It is an enclave within Rome, expanding 44 hectares. The Vatican City, the smallest independent country in the world, was founded on 1929, fulfilling the terms of the Pacts of Letrán, ratified by the Italian government of Benito Mussolini and the Papado, after several years of controversy. In 1984 this treaty was replaced by a new concordat that, like its predecessor, recognized the absolute sovereignty of The Holy See within the State of the Vatican City.

The Vatican City is located in the Vatican hill, in the northwest of Rome, just to the west of the Tevere River. Medieval walls, Renaissance walls and six doors surround it. Most of the artists and famous architects of the Italian Renaissance worked on the constructions of the Vatican by order of the different Pontiffs. The most important of these constructions it is the basilica of San Pedro. Constructed to a large extent between the XV and XVII centuries, and designed by artists like Howling Donato, Miguel Angel Buonarroti and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, it is the worldwide center of the Catholicism. In front of the basilica is the Piazza San Pietro. Another important building is the Vatican palace; it is a complex of constructions that includes more than 1,000 bedrooms and contains the Pontiff’s quarters, the government offices for the Catholic Church, several chapels, museums and a library. The most famous areas of the palace are the Sistine Chapel, with their wonderful fresh airs in the ceiling painted by Michael Angelo (restored between 1980 and 1990), and the rooms of Rafael, Pontiff’s quarters with fresh paintings by the Italian artist. The Vatican’s museums are very important; among them they emphasize the Museum Gregoriano of Egyptian Art, the Museum Gregoriano of Etruscan Art, the Museum Pío Clementino, with a fantastic collection of antiques, the Chiaramonti Museum and the Pinacoteca of the Vatican, with representative works of the Italian teachers. The Vatican’s Library contains an inestimable collection of old manuscripts and more than a million bound volumes. The Government’s palace and the Vatican’s gardens are also located within the Vatican’s walls.

 Government and Economy

The Pope, who has the absolute executive, legislative and judicial powers, governs the Vatican City. The executive power is delegated to a governor, who reports directly to the Pope. The Sacred Cardenalicio School and several sacred congregations advise and attend the Pope in the exercise of their legislative power. The ecclesiastical exerts the judicial power and appeals to their decisions go to the Court of the Defeat and the Supreme Court of apostolic Signature. The Secretariat of State represents The Holy See in diplomatic relations with foreign powers. The Swiss Guard takes care of internal security and the protection of the Pope; San Pedro’s square is under the authority of the Italian police. Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer palace in the outskirts of Rome, like other constructions located in the Italian capital but outside the Vatican, are equipped with the extraterritoriality right. The Vatican City has its own currency (the Vatican lira that is equivalent to the Italian lira) and its own postal system. It also counts with a railway station, a radio station, and administers it’s own telephone and telegraph services. The annual cost at the end of the 1980’s was of 121.9 million dollars. A daily newspaper and an official monthly newspaper, as well as books and leaflets in diverse languages are published. The Italian is the language of the State, although in official acts Latin is used. The Vatican’s population according to it’s own 1989 estimate is 755 inhabitants.