Spotlight: Rome - The Vatican (Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica)

Spotlight: Vatican City is a walled city-state in Rome, Italy. The independent city-state was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy. According to the terms of the treaty, the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" over the city-state. The sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Pope - the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. With only 110 acres, and a population of under 900 people, it is officially the smallest country in the world.
     Despite its small size, Vatican City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. In fact, its unique economy is supported by the sale of stamps, souvenirs and entrance fees to its museums. Some of its more famous venues include the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums, which contain many of the most famous paintings, murals, and statues in the world.
     The name Vatican comes from the Etruscan word for garden. Agrippina the Elder drained the area and planted her gardens there in the early first century AD. Her son, Emperor Caligula, built a circus in her gardens, referred to as the Circus of Nero, to provide entertainment. When Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Old St. Peter's Basilica was built on the site of former circus. During the Renaissance, the New St. Peter's Basilica was built (1506-1626) on the foundations of the former one, becoming the center piece for the future Papal state.

A fountain in a Vatican courtyard

Location: Despite being a separate country, Vatican City is located completely inside the city of Rome. The public access is through St. Peter's Square, located at the western end of Via della Conciliazione.

Cost: Tour tickets range anywhere form $20-$200, depending on the type of tour you want.

Time: The Vatican Museums are open from 9 am - 6 pm. Plan on spending between 2-6 hours here, depending on your interest in history, religion and art.

Description: The entrance to Vatican City is through St. Peter's Square, located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica. At the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk erected in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the Square between 1656-1667, surrounding the square with Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of the Mother Church." The purpose of the Square was to accommodate as many people as possible who wanted to see the Pope give his blessing.

My group from EF Tours

      The Papal Basilica of St. Peter was designed by the famous artists Donato Bromante, Michelangelo and Bernini. It is one of the largest churches in the world, and perhaps the most famous. According to tradition, it is the burial site of St. Peter, considered by Catholics to be the first Pope. It has also become the burial place of many Popes over the centuries. As a result, it is one of the most popular Pilgrimage destinations in the world. The basilica was built in the shape of a cross, with a massive dome dominating the central space which is surrounded by numerous chapels, altars, statues, etc. The most famous statue is Michelangelo's  Pietà  which displays the tender scene of Mary holding the body of her crucified son in her arms. Two curving marble staircases lead down to the underground Chapel of the Confession. Tradition states that this was the site of Peter's confession of faith, which led to his martyrdom.

Pieta

     The Sistine Chapel is a separate chapel located in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope. The chapel's ceiling is covered in murals painted by Michelangelo over a period of 4 years (1508-1512), and is considered to be one of the greatest works of art in the world. Between 1535-1541, Michelangelo painted the wall behind the altar of the Chapel with his famous mural The Last Judgement. The nude figures in this mural led to the famous "Fig Leaf Campaign" in which many of the paintings and statues within the Vatican were censored by adding fig leaves over private parts. The side walls contain numerous frescoes, depicting the Life of Moses on one side and the Life of Christ on the other, painted by various artists in the late 1400's. Centuries of smoke and air pollution created a thick layer of grime over the revered paintings in the chapel. In 1984, a massive restoration project was implemented to remove the grime. It lasted ten years, and the results were incredible, revealing stunningly vibrant colors underneath. Although it was built primarily as the Pope's personal chapel, today the chapel is the site of the Papal conclave, held whenever a Pope dies in order to choose a new Pope.

Picture of the Sistine Chapel ceiling

     The Vatican Museums display the immense art collections gathered by Popes over the centuries. The 11 museums contain approximately 70,000 works of art, 20,000 of which are on display, including statues, busts, masks, paintings, frescoes, sculptures, sarcophagus, maps, a throne, fountains and even bathtubs.

Hercules in the Sala della Rotonda

Zeus

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - There is no way to see everything. Your best option is to take a tour that will show you the highlights, particularly those that interest you.
- Rather than wait in an extremely long line to purchase tickets, you should purchase them online.
- The last Sunday of the month, the Vatican Museum is open to the public for free. Of course you will have to wait in line for many hours before it opens if you want to get in since it is only open from 9 am - 12:30 pm on that day.
- One of the Vatican gift shops offers the option of having the Pope bless your purchase.
- One of the entrances, the Holy Door, is only opened during jubilees. We happened to be there during a Jubilee year - a special year of Mercy.
- You can't take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel.

Nearby: Castel Sant'Angelo, Corte Supremo di Cassazione, Piazza Navona, Villa Doria Pamphilj