Among the micro-states on the world map, the Vatican is of great interest. What do we know about this famous dwarf country?
In this center of concentration of the whole Catholic is the residence of the Pope, and here they filmed the adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling book “Angels and Demons” with Tom Hanks in the title role. This information is usually limited to the knowledge of the average layman regarding the Vatican.
And most people will not be able to give the correct answer to questions about the political structure of this state, its history, flag and coat of arms. But this tiny country has a rich history and, despite its small area, has many attractions.
We present 10 interesting facts about the Vatican City.
10. The Vatican is the smallest sovereign state on the planet.
The area of the Vatican is only 44 hectares. However, the country issues its own postage stamps, issues passports and, accordingly, has its own flag and anthem.
9. Vatican - enclave state
From all sides the Vatican is surrounded by Italian territory. Geographic coordinates of the country: 42 ° north latitude and 12 ° east longitude.
The Vatican is located 20 km from the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the very center of the Apennine Peninsula. The Vatican Hill is located in the northwestern part of Rome on the right bank of the Tiber River.
The border of this country is marked by a defensive wall. You can enter the Vatican only through one of the six gates.
8. The legendary St. Peter's Basilica was built on the territory of the city of the dead
When in 64 AD The great fire destroyed most of Rome, the emperor Nero decided to blame the Christians, whose faith was banned at that time. He carried out mass executions, as a result of which a huge number of followers of the teachings of Christ were killed.
Among the victims of this terrible reprisal was the apostle Peter. Subsequently, he was allegedly buried in on the Vatican Hill. In the IV century, when Christianity in the Roman Empire had already acquired official status, Emperor Constantine decided to build an original basilica on the territory of mass graves, in the center of which was located the tomb of the Apostle Peter.
Now this Catholic Cathedral is the central and largest building of the Vatican, in addition, it is considered the largest historical Christian church in the world. Several generations of great masters of the Renaissance worked on the construction of the basilica. The capacity of St. Peter's Basilica is 60,000 people, and another 400 thousand people can fit in the Cathedral Square.
7. Caligula conquered the obelisk in St. Peter's Square
The obelisk was brought to Rome in 37 BC. e. from Egypt, at the direction of Guy Caesar Augustus Germanicus, who went down in history under the name Caligula. Being an ardent fan of chariot races, the emperor decorated his circus with a monumental stela.
6. In the Vatican lived and worked Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bernini
The Vatican Museum is one of the most recognizable in the whole world, thanks to the architecture of the halls with paintings by Raphael and frescoes by Michelangelo. These and other outstanding masters of the Renaissance left behind themselves many magnificent monuments of painting and architecture, which to this day delight every tourist who visited the Vatican.
The Vatican Museum consists of many different galleries (Pinacoteca Vatican, Pio Clementino Museum, Collection of Contemporary Religious Art, Chiaramonti Museum, Etruscan Gregorian Museum and Egyptian Gregorian Museum). A total of 54 galleries, including the Sistine Chapel. It stores about 70 thousand works of art, of which 20 thousand are on display.
5. The Vatican was not the residence of the pontiff until the XVI century
Even after the construction of St. Peter's Basilica was completed, the pontiffs lived mainly in the Lateran Palace. Not only that, they even had to leave the city in 1309, when the entire papal court moved to Avignon.
Here the popes, of course, were safer than in troubled Rome, in which then new conflicts broke out between aristocratic clans.
And only after the Lateran Palace burned down, did the Vatican become a full-fledged papal residence. However, at that time a large-scale and painstaking work was done to restore the Vatican, because by that time it was in terrible decline.
4. Security of the Vatican is provided by the Swiss Guard
This is the only type of armed forces of the Vatican today. The Swiss Guard is rightfully considered one of the most ancient armies in the world, which still functions today.
The Guard was founded back in 1506 by order of Pope Julius II, who was considered a lover of fine arts and one of the most warlike popes - during his pontificate he waged continuous wars. Understanding that he needed to have a loyal regular army, the pope decided to opt for Swiss soldiers, who were then considered one of the most combat-ready soldiers in Europe
To this day, the Swiss Guard includes about a hundred guards who are trained in the Swiss Armed Forces.
3. In the Vatican, the total literacy of the population
Absolutely all the inhabitants of this dwarf state are educated. There are not many countries on the world map that can boast the same literacy rate.
2. On the map of the country plotted 78 objects
All objects located in the state are very detailed on this map. Interestingly, it has a “Sports Street”, which in fact is nothing more than a small path leading to the only sports facility in the Vatican - a tennis court.
1. Most Vatican citizens reside abroad
More than 450 have the citizenship of this state. Most of the citizens of the Vatican do not live in the territory of the state, but in other countries, mostly they are there on service. Acquisition or renunciation of Vatican citizenship and other procedures regarding access to this territory or residence are carried out by special Lateran agreements.