VATICAN CITY

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Many of the most famous artists and architects of the Italian Renaissance were commissioned by popes to work on the Vatican’s buildings. The most important edifice is Saint Peter’s Basilica, a cavernous structure topped by a large ribbed dome. Built largely between the 15th and 17th centuries, and designed by artists such as Bramante, Michelangelo and Gianlorenzo Bernini, it is the world center of Roman Catholic worship. The basilica can hold up to 60,000 worshippers. In front of the basilica is Saint Peter’s Square. Considered a masterpiece of design, the immense keyhole shaped plaza is rimmed by two massive semicircular colonnades. At the center of the plaza is an obelisk from ancient Egypt brought to Rome in the 1st century ad by Roman emperor Caligula. Adjacent to the basilica and square is the Palace of the Vatican, also known as the Papal Palace. It is a complex of buildings that contains more than 1,000 rooms and houses the papal apartments, the government offices of the Roman Catholic Church, several chapels and museums, and the Vatican Library. The most famous portion of the palace is the Sistine Chapel, best known for the awe-inspiring frescoes painted by Michelangelo on its barrel-vaulted ceiling. The chapel’s walls were painted by famous Renaissance artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Pinturicchio, Luca Signorelli, and Domenico Ghirlandaio. Raphael’s Rooms, a part of the palace that holds papal apartments, are adorned with frescoes painted by the great Raphael. The Vatican’s outstanding museums include the Gregorian Museum of Egyptian Art; the Gregorian Museum of Etruscan Art; the Pio Clementino Museum, with a superlative collection of antiquities; the Chiaramonti Museum; and the Vatican Pinacoteca, an art gallery with representative works by Italian masters. The Vatican Library has a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts and more than 1 million bound volumes. Also within the Vatican’s walls are the Government Palace and the Vatican Gardens.
ECONOMY: Revenues from a variety of sources support Vatican City. They include contributions from Roman Catholics around the world, interest on investments, and profits from its merchant bank, L’Istituto per le Opere di Religione. In addition, the Vatican sells stamps, tourist mementos, and collects fees for admission to its museums. The Vatican’s publishing operations are extensive. Books and pamphlets, published in multiple languages, are sold all over the world. Vatican City uses the euro, the currency of the European Union, although it is not an EU member. It maintains its own postal system, has a railroad station, and manages its own telephone and telegraph services. The Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, is influential far beyond the walls of the city.