VATICAN CITY

Introduction
The Vatican is the heart of the Catholic Church and the home of pope Benedictus XVI. For centuries the pope did not only rule over his Catholic followers, but over large parts of Italy, until he was driven away in 1870 by the troops of Garibaldi in the process of the unification of Italy. In 1929 the relations between Italy and the pope were normalised and institutionalised by the Lateran Treaty. The position of the new State of Vatican City was symbolised by the construction of a new road, the Via della Conciliazione, which leads from the Castel Sant'Angelo to Saint Peter's Basilica. Though the smallest of the world, a separate state it is: it has its own post-office, newspaper, radiostation and of course its own army, the Swiss Guard. The few square kilometers of the Vatican house some of Rome's most visited and impressive monuments, the Saint Peter's square and Basilica and the magnificent Vatican Museums.

Saint Peter's Basilica
The Basilica of Saint Peter is the center of the Roman Catholic religion. Therefore, it attracts pilgrims from all around the world. Already in the second century, a holy shrine was built on the tomb of the the apostle Petrus. In 349, the emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a church on the same spot. When this church almost collapsed in the 15th century, the decision was made to build a new church. Pope Julius II laid the first stone of Saint Peter's Basilica in 1506. Nearly all famous Roman architects of that time were involved in the project, which was finished in 1626. For more on the history, interior and importance of the Basilica of Saint Peter, click here.

Saint Peter's Square
Directly in front of the Basilica is the magnificent Saint Peter's Square, designed by the famous Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, in the period 1656 until 1667. The piazza is embraced by four rows of classical Doric colonnades, which enclose the visitor with the 'maternal arms of Mother Church', as Bernini put it. In the center of the square is an obelisk of more than 25 meters tall, which was taken from Egypt by Emperor Caligula in 37 a.D. While initially it was a lot more hidden, the square can now be reached over the Via della Conciliazione, the main access road to the Vatican constructed by Mussolini from 1936 onwards.