Vatican City,^[g] officially theVatican City State (Italian:Stato della Città del Vaticano;^[h]Latin:Status Civitatis Vaticanae),^[i][j] is alandlockedcountry,^[18][19]city-state,microstate, andenclave surrounded by, and historically a part of,Rome, Italy.^[20][21] It became independent from Italy in 1929 with theLateran Treaty, and is a distinctterritory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of theHoly See, which is itself asovereign entity under international law, maintaining thecity-state's temporal power, governance, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. The Vatican is also ametonym for thepope, the Holy See, and theRoman Curia.^[k][22]

Vatican City State Stato della Città del Vaticano (Italian) Status Civitatis Vaticanae (Latin)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Inno e Marcia Pontificale (Italian) "Anthem and Pontifical March"
National Seal Sigillo dello Stato della Città del Vaticano (Italian) Sigillum Status Civitatis Vaticanae (Latin) National Seal of Vatican City
Location in Italy
Capital	Vatican City (city-state) 41°54.2′N12°27.2′E / 41.9033°N 12.4533°E /41.9033; 12.4533
Official languages	Italian[1][2]
National language	Latin (de jure) Italian (de facto)[a]
Religion	Catholicism (state religion)
Demonym(s)	None (de jure)[4] Vatican (de facto)
Government	Unitarytheocratic Catholicelective absolute monarchy[5][6][7][8]
• Sovereign entity	Holy See
• Pope	Francis
• President of the Governorate	Raffaella Petrini
• Secretary of State	Pietro Parolin
Legislature	Pontifical Commission[b]
Independence  from theKingdom of the Franks andItaly
• Donation of Pepin	756 (1269 years ago)
• Lateran Treaty	11 February 1929[c] (96 years ago)
Area
• Total	0.49[d] km2 (0.19 sq mi) (195th)
Population
• 2024 estimate	882[15] (237th)
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,662.0/sq mi) (7th)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	€14,859,970
• Per capita	€19,450.22
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	+379[e]
ISO 3166 code	VA
Internet TLD	.va

Vatican City

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Vatican City
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, iv, vi
Reference	286
Inscription	1984 (8thSession)

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres)^[d] and a population of about 882^[15] (as of 2024), it is thesmallest sovereign state in the world both by area andby population.^[23] It is also among theleast populated capitals in the world. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is anecclesiastical orsacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Pope, who is thebishop of Rome and head of theCatholic Church.^[6][24] The highest state functionaries are allCatholic clergy of various origins. After theAvignon Papacy (1309–1377) the popes have mainly resided at theApostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in theQuirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the principalepiscopal see of the Catholic Church, which has approximately 1.329 billion baptisedCatholics in the world as of 2018^[update] in theLatin Church and 23Eastern Catholic Churches.^[25] The independent state of Vatican City, on the other hand, came into existence on 11 February 1929 by theLateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation,^[26] not as a vestige of the much largerPapal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much ofCentral Italy.

Vatican City contains religious and cultural sites such asSt. Peter's Basilica, theSistine Chapel, theVatican Apostolic Library, and theVatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The uniqueeconomy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from Catholic believers, by the sale ofpostage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications. Vatican City has no taxes, and items are duty-free.

The nameVatican City was first used in theLateran Treaty, signed on 11 February 1929, which established the modern city-state named afterVatican Hill, the geographic location of the state within the city ofRome. "Vatican" itself is derived from the name of anEtruscan settlement,Vatica orVaticum, located in the general area the Romans calledAger Vaticanus, "Vatican territory".^[27]

TheItalian name of the city isCittà del Vaticano or, more formally,Stato della Città del Vaticano, meaning 'Vatican City State'. ItsLatin name isStatus Civitatis Vaticanae;^[28][29] this is used in official documents by theHoly See, the Church and thepope.

The name "Vatican" was already in use in the time of theRoman Republic for theAger Vaticanus, a marshy area on the west bank of theTiber across from the city of Rome, located between theJaniculum, theVatican Hill andMonte Mario, down to theAventine Hill and up to the confluence of theCremera creek.^[30] The toponymAger Vaticanus is attested until the 1st century AD: afterwards, another toponym appeared,Vaticanus, denoting an area much more restricted: the Vatican Hill, today'sSt. Peter's Square, and possibly today'sVia della Conciliazione.^[30] Because of its vicinity to Rome's archenemy, theEtruscan city ofVeii (another naming for theAger Vaticanus wasRipa Veientana orRipa Etrusca), and for being subjected to the floods of theTiber, the Romans considered this originally uninhabited part of Rome dismal and ominous.^[31]

The particularly low quality of Vatican wine, even after the reclamation of the area, was commented on by the poetMartial (AD 40 –c. AD 102).[32]Tacitus wrote that in AD 69, theYear of the Four Emperors, when the northern army that broughtVitellius to power arrived in Rome, "a large proportion camped in the unhealthy districts of the Vatican, which resulted in many deaths among the common soldiery; and the Tiber being close by, the inability of theGauls and Germans to bear the heat and the consequent greed with which they drank from the stream weakened their bodies, which were already an easy prey to disease".^[33]

During theRoman Empire, many villas were constructed there, afterAgrippina the Elder (14 BC – 18 October AD 33) drained the area and laid out her gardens in the early 1st century AD. In AD 40, her son, EmperorCaligula (31 August AD 12 – 24 January AD 41; r. 37–41) built in her gardens a circus for charioteers (AD 40) that was later completed byNero, theCircus Gaii et Neronis,^[35] usually called, simply, theCircus of Nero.^[36]

TheVatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square is the last visible remnant from theCircus of Nero. It was brought fromHeliopolis inEgypt by EmperorCaligula. The obelisk originally stood at the centre of thespina (median) of theRoman circus.^[37] The circus became the site of martyrdom for many Christians after theGreat Fire of Rome in AD 64. Tradition states that it was in this circus thatSaint Peter wascrucified upside-down.^[38] In 1586, the obelisk was relocated to its current position byPope Sixtus V using a method devised by Italian architectDomenico Fontana.^[39]

Opposite the circus was a cemetery separated by theVia Cornelia. Funeral monuments and mausoleums, and small tombs, as well as altars to pagan gods of all kinds of polytheistic religions, were constructed lasting until before the construction of theConstantinian Basilica of St. Peter in the first half of the 4th century. A shrine dedicated to thePhrygian goddessCybele and her consortAttis remained active long after the ancient Basilica of St. Peter was built nearby.^[40]Remains of this ancientnecropolis were brought to light sporadically during renovations by various popes throughout the centuries, increasing in frequency during theRenaissance until it was systematically excavated by orders ofPope Pius XII from 1939 to 1941. The Constantinian basilica was built in 326 over what was believed to be thetomb of Saint Peter, buried in that cemetery.^[41]

From then on, the land mass became more populated in connection with activity at the basilica. A palace was constructed nearby as early as the 5th century during the pontificate ofPope Symmachus (reigned498–514).^[42]

Popes gradually came to have a secular role as governors of regions near Rome. They ruled thePapal States, which covered a large portion of theItalian peninsula, for more than a thousand years until the mid-19th century, when all the territory belonging to the papacy was seized by thenewly createdKingdom of Italy.

For most of this time, the popes did not live at the Vatican. TheLateran Palace, on the opposite side of Rome, was their habitual residence for about a thousand years. From 1309 to 1377, they lived atAvignon in France. On their return to Rome, they chose to live at the Vatican. They moved to theQuirinal Palace in 1583, after work on it was completed underPope Paul V (1605–1621), but on thecapture of Rome in 1870 retired to the Vatican, and what had been their residence became that of theKing of Italy.

In1870, the pope's holdings were left in an uncertain situation whenRome itself was annexed by Italian forces, thus bringing to completion theItalian unification, after a nominal resistance by the papal forces. Between 1861 and 1929 the status of the Pope was referred to as the "Roman Question".

Italy made no attempt to interfere with the Holy See within the Vatican walls. However, it confiscated church property in many places. In 1871, the Quirinal Palace was confiscated by the king of Italy and became the royal palace. Thereafter, the popes resided undisturbed within the Vatican walls, and certain papalprerogatives were recognised by theLaw of Guarantees, including the right to send and receive ambassadors. But the popes did not recognise the Italian king's right to rule in Rome, and they refused to leave the Vatican compound until the dispute was resolved in 1929;Pope Pius IX (1846–1878), the last ruler of the Papal States, was referred to as a "prisoner in the Vatican". Forced to give up secular power, the popes focused on spiritual issues.^[43]

This situation was resolved on 11 February 1929, when theLateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy was signed byPrime Minister and Head of GovernmentBenito Mussolini on behalf of KingVictor Emmanuel III and byCardinal Secretary of StatePietro Gasparri forPope Pius XI.^[26][22][44] The treaty, which was ratified^[45] and took effect on 7 June 1929,^[46] established the independent state of Vatican City and reaffirmed the special status of Catholic Christianity in Italy.^[44]

The Holy See, which governed the Vatican City, pursued a policy of neutrality duringWorld War II under the leadership ofPope Pius XII. AlthoughGerman troops occupied Rome after the September 1943Armistice of Cassibile, withAllied forces pushing them out in 1944, both sides respected the Vatican City's status asneutral territory.^[47] One of the main diplomatic priorities of Pius XII was to prevent the bombing of the city; a high level of sensitivity led him to protest even the dropping of pamphlets over Rome by theRoyal Air Force, claiming that the few which landed within the Vatican City violated its neutrality.^[48] The British government's policy towards the Vatican, as expressed in the minutes of a Cabinet meeting, was "that we should on no account molest the Vatican City, but that our action as regards the rest of Rome would depend upon how far the Italian government observed the rules of war".^[48]

After the United States entered into the war, US officials were against bombing the Vatican City, fearful of offending Catholic members of theAmerican military, but said that "they could not stop the British from bombing Rome if the British so decided". The US military even exempted Catholic servicemembers from air raids on Rome and other areas with a significant Catholic presence, unless they voluntarily agreed to participate. Notably, with the exception of Rome, and presumably the possibility of the Vatican, no Catholic US servicemember refused a mission within German-held Italy. On the other hand, the British insisted "they would bomb Rome whenever the needs of the war demanded".^[49]

In December 1942, the British envoy to the Holy See suggested that Rome be declared anopen city, a suggestion that the Holy See took more seriously than was probably meant by the envoy, who did not want Rome to be an open city, but Mussolini rejected the suggestion when the Holy See put it to him. In connection with theAllied invasion of Sicily, 500United States Army Air Forces aircraftbombed Rome on 19 July 1943, targeting the city's railway hub in particular. Approximately 1,500 people were killed, and Pius XII, who had been described in the previous month as "worried sick" about the possibility of Rome being bombed, toured the affected areas. Another Allied bombing raid took place on 13 August 1943, after Mussolini had beenousted from power.^[50] On the following day, the new Italian government declared Rome an open city, after consulting the Holy See on the wording of the declaration.^[51]

Pius XII had refrained from creatingcardinals during the war. By the end of World War II, there were several prominent vacancies:Cardinal Secretary of State,Camerlengo,Chancellor, and Prefect for theCongregation for the Religious among them.^[52] Pius XIIcreated 32 cardinals in early 1946, having announced his intention to do so in his preceding Christmas message.

ThePontifical Military Corps, except for theSwiss Guard, was disbanded by the will ofPaul VI, as expressed in a letter of 14 September 1970.^[53] TheGendarmerie Corps was transformed into a civilianpolice and security force.

In 1984, a newconcordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain provisions of the earlier treaty, including the position of Catholic Christianity as the Italian state religion, a position given to it by a statute of theKingdom of Sardinia of 1848.^[44]

Construction in 1995 of a new guest house,Domus Sanctae Marthae, adjacent toSt Peter's Basilica was criticized by Italian environmental groups, backed by Italian politicians. They claimed the new building would block views of the Basilica from nearby Italian apartments.^[54] For a short while the plans strained the relations between the Vatican and the Italian government. The head of the Vatican's Department of Technical Services robustly rejected challenges to the Vatican State's right to build within its borders.^[54]

John R. Morss writes in theEuropean Journal of International Law that due to the terms of the Lateran Treaty, Vatican City's status as a sovereign state, and thePope's status as a head of state, are problematic.^{[clarification needed][55]}

The name "Vatican" was already in use in the time of theRoman Republic for theAger Vaticanus, a marshy area on the west bank of theTiber across from the city of Rome, located between theJaniculum, theVatican Hill andMonte Mario, down to theAventine Hill and up to the confluence of theCremera creek.^[30] The territory of Vatican City is part of the Vatican Hill, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields. It is in this territory thatSt. Peter's Basilica, theApostolic Palace, theSistine Chapel, and museums were built, along with various other buildings. The area was part of the Romanrione ofBorgo until 1929. Being separated from the city, on the west bank of the river Tiber, the area was an outcrop of the city that was protected by being included within the walls ofLeo IV (847–855), and later expanded by the current fortification walls, built underPaul III (1534–1549),Pius IV (1559–1565), andUrban VIII (1623–1644).^[56]

When theLateran Treaty of 1929 that gave the state its form was being prepared, the boundaries of the proposed territory were influenced by the fact that much of it was all but enclosed by this loop. For some tracts of the frontier, there was no wall, but the line of certain buildings supplied part of the boundary, and for a small part of the frontier a modern wall was constructed.^[57]

The territory includesSt. Peter's Square, distinguished from the territory ofItaly only by a white line along the limit of the square, where it touches Piazza Pio XII. St. Peter's Square is reached through theVia della Conciliazione which runs from close to the Tiber to St. Peter's. This grand approach was constructed byBenito Mussolini after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaty.

According to the Lateran Treaty, certainproperties of the Holy See that are located in Italian territory, most notably thePapal Palace of Castel Gandolfo and themajor basilicas, enjoy extraterritorial status similar to that of foreignembassies.^[44][58] These properties, scattered all over Rome and Italy, house essential offices and institutions necessary to the character and mission of the Holy See.^[58]

Castel Gandolfo and the named basilicas are patrolled internally bypolice agents of Vatican City State and not byItalian police. According to the Lateran Treaty (Art. 3) St. Peter's Square, up to but not including the steps leading to the basilica, is normally patrolled by the Italian police.^[44]

There are no passport controls for visitors entering Vatican City from the surrounding Italian territory. There is free public access to Saint Peter's Square and Basilica and, on the occasion of papal general audiences, to the hall in which they are held. For these audiences and for major ceremonies in Saint Peter's Basilica and Square, tickets free of charge must be obtained beforehand.The Vatican Museums, incorporating the Sistine Chapel, usually charge an entrance fee. There is no general public access to the gardens, but guided tours for small groups can be arranged to the gardens and excavations under thebasilica. Other places are open to only those individuals who have business to transact there.^[59]

Vatican City's climate is the same as Rome's: atemperate,Mediterranean climateCsa with mild, rainy winters from October to mid-May and hot, dry summers from May to September. Some minor local features, principally mists and dews, are caused by the anomalous bulk of St Peter's Basilica, the elevation, the fountains, and the size of the large paved square. The highest temperature ever recorded was 40.8 °C (105.4 °F) on 28 June 2022.^[60]

In July 2007, the Vatican accepted a proposal by two firms based respectively inSan Francisco andBudapest,^[63] whereby it would become the firstcarbon neutral state by offsetting itscarbon dioxide emissions with the creation of aVatican Climate Forest in Hungary,^[64] as a purely symbolic gesture^[65] to encourageCatholics to do more to safeguard the planet.^[66] Nothing came of the project.^[67][68]

On 26 November 2008, the Vatican itself put into effect a plan announced in May 2007 to cover the roof of thePaul VI Audience Hall withsolar panels.^[69][70]

Within the territory of Vatican City are theVatican Gardens (Italian:Giardini Vaticani),^[71] which account for about half of this territory. The gardens, established during theRenaissance andBaroque era, are decorated with fountains and sculptures.

The gardens cover approximately 23 hectares (57 acres). The highest point is 60 metres (197 ft)above mean sea level. Stone walls bound the area in the north, south, and west.

The gardens date back to medieval times when orchards and vineyards extended to the north of the PapalApostolic Palace.^[72] In 1279,Pope Nicholas III (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, 1277–1280) moved his residence back to the Vatican from theLateran Palace and enclosed this area with walls.^[73] He planted an orchard (pomerium), a lawn (pratellum), and a garden (viridarium).^[73]

The politics of Vatican City takes place in the context of anabsoluteelective monarchy and being governed by theHoly See, in which the head of the Catholic Church holds power. The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over the State of Vatican City, which is a rare case of a non-hereditary monarchy.

The Vatican City State, created in 1929 by theLateran Pacts, provides the Holy See with a temporal jurisdiction and independence within a small territory. It is distinct from the Holy See. The state can thus be deemed a significant but not essential instrument of the Holy See. The Holy See itself has existed continuously as a juridical entity since Roman Imperial times and has been internationally recognised as a powerful and independent sovereign entity sinceLate Antiquity to the present, without interruption even at times when it was deprived of territory (e.g. 1870 to 1929).

Vatican City is one of the few widely recognised independent states that has not become a member of theUnited Nations.^[74] The Holy See, which is distinct from Vatican City State, haspermanent observer status, with all the rights of a full member except for a vote in theUN General Assembly.

The government of Vatican City has a unique structure. As governed by the Holy See, the Pope is the sovereign of the state, but he is supported by different bodies. While legislative authority is also managed, in the Pope's name, by thePontifical Commission for Vatican City State, a body of cardinals appointed by the Pope for five-year periods, executive power is exercised by thepresident of that commission (who is consequently also the President of the Governorate), assisted by the General Secretary and the Deputy General Secretary.^[75][76] The state's foreign relations are entrusted to the Holy See'sSecretariat of State and diplomatic service.

Nevertheless, the Pope has absolute power in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches over Vatican City,^[77]and is thus the onlyabsolute monarch in Europe.^[78]

Operationally, there are departments that deal with health, security, telecommunications and other matters.^[77]

TheCardinal Camerlengo presides over theApostolic Camera, to which is entrusted the administration of the property and protection of otherpapal temporal powers and rights of the Holy See during the period of the empty throne orsede vacante (papal vacancy).^[79] Those of the Vatican State remain under the control of thePontifical Commission for Vatican City State. Acting with three other cardinals chosen by lot every three days, one from each order of cardinals (cardinal bishop,cardinal priest, andcardinal deacon), he in a sense performs during that period the functions of head of state of Vatican City.^[80] All the decisions these four cardinals take must be approved by theCollege of Cardinals as a whole.

The nobility that was closely associated with the Holy See at the time of the Papal States continued to be associated with the Papal Court after the loss of these territories, generally with merely nominal duties (seePapal Master of the Horse,Prefecture of the Pontifical Household,Hereditary officers of the Roman Curia,Black Nobility). They also formed the ceremonialNoble Guard. In the first decades of the existence of the Vatican City State,executive functions were entrusted to some of them, including that of delegate for the State of Vatican City (now denominated president of the Commission for Vatican City). But with themotu proprioPontificalis Domus of 28 March 1968,^[81]Pope Paul VI abolished the honorary positions that had continued to exist until then, such asQuartermaster general andMaster of the Horse.

As Vatican City is governed by theHoly See, the Pope isex officiohead of state^[82] of Vatican City, a function dependent on his primordial function as bishop of thediocese of Rome and head of theCatholic Church.^[83] The term "Holy See" refers not to the Vatican state but to the Pope's spiritual and pastoral governance, largely exercised through theRoman Curia.^[84] His official title with regard to Vatican City isSovereign of the State of the Vatican City.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio inBuenos Aires, Argentina, waselected on 13 March 2013. His principal subordinate government official for Vatican City as well as the country'shead of government is thePresident of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, who since 1952 exercises the functions previously belonging to theGovernor of Vatican City. Since 2001, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also has the title of president of the Governorate of the State of Vatican City. The president is Spanish CardinalFernando Vérgez Alzaga, who was appointed on 1 October 2021.

Legislative functions are administered by thePope but also delegated to thePontifical Commission for Vatican City State, led by thePresident of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. Its members are cardinals appointed by the Pope for terms of five years.Acts of the commission must be approved by the Pope, through the Holy See'sSecretariat of State,^{[citation needed]} and must be published in a special appendix of theActa Apostolicae Sedis.Most of the content of this appendix consists of routine executive decrees, such as approval for a new set of postage stamps.^{[citation needed]}

Executive authority is delegated to the President of the Governorate of Vatican City, who is also the President of the Pontificial Commission. In addition, the Governorate include two immediate collaborators of the President: the General Secretary and the Deputy General Secretary, members of the General Secretariat,each appointed by the Pope for five-year terms.^{[citation needed]}Important actions of the Governorate must be confirmed by the Pontifical Commission and by the Pope through the Secretariat of State.^{[citation needed]} Both thePontifical Commission for Vatican City State and the President of the Governorate of Vatican City can be assisted by the Councilors of Vatican City State in draftinglegislation and other important issues. The President of the Governorate can convoke the members of the Council of Directors, together with externalexperts and people. The Governorate oversees the central governmental functions through several departments and offices.^[85][86][87]The directors and officials of these offices are appointed by the Pope for five-year terms.^{[citation needed]}

The Governorate is organized into central offices (one for law and another for personnel matters) and directorates with roles in the following matters:

• Infrastructures andservices
• Telecommunications andcomputer services
• Security services andcivil protection
• Health andhygiene
• Museums andcultural heritage
• Pontifical Villas^[88][89]

There are also subsidiary bodies formonetary, disciplinary, personnel and personnel selection matters.^[90]

In the Pope's name,judiciary functions (Vatican judiciary) are exercised by four bodies: a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, a Tribunal and a Sole Judge, whose roles are established by the Vatican codes of criminal and civil procedure, and the 2013 "Motu Proprio On the Jurisdiction of Judicial Authorities of Vatican City State in Criminal Matters".^[91] At the Vatican's request, sentences imposed can be served in Italy (see thesection on crime, below).

Due to obvious territorial constraints, manyheadquarters and offices of theHoly See are located onItalian territory, but they are granted the same immunity asdiplomatic missions thanks to theLateran Treaty and are commonly defined as "extraterritorial areas".^[92]

As Vatican City is an enclave within Italy, its military defence is provided by theItalian Armed Forces. However, there is no formal defence treaty with Italy, as Vatican City is aneutral state. Vatican City has no armed forces of its own, although theSwiss Guard is a military corps of the Holy See responsible for the personal security of the Pope, and residents in the state. Soldiers of the Swiss Guard are entitled to hold Vatican City State passports and nationality. Swissmercenaries were historically recruited by Popes as part of an army for the Papal States, and thePontifical Swiss Guard was founded byPope Julius II on 22 January 1506 as the Pope's personal bodyguard and continues to fulfill that function. It is listed in theAnnuario Pontificio under "Holy See", not under "State of Vatican City". At the end of 2005, the Guard had 134 members. Recruitment is arranged by a special agreement between the Holy See and Switzerland. All recruits must be Catholic, unmarried males with Swiss citizenship who have completed theirbasic training with theSwiss Armed Forces with certificates of good conduct, be between the ages of 19 and 30, and be at least 174 cm (5 ft 9 in) in height. Members are equipped withsmall arms and the traditionalhalberd (also called the Swiss voulge), and trained in bodyguarding tactics. Together with theCorps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City, theSwiss Guard have roles in theItaly-Vaticanborder control.^[92] ThePalatine Guard and theNoble Guard, the last armed forces of the Vatican City State, were disbanded byPope Paul VI in 1970.^[53]

As the entire territory of Vatican City has been listed on the International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection and, in 1984, amongWorld Heritage Sites, theHague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict provides international legal protection againstarmed conflicts.^[93][94] A large part of thehistorical documents of the very extensiveVatican Apostolic Archive is stored in the "Bunker", which was inaugurated in 1980, a two-storeyreinforced concretevault, under theCortile della Pigna, equipped with systems forfire protection,climate and humidity control, andphysical security.^[95]

Civil defence is the responsibility of theCorps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State, the nationalfire brigade. Dating its origins to the early nineteenth century, the Corps in its present form was established in 1941. It is responsible for fire fighting, as well as a range of civil defence scenarios includingflood,natural disaster, andmass casualty incident. The Corps is governmentally supervised through the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Defence, which is also responsible for the Gendarmerie (see below).

TheGendarmerie Corps (Corpo della Gendarmeria) is thegendarmerie, or police and security force, of Vatican City and theextraterritorial properties of the Holy See.^[96] The corps is responsible for security,public order,border control,traffic control,criminal investigation, and other general police duties in Vatican City including providing security for the Pope outside of Vatican City. The corps has 130 personnel and is a part of the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Defence (which also includes the Vatican Fire Brigade), an organ of the Governorate of Vatican City.^[97][98]

Even thoughSt. Peter's Square is part of Vatican territory, it is normally safeguarded byItalian police forces.^[92]

Crime in Vatican City consists largely of purse snatching,pickpocketing andshoplifting by outsiders.^[99] The tourist foot-traffic inSt. Peter's Square is one of the main locations for pickpockets in Vatican City.^[100] If crimes are committed in Saint Peter's Square, the perpetrators may be arrested and tried by the Italian authorities, since that area is normally patrolled by Italian police.^[101]

Under the terms of article 22 of the Lateran Treaty,^[44] Italy will, at the request of the Holy See, punish individuals for crimes committed within Vatican City and will itself proceed against the person who committed the offence, if that person takes refuge in Italian territory. Persons accused of crimes recognised as such both in Italy and in Vatican City that are committed in Italian territory will be handed over to the Italian authorities if they take refuge in Vatican City or in buildings that enjoy immunity under the treaty.^[44][102]

Vatican City has no prison system, apart from a few detention cells for pre-trial detention.^[103] People convicted of committing crimes in the Vatican serve terms inItalian prisons (Polizia Penitenziaria), with costs covered by the Vatican.^[104]

Vatican City State is a recognised national territory under international law, but it is the Holy See that conducts diplomatic relations on its behalf, in addition to the Holy See's own diplomacy, entering intointernational agreements in its regard. Vatican City thus has no diplomatic service of its own.

Because of space limitations, Vatican City is one of the few countries in the world that is unable to host embassies. Foreign embassies to the Holy See are located in the city of Rome; only during the Second World War were the staff of some embassies accredited to the Holy See given what hospitality was possible within the narrow confines of Vatican City—embassies such as that of the United Kingdom while Rome was held by theAxis Powers and Germany's when the Allies controlled Rome.

The size of Vatican City is thus unrelated to the large global reach exercised by the Holy See as an entity quite distinct from the state.^[105]

However, Vatican City State itself participates in some international organizations whose functions relate to the state as a geographical entity, distinct from the non-territorial legal persona of the Holy See. These organizations are much less numerous than those in which the Holy See participates either as a member or with observer status. They include the following eight, in each of which Vatican City State holds membership:^[106][107]

• European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
• European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat IGO)
• International Grains Council (IGC)
• International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
• Interpol^[108]
• Universal Postal Union (UPU)

It also participates in:^[106]

• World Medical Association
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

The Vatican City is not a member of theUnited Nations (UN), but was granted observer status to theUnited Nations General Assembly in 1968; the only other country in a similar position is the partially recognisedState of Palestine. Since it is not a member of the UN, the Vatican City is not subjected to the jurisdiction of theInternational Court of Justice (ICJ). It does, however, engage with various UN specialized agencies through its observer status including theCentral Emergency Response Fund, to which it contributed US$20,000 between 2006 and 2022.^[109]

The Vatican City State is not a member of theInternational Criminal Court (ICC). In Europe, onlyBelarus is also a non-party, non-signatory state, while Ukraine andMonaco are signatory states that have not ratified and Russia withdrew from it in 2016.

The Vatican City State is not a member of theEuropean Court of Human Rights. Among European states, Belarus is also not a member, while Russia has ceased to be part of it after being expelled from theCouncil of Europe following the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

TheOECD's "Common Reporting Standard" (CRS), aiming at preventingtax evasion andmoney laundering, has also not been signed.^{[110][111][112]} The Vatican City State has been criticized for money laundering practises in the past decades.^{[113][114][115]} The only other country in Europe that has not agreed to sign the CRS is Belarus.

The Vatican City State is also one of few countries in the world that does not provide any publicly available financial data to the International Monetary Fund.^[116]

The Vatican City State budget includes theVatican Museums and post office and is supported financially by the sale ofstamps,coins, medals and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by publications sales.^[l] The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.^[117] Other industries include printing, the production of mosaics, and the manufacture of staff uniforms.

TheInstitute for Works of Religion (IOR,Istituto per le Opere di Religione), also known as the Vatican Bank, is a financial agency situated in the Vatican that conducts worldwide financial activities. It has multilingualATMs with instructions inLatin, possibly the only ATM in the world with this feature.^[118]

Vatican City issues its own coins and stamps. It has used the euro as its currency since 1 January 1999, owing to a special agreement with theEuropean Union (council decision 1999/98/EC). Euro coins and notes were introduced on 1 January 2002—the Vatican does not issueeuro banknotes. Issuance of euro-denominated coins is strictly limited by treaty, though somewhat more than usual is allowed in a year in which there is a change in the papacy.^[119] Because of their rarity,Vatican euro coins are highly sought by collectors.^[120] Until the adoption of the Euro, Vatican coinage and stamps were denominated in their ownVatican lira currency, which was on par with the Italianlira.

Vatican City State, which employs nearly 2,000 people, had a surplus of 6.7 millioneuros in 2007 but ran a deficit in 2008 of over 15 million euros.^[121]

In 2012, the US Department of State's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report listed Vatican City for the first time among the nations of concern formoney-laundering, placing it in the middle category, which includes countries such as Ireland, but not among the most vulnerable countries, which include the United States itself, Germany, Italy, and Russia.^[122]

On 24 February 2014, the Vatican announced it was establishing a secretariat for the economy, to be responsible for all economic, financial, and administrative activities of the Holy See and the Vatican City State, headed by CardinalGeorge Pell. This followed the charging of two senior clerics including amonsignor with money laundering offences. Pope Francis also appointed an auditor-general authorized to carry out random audits of any agency at any time and engaged a US financial services company to review the Vatican's 19,000 accounts to ensure compliance with international money laundering practices. The pontiff also ordered that theAdministration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See would be the Vatican's central bank, with responsibilities similar to other central banks around the world.^[123]

In 2022, the Vatican planned to releaseNFTs of its museum collection.^[124]

Vatican City has a reasonably well-developed transport network considering its size (consisting mostly of a piazza and walkways). As a state that is 1.05 kilometres (1,150 yards) long and 0.85 km (930 yd) wide,^[125] it has a smalltransportation system with no airports or highways.

The onlyaviation facility in Vatican City is theVatican City Heliport. Vatican City is one of the few independentcountries without an airport, and is served by the airports that serve the city of Rome,Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport and to a lesser extentCiampino Airport.^[126]

There is astandard gaugeVatican Railway and aVatican City railway station, mainly used to transport freight, connected to Italy's network at Rome'sRoma San Pietro railway station by an 852-metre-long (932 yd) spur, 300 metres (330 yd) of which is within Vatican territory.^[126]Pope John XXIII was the first Pope to make use of the railway;Pope John Paul II rarely used it.^[126]

The closestmetro station isOttaviano – San Pietro – Musei Vaticani.^[127]

The City is served by an independent, modern telephone system named theVatican Telephone Service.^[128]

The Vatican also controls its own Internettop-level domain, which is registered as (.va). Broadband service is widely provided within Vatican City. Vatican City has also been given a radioITU prefix, HV, and this is sometimes used byamateur radio operators.

Vatican Radio, which was organized byGuglielmo Marconi, broadcasts onshort-wave,medium-wave and FM frequencies and on the Internet.^[129] Its main transmission antennae are located in Italian territory, and exceed Italian environmental protection levels of emission. For this reason, the Vatican Radio has beensued. Television services are provided through another entity, theVatican Television Center.^[130]

L'Osservatore Romano is the multilingual semi-official newspaper of the Holy See. It is published by a private corporation under the direction of Catholic laymen, but reports on official information. However, the official texts of documents are in theActa Apostolicae Sedis, theofficial gazette of the Holy See, which has an appendix for documents of the Vatican City State.

Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Center, and L'Osservatore Romano are organs not of the Vatican State but of the Holy See, and are listed as such in theAnnuario Pontificio, which places them in the section "Institutions linked with the Holy See", ahead of the sections on the Holy See's diplomatic service abroad and thediplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, after which is placed the section on the State of Vatican City.

Apostal system (Poste Vaticane) was created on 13 February 1929. On 1 August, the state started to release its own postal stamps, under the authority of thePhilatelic and Numismatic Office of the Vatican City State.^[131] The city's postal service is sometimes said to be "the best in the world",^[132] and faster than the postal service in Rome.^[132]

Theinternational postal country code prefix isSCV, and the only postal code is00120 – altogetherSCV-00120.^[133]

In 2008, the Vatican began an "ecological island" for renewable waste and has continued the initiative throughout the papacy ofFrancis. These innovations included, for example, the installation of a solar power system on the roof of thePaul VI Audience Hall. In July 2019, it was announced that Vatican City would ban the use and sale ofsingle-use plastics as soon as its supply was depleted, well before the 2021 deadline established by theEuropean Union. It is estimated that 50–55% of Vatican City's municipal solid waste is properly sorted and recycled, with the goal of reaching the EU standard of 70–75%.^[134]

As of 2024^[update], Vatican City has a population of 882 residents, regardless of citizenship.^[15] There are also 372 Vatican citizens residing elsewhere,^[15] consisting of diplomats of the Holy See to other countries and cardinals residing in Rome.^[135]

The population is composed of clergy, other religious members, laypeople serving the state (such as the Swiss Guard) and their family members.^[136] In 2013 there were 13 families of the employees of the Holy See living in Vatican City,^[137] in 2019 there were 20 children of the Swiss Guards living at the Vatican.^[138] All citizens, residents, and places of worship in the city areCatholic. The city also receives thousands of tourists and workers every day.

Vatican City has no formally enactedofficial language, but, unlike the Holy See which most often usesLatin for the authoritative version of its official documents, Vatican City uses only Italian in its legislation and official communications.^[139] Italian is also the everyday language used by most of those who work in the state. In the Swiss Guard, Swiss German is the language used for giving commands, but the individual guards take their oath of loyalty in their own languages: German, French, Italian orRomansh. The official websites of the Holy See^[140] and of Vatican City^[141] are primarily in Italian, with versions of their pages in a large number of languages to varying extents.

Unlikecitizenship of other states, which is based either onjus sanguinis (birth from a citizen, even outside the state's territory) or onjus soli (birth within the territory of the state), citizenship of Vatican City is granted onjus officii, namely on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of the Holy See. It usually ceases upon the cessation of the appointment. Citizenship is also extended to the spouse and children of a citizen, provided that they are living together in the city.^[135] Some individuals are also authorized to reside in the city but do not qualify or choose not to request citizenship.^[135] Anyone who loses Vatican citizenship and does not possess other citizenship automatically becomes anItalian citizen, as provided in the Lateran Treaty.^[44]

The Holy See, not being a country, issues onlydiplomatic andservice passports, whereas Vatican City issuesordinarypassports for its citizens.

In statistics comparing countries in variousper capita or per area metrics, Vatican City is often an outlier—these can stem from the state's small size and ecclesiastical function.^[142] For example, as most of the roles which would confer citizenship are reserved for men, the gender ratio of the citizenship is several men per woman.^[143] Further oddities are petty crimes against tourists resulting in a very high per-capita crime rate,^[144] and the city-state leading the world in per-capita wine consumption due to itssacramental use.^[142] A jocular illustration of these anomalies is sometimes made by calculating a "Popes per km²" statistic, which is greater than two because the country is less than half a square kilometre in area.^[145]

Vatican City is home to some of the most famous art in the world.St. Peter's Basilica, designed by a succession of architects includingBramante,Michelangelo,Giacomo della Porta,Maderno andBernini, is a renowned work ofRenaissance architecture. TheSistine Chapel is famous for its frescos, which include works byPerugino,Domenico Ghirlandaio andBotticelli, as well as theceiling andLast Judgment by Michelangelo. The interiors of the Vatican were decorated by artists includingRaphael andFra Angelico.

TheVatican Apostolic Library and the collections of theVatican Museums are of the highest historical, scientific and cultural importance.^[147] Added byUNESCO to the List ofWorld Heritage Sites in 1984, the Vatican is the only site to consist of an entire state.^[148] Furthermore, it is the only UNESCO site registered as acentre containing monuments in the "International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection" according to the 1954Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.^[148]

Following in the footsteps of thePontifical Academy of New Lincei founded byPope Pius IX in 1847,Pope Pius XI gave birth to thePontifical Academy of Sciences in 1936, which, located in theCasina Pio IV, guaranteesacademic freedom to contribute tomathematical,physical (includingastronomy,Earth sciences,physics andchemistry) andnatural sciences (e.g.,medicine,neuroscience,biology,genetics,biochemistry), and confrontepistemological issues, with interests also in thehistory of science. Among theacademicians, there are or were theastrophysicistMartin John Rees, themathematicianCédric Villani, thetheoretical physicistEdward Witten, theNobel Prize in Chemistry laureatesJennifer Doudna andEmmanuelle Charpentier, andErnest Rutherford, thegeneticistsLuigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza andFrancis Collins, thehead transplant pioneerRobert J. White, theNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineAlexander Fleming.^[149][150]

ThePontifical Academy of Social Sciences is anotherpontifical academy of theHoly See located in Vatican City, which deals also withanthropology,communication studies,information sciences,cybernetics,economics,education,geography,history,law,linguistics,political science,psychology,behavioral sciences,sociology anddemography.^[151] The seat of thePontifical Academy for Life, whose domains arebioethics andethics of technology, is atSan Callisto complex, a Vaticanextraterritorial property.^[152][153]

TheVatican Observatory, whose origins date back to the 16th century, continues to contribute to astronomical research, especially through a partnership with theUniversity of Arizona and theinfrared andopticalVatican Advanced Technology Telescope inArizona, and to astronomicaleducation and "popular science" projects. As a member of theInternational Astronomical Union and theInternational Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, it deals also with research oncosmological models,stellar classification,binary stars, andnebulae. In addition, it has contributed tophilosophicalinterdisciplinary studies at theCenter for Theology and the Natural Sciences inBerkeley, California and research on thehistory of astronomy thanks to its extensive library, which also includes ameteoritecollection.^[154]

Some of the Vatican telescopes of theastronomical institution namedVatican Observatory participated in creating theCarte du Ciel, but they have progressively become useless or limited forresearch purposes due tolight pollution in their locations: Vatican City (theGardens of Vatican City and nearSt. Peter's Basilica) and the VaticanextraterritorialPalace of Castel Gandolfo.^{[citation needed]}

Vatican City is not a member of theInternational Olympic Committee and does not compete in theOlympic Games, though it has participated in some international sporting events, including theWorld Cycling Championships,^[155] theChampionships of the Small States of Europe and theMediterranean Games.^[156] The country has its own athletics association,Athletica Vaticana.^[157]

Football in Vatican City is organized by theVatican Amateur Sports Association, which holds the national championship, called theVatican City Championship, with eight teams, including, for example, the Swiss Guard'sFC Guardia and police and museum guard teams.^[158] The association also organizes theCoppa Sergio Valci and theVatican Supercoppa. It controls theVatican City national football team, which is neither affiliated withUEFA norFIFA.

• Architecture of Vatican City
• Holy city
• Index of Vatican City-related articles
• Law of Vatican City
• News.va
• Outline of Vatican City
• Timeline of fictional stories set in Vatican City

• Chadwick, Owen (1988).Britain and the Vatican During the Second World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-0-521-36825-4.
• Nichols, Fiona (2006).Rome and the Vatican. London: New Holland. pp. 85–96.ISBN 978-1-84537-500-3.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Petacco, Laura (2016). "La Meta Romuli e ilTerebinthus Neronis". In Claudio Parisi Presicce; Laura Petacco (eds.).La Spina: dall'Agro vaticano a via della Conciliazione (in Italian). Rome.ISBN 978-88-492-3320-9.
• Liverani, Paolo (2016). "Un destino di marginalità: storia e topografia dell'area vaticana nell'antichità". In Claudio Parisi Presicce; Laura Petacco (eds.).La Spina: dall'Agro vaticano a via della Conciliazione (in Italian). Rome.ISBN 978-88-492-3320-9.

• Kent, Peter C. (2002).The Lonely Cold War of Pope Pius XII: The Catholic Church and the Division of Europe, 1943–1950. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.ISBN 978-0-7735-2326-5.
• Morley, John F. (1980).Vatican Diplomacy and the Jews During the Holocaust, 1939–1943. New York: Ktav Pub. House.ISBN 978-0-87068-701-3.
• Ricci, Corrado; Begni, Ernesto (2003) [1914].The Vatican: Its History, Its Treasures. Kessinger Publishing.ISBN 978-0-7661-3941-1.
• Shaw, Tamsin, "Ethical Espionage" (review of Calder Walton,Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Simon and Schuster, 2023, 672 pp.; andCécile Fabre,Spying Through a Glass Darkly: The Ethics of Espionage and Counter-Intelligence, Oxford University Press, 251 pp., 2024),The New York Review of Books, vol. LXXI, no. 2 (8 February 2024), pp. 32, 34–35. "[I]n Walton's view, there was scarcely a UScovert action that was a long-term strategic success, with the possible exception of intervention in theSoviet-Afghan War (a disastrous military fiasco for theSoviets) and perhaps support for the anti-SovietSolidarity movement inPoland." (p. 34.)

• Official website
• Official website of the Holy See
•  Wikimedia Atlas of Vatican City
•   Geographic data related toVatican City atOpenStreetMap
• Inside the Vatican onNational GeographicYouTube channel
• Vatican Chief of State and Cabinet Members
• Holy See (Vatican City).The World Factbook.Central Intelligence Agency.
• Holy See (Vatican City) fromUCB Libraries GovPubs
• Vatican fromBBC News
• The Vatican: spirit and art of Christian Rome, abook fromThe Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available on theInternet asPDF)

41°54′09″N12°27′09″E / 41.90250°N 12.45250°E /41.90250; 12.45250