Closed State Vatican City: area and attractions

The smallest state on the globe, called an island of tranquility amidst a noisy bustle, is also the capital of a vast spiritual world. The smallest in terms of area and number of citizens residing in the country is the residence of the head of the Catholic Church. The majestic city-state took its name from the well-known since the time of the ancient Etruscans of the Vatican Hill, which in Latin means "a place of fortune telling". However, some believe that it was on the territory of the country that Emperor Nero killed Peter - the disciple of Christ, and from that moment the city began to bear the name Vatican (from Vattaca - the name of the god of death).

Miniature Country

Surely many people asked themselves about the size of the Vatican. In the smallest country in the world, located in the center of Rome, no more than one thousand people live, and almost all of them are the clergy of the enclave inside Italy. In terms of the size of the territory, the dwarf state is in last place: the Vatican square in the square. Km - 0,439, it is only 44 hectares.

Ancient history of city-state

Separated from Rome by a wall passing along the state border, the ancient city has its own symbolism and anthem. The Pope is the head of the country and represents the interests of the Holy See. The state with ancient history did not have settlements in ancient times, in the IV century the first patrimonies appeared on the sacred place. Then a decree was passed permitting the Christian church to own property received by wills and donations from rich families.

Later, many areas were confiscated, but even after that, the Pope remained the largest owner of Italian lands, which greatly strengthened his authority while simultaneously causing management problems. Until 1871, until the Pope was recognized as the subject of Italian law with a number of privileges, fierce disputes over the independence of the Holy See continued.

This important issue was only granted permission in 1929, when a treaty was signed officially confirming the formation of an independent Vatican state.

State dwarf

As already noted, the dwarf state of the Vatican, the area of which largely occupies the famous green gardens and roads, and not its buildings, is extremely small. If we talk about the unique miniature of the sacred place of Christians, the basilica of St. Peter, erected over his grave, and the same-named area are located on 20 percent of the entire territory of the country. But the borderlands located in the Eternal City and the country residence are almost 0.7 square meters. Km.

Obelisk on the square in the center of the country

The center of spiritual development is the most closed state. Tourists are inaccessible to very many parts of the sacred city, and for some of them there is a special procedure for visiting. For example, to get to the stunning Vatican gardens, which have become a decorative ornament of the state, a special arrangement is needed.

But for everyone, the main attraction, of which the Vatican is proud, is open - St. Peter's Square with an amazing obelisk located on it, brought from Egypt. An interesting story is connected with it, passed down from generation to generation. In the 16th century, 900 workers installed an obelisk on a pedestal with the help of special winches. Zevakam, watching the action, was forbidden to speak anything on pain of death.

The obelisk was lifted up very smoothly and slowly, but at some point the supporting ropes were loosened, and it seemed that the structure would collapse to the ground. And then, in the deathly silence, a cry sounded, urging us to wet the ropes urgently so that they would contract after the impact of the water. This daredevil was the captain of the ship, which was later praised by the Pope himself and allowed him to bring to the Vatican from travel palm twigs before Holy Easter.

The legend of the ashes of Caesar

There was a legend that along the top of the granite obelisk was the remains of the great Caesar. When moving, the ball that crowned the structure was carefully inspected, but nothing was found there, nevertheless an empty container was placed in the museum, and the top is now crowned with a cross.

St. Peter's Square

On religious holidays the small Vatican is filled with pilgrims, St. Peter's Square gathers thousands of visitors who went on a long journey only to hear the blessing of the Pope. The Christian Colosseum, as this area is often called, strikes with amazing architecture.

No one is left indifferent by the mighty colonnades of St. Peter's Cathedral, they are often compared to the galleries that were built during the time of Ancient Rome. From their heights look 140 sculptural images of saints. And if you stand in the center, then there is an amazing effect - located in 4 rows of columns around the square hide behind each other, as if invisible.

Pine cone area

If we talk about what area of the Vatican is the most unusual, then it is worth mentioning the construction in front of the Belvedere Palace. An antique fountain crowned with a bronze pine cone gave the name of the masterpiece of the Italian architect Bramante, who, by the way, began to build St. Peter's Cathedral, but did not live to see it.

The area of the pine cone is remarkable for its unique polished ball rotating in a large sphere. This sculpture symbolizes the negative impact of human hands on nature. This Vatican Square, the photo of which is presented below, refers to the attractions that are accessible to all tourists.

Conclusion

The social stance of a dwarf state, living at the expense of various donations, income from tourism, the sale of souvenirs and coins, is often severely criticized. But the more surprisingly, the Vatican, whose area is more than 100 times smaller than Peterhof, still has an incredible impact on the entire Catholic world.