How It Came to Be: The Origins of the

Vatican City

A crash course in the history of the

world’s smallest sovereign state

Facts about the Vatican

• Is only 44 hectares in size, making it the world’s smallest sovereign state

• Saint Peter’s Basilica is not actually the official ecclesiastical seat of the pope, hence it is not the ecumenical mother church of the Catholic hierarchy.

• This honor belongs to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, which is one of the four major basilicas of the Catholic Church.

Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome

The ecumenical mother church of the Catholic hierarchy

First things first: the Papal States

So how did the Catholic Church get to have the

Vatican City in the first place?

To make a long story short, beginning in the year 754, the papacy began its secular duty as the governor of large tracts of land surrounding Rome.

Over a period of more than 1,100 years, these territories became known as the Papal States.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Kingdom of Italy was formed in 1861 and the new realm declared war on Pope Pius IX in Rome and the Papal States.

The Papal States were annexed to the kingdom in no time. Refusing to recognize the authority of the Kingdom of Italy, Pope Pius IX confined himself within the walls of the Leonine City, which is sort of a precursor of the modern-day Vatican City.

He excommunicated the King of Italy and maintained an image of power by preserving diplomatic relations with many countries.

Between 1870 to 1929 a total of five popes were considered “prisoners in the Vatican.”

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Lateran TreatyThis stand-off between the Kingdom of Italy and the Catholic Church ended in 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Treaty on February 11, 1929.

It was signed by the Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini and the Holy See’s Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

The treaty…• recognized full sovereignty of the Holy See over the State

of Vatican City;

• listed which of the properties of the Vatican on Italian soil were to hold extraterritorial status and exemption from expropriation and taxes;

• stipulated that the Italian government will give the Holy See a financial compensation that is equivalent to about $1 billion in today’s money.

How is the Holy See different from the Vatican City?

But what exactly is this Holy See that the Kingdom of Italy signed an agreement with?

The Holy See• According to the Catholic tradition, it is a term used to

describe the episcopal see, the throne, or the seat of the bishop of Rome.

• The Holy See’s original Latin name, “Sancta Sedes” actually means the “holy seat,” as a reference to the seat of Saint Peter, traditionally considered as the first bishop of Rome.

• It is also used to refer to the district or diocese under the administration of the bishop of Rome.

Saint Peter

Traditionally considered as the first bishop of Rome

Pope Francis

Unlike other Catholic episcopal sees and dioceses in the world, however, the Holy See is special because the bishop of Rome is also the pope.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Holy See…• is distinct from the Vatican City, which is its sovereign

territory.

• it possesses a full legal personality in international law, with rights and duties similar to sovereign states.

• it only issues diplomatic and service passports because it isn’t the actual country, while the Vatican City issues the normal passports to its citizens.

If you’re still confused, you can probably think of the Holy

See as a corporate entity with the Pope as its head, while

the Vatican City is the realm he rules.

Can a 44-hectare walled city be an actual country?

Vatican City is unique.

In many ways, comparing

Vatican City to other city-

states like Monaco, San

Marino, or Singapore is quite

problematic.

For one thing, Vatican City

does not maintain an actual

commercial economy like

other countries do.

What makes it unique?• its finances are mostly supported by contributions from

members of the church, admission fees into museums, and the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs;

• it does not have a self-reproducing population since that most of its 500 or so citizens are men who are celibate;

• at present, there are only about 30 Vatican citizens who are women;

• the other 200 people who work in Vatican City come from other countries and are allowed to maintain their citizenships, and;

• those who reside inside the city walls and are Vatican City citizens are mostly members of the clergy or of the Swiss Guard.

Who gets to become a citizen of the Vatican City?

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI enacted a revised citizenship law which basically classifies citizens into three categories:

• the cardinals resident in Vatican City State or in Rome;

• the Holy See’s diplomats;

• persons who reside in the Vatican City State because of their office or service, which includes the Swiss Guards

In some cases, citizenship

can be requested by

qualified individuals. For

example, by people who

have obtained papal

authorization to reside in

Vatican City or by spouses

and children of current

citizens.

Other Vatican City Facts

Absolute Monarchy• Many people don’t know it, but the Vatican City is

actually one of the last remaining absolute monarchies in the world, making it a member of an exclusive club that includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, and Swaziland.

• But since the pope is elected by the cardinals, this makes the Vatican City the only non-hereditary absolute monarchy in the world.

The Pontifical Swiss Guard • Aside from protecting the pope, the Swiss Guards are

there for another reason: to protect the king of Vatican City. Most of us never get to hear about this king of Vatican City, but he is very much real because he also happens to be the pope!

• Don’t let the Swiss Guard’s theatrical-looking Renaissance uniform fool you. They are actual soldiers from the Swiss military who can knock out the bad guys when they have to.

Pontifical Academy of Sciences

• It aims to promote the progress of mathematical, physical, and natural sciences.

• Its members include some of the 20th century’s most prominent scientists and Nobel laureates.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Latin language • The Roman Catholic Church is one of the few

organizations in the world that still uses Latin, and it is also the language mainly used by the Holy See.

• The Vatican City is also the only place in world where you can find ATMs that allow you to do transactions in Latin!

The obelisk at Saint Peter’s Square

This obelisk is one of the

oldest artifacts in Rome.

Originally erected in

Heliopolis, Egypt, around

4,400 years ago, the obelisk

was moved to its present

location in 1586 under the

direction of Pope Sixtus V.

You can read the pope’s letters

• If you are a qualified scholar, you can actually gain access to the Vatican Secret Archives and read the correspondences made by every pope for the last few centuries.

• These include those between King Henry VIII of England and Pope Clement VII in the 1500s, wherein the former asked the latter to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn.

• When the pope denied the request, Henry VIII and the Church of England separated from Rome, and the king married Anne Boleyn anyway!

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