VATICAN - The Visible Side
Images 1 & 12: The Vatican City State is a sovereign city-state that belongs to the Holy See. The Vatican is situated in a walled enclave inside the city of Rome, lies beyond the right bank of the Tiber River. The Vatican has a population of less than 1000 and is approximately 0.44 square kilometers. Vatican City is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world.
Image 2: The Pope is the highest ranking religious authority in the Roman Catholic Church and its worldwide leader. The current Pope is Pope Francis (born in Argentina), elected on the 13th of March 2013, is the 266th successor of St. Peter
Image 3: The Swiss soldiers were mercenaries, renowned for their courage, noble sentiments and loyalty. The Swiss Guards entered for the first time the Vatican in 1506 as allies of Pope Julius II. In 1512, Pope Julius II granted them the title of "Defenders of the Church's freedom". The Pontifical Swiss Guards are still today on the Papal service. Almost no-interruption in their Pontifical duty and with some variation in their tasks, the Guards are responsible for the safety of the Pope, including the security of the apostolic palace. They take an oath of loyalty to the Pope.
Images 4, 5 & 6: The police forces of Italy are not allowed into the Vatican. Only the papal staff is permitted to carry out security tasks behind the walls of the pontifical enclave in Rome (Pontifical Swiss Guards, Gendarmerie Corps of the Vatican city...)
An exception is St. Peter's Square. The huge piazza, partly enclosed by colonnades, is legally part of the Vatican state, but at the same time it is freely accessible. Under an agreement between the Holy See and Italy, Italian police (Carabinieri, State Police) may be asked to assist Vatican personnel in keeping order and carrying out security assignments in the square.
Image 7 & 11: St. Peter's Basilica was built between the 16th and 17th centuries. And was designed and decorated by Renaissance and baroque geniuses such as Raphael, Bramante, Bernini Michelangelo, and Maderna. St. Peter's basilica is the largest church in the world. On its right, there is the Apostolic Palace "Papal Palace" known as the official residence of the Pope.
Image 8: the Vatican non-inscribed Obelisk, is the only ancient Egyptian obelisk in Rome to have remained standing since Roman times. It stands in the center of St Peter's square close to the original spot. It was Gaius Caligula who had the obelisk brought to Rome in 37 AD, erected on the central Spina of Caligula’s circus. Then in 1586, Sixtus V had it repositioned to the present-day spot. This operation was directed by Domenico Fontana and required hundreds of workmen and horses.
Image 9: St Peter's square was designed and built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. The square is made up of two different areas. The first has a trapezoid shape, marked off by two straight closed and convergent arms on each side of the church square. The second area is elliptical and is surrounded by the two hemicycles of a four-row colonnade, because, as Bernini said, “considering that Saint Peter’s is almost the matrix of all the churches, its portico had to give an open-armed, maternal welcome to all Catholics, confirming their faith; to heretics, reconciling them with the Church; and to the infidels, enlightening them about the true faith.”
The square has a capacity to accommodate approximately 400'000 people during special occasions such as Easter celebrations or during the election of a new Pope.
Image 10: Two Nuns visiting Vatican. They are part of one of the Catholic religious orders and communities.
Pope Francis, he is a Jesuit, Catholic religious institute.
Image 13 & 14: Catholic Church is the largest Christian Church, with more than 1.29 billion faithful worldwide and one of the oldest religious institutions in the world.
Image 15: The Castel Sant'Angelo, known also as Hadrian's Mausoleum, was turned into a fortress and was used as a refuge for several Popes and papal apartments – and it was even used as a prison. There is a secret corridor which leads from Castel Sant’angelo to the Vatican the passeto di Borgo. It was built in 1277, this passage was constructed to provide an escape route running between the Vatican and the Castle.
And it is now a museum
Analog B&W scans
Image 2: The Pope is the highest ranking religious authority in the Roman Catholic Church and its worldwide leader. The current Pope is Pope Francis (born in Argentina), elected on the 13th of March 2013, is the 266th successor of St. Peter
Image 3: The Swiss soldiers were mercenaries, renowned for their courage, noble sentiments and loyalty. The Swiss Guards entered for the first time the Vatican in 1506 as allies of Pope Julius II. In 1512, Pope Julius II granted them the title of "Defenders of the Church's freedom". The Pontifical Swiss Guards are still today on the Papal service. Almost no-interruption in their Pontifical duty and with some variation in their tasks, the Guards are responsible for the safety of the Pope, including the security of the apostolic palace. They take an oath of loyalty to the Pope.
Images 4, 5 & 6: The police forces of Italy are not allowed into the Vatican. Only the papal staff is permitted to carry out security tasks behind the walls of the pontifical enclave in Rome (Pontifical Swiss Guards, Gendarmerie Corps of the Vatican city...)
An exception is St. Peter's Square. The huge piazza, partly enclosed by colonnades, is legally part of the Vatican state, but at the same time it is freely accessible. Under an agreement between the Holy See and Italy, Italian police (Carabinieri, State Police) may be asked to assist Vatican personnel in keeping order and carrying out security assignments in the square.
Image 7 & 11: St. Peter's Basilica was built between the 16th and 17th centuries. And was designed and decorated by Renaissance and baroque geniuses such as Raphael, Bramante, Bernini Michelangelo, and Maderna. St. Peter's basilica is the largest church in the world. On its right, there is the Apostolic Palace "Papal Palace" known as the official residence of the Pope.
Image 8: the Vatican non-inscribed Obelisk, is the only ancient Egyptian obelisk in Rome to have remained standing since Roman times. It stands in the center of St Peter's square close to the original spot. It was Gaius Caligula who had the obelisk brought to Rome in 37 AD, erected on the central Spina of Caligula’s circus. Then in 1586, Sixtus V had it repositioned to the present-day spot. This operation was directed by Domenico Fontana and required hundreds of workmen and horses.
Image 9: St Peter's square was designed and built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. The square is made up of two different areas. The first has a trapezoid shape, marked off by two straight closed and convergent arms on each side of the church square. The second area is elliptical and is surrounded by the two hemicycles of a four-row colonnade, because, as Bernini said, “considering that Saint Peter’s is almost the matrix of all the churches, its portico had to give an open-armed, maternal welcome to all Catholics, confirming their faith; to heretics, reconciling them with the Church; and to the infidels, enlightening them about the true faith.”
The square has a capacity to accommodate approximately 400'000 people during special occasions such as Easter celebrations or during the election of a new Pope.
Image 10: Two Nuns visiting Vatican. They are part of one of the Catholic religious orders and communities.
Pope Francis, he is a Jesuit, Catholic religious institute.
Image 13 & 14: Catholic Church is the largest Christian Church, with more than 1.29 billion faithful worldwide and one of the oldest religious institutions in the world.
Image 15: The Castel Sant'Angelo, known also as Hadrian's Mausoleum, was turned into a fortress and was used as a refuge for several Popes and papal apartments – and it was even used as a prison. There is a secret corridor which leads from Castel Sant’angelo to the Vatican the passeto di Borgo. It was built in 1277, this passage was constructed to provide an escape route running between the Vatican and the Castle.
And it is now a museum
Analog B&W scans