Paris1972-Versailles2003

I ,again, look into my vault and found older pictures not yet in my blog and they should be, After all, as said, my blog is my life’s history, I was here once while vacationing with the family in Rome. A memorable visit even if hugely overcrowded . Do see my other more historical post on it. I like to show you more of the Vatican City State !! Hope you enjoy the post as I

I have heard about it all my life, and came to watch ceremonies on TV for many years. Even on my business trips to Rome never had the time to get there, until finally was able to see it. The family call to visit Rome and of course, we needed to come here, the Vatican City State, the seat of the Catholic Church.  I remembered taken the bus 62 all the way from Piazza Bologna to near the back of Castel de Sant Angelo and then walk along Via Della Conciliazione to the Vatican. I have some more pictures to show you,

The Vatican, in the long form the State of Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano , It consists of two separate legal entities, the Holy See, spiritual entity and the State of the Vatican City, temporal entity. The link between these two entities is the Pope, leader of the spiritual and temporal, with absolute power (executive, legislative and judicial).

The Vatican State is enclosed in the walls imposed by article 5 of the Lateran Agreements of 1929, which is entirely landlocked in the city of Rome, in the Italian territory.  The Holy See also has full ownership over several buildings located outside the Vatican City, which enjoy a diplomatic status such as  immunity, like an embassy.  Outside the walls and its monastery; it has several  palaces containing the services of the Roman Curia

Vatican City bears witness to a great history and a prodigious spiritual adventure. Within the boundaries of this tiny state, one can admire a unique concentration of masterpieces of art. With the circular double colonnaded square which precedes it, with the palaces and gardens which surround it, the basilica, built on the site of the martyrdom of the Apostle Peter, constitutes the center. It is the largest religious building in the world, the fruit of the combined geniuses of Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini and Maderno.

The original building of Nicholas III was enlarged in the 15C 16C and 17C with the history of the arts of the Renaissance and Baroque periods finds emblematic models here. In 1475, Sixtus IV founded the Vatican library, which was the first open to the public in Europe; the collections of manuscripts and books, prints, drawings, pieces and decorative arts, constantly expanded over the centuries, make it an invaluable repository of human culture. New buildings were specially constructed to house the sculptures classics, like the Pio-Clementino museum, which marks a milestone in the history of European culture. The additions of collections and buildings from the 19-20C, new and diverse, are in keeping with the tradition of papal patronage.

The official languages of the Vatican City are: Italian for the state of Vatican City, Latin, the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and the legal language of the Vatican; French for the diplomacy of the Holy See (the Vatican is registered as a Francophone state with international organisations); German for the Vatican Army, the Swiss Guards; Other languages are also used: Italian, for dialogue with the Diocese of Rome; and French, English and Spanish for dialogue with Catholics around the world.

The latest published “Church Statistical Yearbook” tell us as of December 31, 2020, the world population was 7,667,136 thousand people, an increase of 89,359,000 people from the previous year This year again, the global increase affected all continents. On the same date, the number of Catholics was 1,359,612,000, an overall increase of 15,209,000 compared to the previous year. This increase affected four continents, with the exception of Oceania.The number of Catholics in France is not precisely known: in fact, the collection of denominational information is prohibited during censuses, and this information therefore comes exclusively from surveys. The Catholic Church also does not provide figures for the total number of baptized people in France. Finally, it should be noted that in France, 80% of funerals are celebrated by the Catholic Church. The Armorican West with Brittany, Vendée and Anjou, the southern edges of the Massif Central, the Basque Country and Alsace-Lorraine. In these regions, the Sunday practice rate was in all cases above 75%. fyi

The Vatican State govt on its monuments : https://www.vaticanstate.va/it/

The Vatican Holy See : https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html

The Vatican News newspaper : https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html

There you go folks, you are all set to visit this wonderful place, even if not religious the magnitude of the buildings, the history and architecture in them will amaze you. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Vatican City State as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!