Vatican City - The Smallest Country In The World

Vatican City is the smallest Country in the World which covers an area of 0.44 Sq km and has a population of 800 - 1000 people (2020 and 2022 data from the web). It is the only country in the world that has the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only country in the world that has no citizenship by birth. In fact, this country has no hospitals and no one can be born here. Not sure what happens if someone does give birth to a child there. So far it has a zero birth rate. Citizenship to this country is granted on the basis of 'Jus Officii'. It means someone working there with an official status can be granted citizenship for the tenure of the job. The citizenship is revoked once the job status is terminated. 

The country is located within the municipal boundaries of the City of Rome, the capital of Italy. Vatican City became an independent state in 1929 after the Lateran Treaty was signed between Italy and the Holy See, prior to which it was under the domain of Italy. An interesting fact is Italian government allows Italians to donate 8% of their taxes to Vatican City. The country gets its name from the Vatican Hills, on which it is located, on the western bank of the River Tiber.

Vatican City is the home of the largest Church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica. Built in the Renaissance style it was designed by some of the best artists and architects of the Renaissance period - Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, Bernini. Porta, Fontana to name a few. The Church was built in place of the old St Peter's Basilica constructed by Emperor Constantine over the burial shrine of Saint Peter one of the 12 disciples of Jesus who played a prominent role in founding the Christian Church. While Pope Nicholas V began the renovation works on the old basilica, Pope Julius II laid the foundation of the work for the new Basilica.

Vatican by the night

I traveled to the Vatican once in 2007 and once in 2019. Reaching the Vatican is pretty easy since it is located in Rome. Rome is one of the best-connected cities in the world. While there is no entry tickets to the Basilica, there is entry ticket for the Sistine Chapel and the Museums. The tickets can be purchased online at the Vatican City official website. The online ticket price is around 22 euros. They are available at a reduced cost if purchased in person at the entry. However, the basilica is usually crowded, with more than 25000 tourists visiting it every day and entry to the basilica itself takes almost 2 hours or more unless you are very lucky. We had a long wait and I did not get a chance to visit the museums or the gardens, since we had no time after the long wait in the queue. The basilica opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m. (April - September) / 6 p.m. (October - March).

St Peter's Square

The most famous sculpture of St. Peter's Basilica is the 'La Madonna Della Pieta' (our lady of piety). This Carrara marble (quarried from Carrara, Tuscany), sculpture sculpted by Michelangelo gives a tangible form to the sorrow of the Madonna who is shown holding the body of his dead son. The sculpture is protected behind a glass case after an attack in 1972, by a Hungarian tourist who threw a hammer at the sculpture thus damaging the face and arm of the Madonna. 

Michelangelo's Pieta

The basilica is one of the most exquisitely designed churches of the Renaissance period. The grand nave is breathtakingly beautiful. The ornated carvings and inscriptions are mesmerizing. The Latin inscription seen around the base of the dome reads:  "...You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...."

Another inscription above the Statue of St Peter reads: "...Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed also in Heaven...."

The nave of St. Peter's Basilica