Country: Vatican City is a sovereign
city-state within the city of Rome. It is the head seat of
the Roman Catholic Church, ruled by the Pope. The head of
State is the Pope who also has his residence here. The main
buildings of the Vatican City are: the St. Peter's Basilica
on St. Peter's square, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican museums,
the Vatican gardens and the Apostolic Palace. Scientists will
find the Vatican Library and the Archivio Segreto Vaticano
of special interest.
In Ancient times the Circus of Emperor Nero was held
here . North of the Circus was a cemetery. Emperor Constantine
built a church here in the 3rd century. After time more buildings
gradually appeared. At the end of the 14th century, when the
Pope returned from Avignon, the place came to be a centre
for administration of the Roman Catholic church. The St. Peter's
basilica started to be built in 1506. Building work for the
palace of the Pope, still used as a residence for the pope
and centre for several Congregations, commenced in 1589.
The Vatican has 829 inhabitants (2009). These consist
mainly of clergymen, monks and nuns and soldiers of the famous
Swiss Guard.
