Vatican — books & literature

The story of Vatican

Vatican City's story is the story of the papacy itself. The area around Vatican Hill became sacred to Christians after St. Peter's traditional martyrdom and burial there in the 1st century CE, and a basilica has stood over the site since the reign of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century. Popes ruled a much larger swath of central Italy, the Papal States, for over a thousand years, until Italian unification forces captured Rome in 1870 and stripped the papacy of its territory, leaving the Pope a self-declared 'prisoner in the Vatican' for nearly six decades. The standoff ended on 11 February 1929, when the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy created Vatican City as a fully independent, sovereign city-state , the smallest in the world at roughly 44 hectares. Today it remains an elected ecclesiastical monarchy, governed by the Pope, and home to St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums, and one of the richest concentrations of art and manuscripts on Earth.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 64 CE

   St. Peter is traditionally believed to have been martyred and buried on Vatican Hill.

2. 326

   Emperor Constantine consecrates the first St. Peter's Basilica over the traditional site of the tomb.

3. 1506

   Construction begins on the current St. Peter's Basilica; the Swiss Guard is founded to protect the Pope.

4. 1512

   Michelangelo completes the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

5. 1626

   The new St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

6. 1870

   Italian unification forces capture Rome; the Papal States end and the Pope's temporal territory is lost.

7. 1929

   The Lateran Treaty (11 February) establishes Vatican City as an independent sovereign state.

8. 1962-1965

   The Second Vatican Council modernizes many Catholic Church practices.

9. 1984

   Vatican City is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety.

10. 2025

    Pope Leo XIV is elected (8 May), the first American-born pope.

Top 10 things to know about Vatican

1. Vatican City is the smallest internationally recognized sovereign state in the world, at roughly 44 hectares (about 0.44 sq km).
2. It has one of the smallest populations of any state, roughly 800 residents.
3. St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church building in the world by interior area.
4. The Sistine Chapel ceiling and Last Judgment were painted by Michelangelo.
5. The Pope is an elected monarch, chosen for life by the College of Cardinals in a conclave.
6. The Pontifical Swiss Guard, founded in 1506, is one of the oldest military units still in active service.
7. Latin and Italian are the official languages; Latin remains the language of canon law and formal documents.
8. Vatican City is entirely landlocked, surrounded on all sides by the city of Rome, Italy.
9. The Vatican Museums and Vatican Apostolic Library hold one of the richest art and manuscript collections on Earth.
10. The entire city-state is a single UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Famous people from Vatican

Say it in Vatican's language

Did you know?

• ★Vatican City has its own postal service, radio station (Vatican Radio, est. 1931), and internet domain (.va).
• ★Most Vatican citizenship is tied to an office or role , such as being a cardinal resident in Rome, a Swiss Guard, or Holy See diplomatic staff , rather than granted by birth.
• ★Vatican City is a landlocked enclave entirely within the city of Rome, bordered by Italy on every side.

Vatican culture

• St. Peter's Square hosts papal general audiences and blessings that draw pilgrims and visitors from around the world.
• The Pontifical Swiss Guard wears a distinctive blue, red, orange, and yellow uniform and has protected the Pope since 1506.
• The Vatican Museums house Renaissance masterworks by Michelangelo, Raphael, and many others, ending in the Sistine Chapel.
• Latin remains the formal language of Church law and Vatican documents, while Italian is used in daily administration.

Why read Vatican's books

The Vatican Apostolic Library and Archives preserve centuries of theology, philosophy, and papal writing, making Vatican City's book shelf a window into the Catholic Church's intellectual and spiritual history.