FUN FACT: There are 594 people (2011) who can say that they have Vatican City citizenship.
- The site of many Christian martyrs
- St. Peter was believed to have been crucified upside down here
- Officially established in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty which made it a sovereign state inside of Rome with 110 acres and about 800 people
- Ruled by the pope who has absolute authority
- Fully brings together church AND state
- Brief history of Vatican City here
The Sistine Chapel was AMAZING – I love seeing the history in PERSON. Reading the stories through the pictures and seeing the point of view of how Michelangelo interpreted the Bible was fascinating.
- Built between 1508-1512
- The Last Judgment was Michelangelo’s greatest painting achievement
- The ceiling shows creation, Adam and Eve, and the flood
- The frescoes show the life of Jesus, the life of Moses, and Jesus giving the keys to Saint Peter
- A late renaissance church inside Vatican City.
- Has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.
- One of the holiest Catholic sites.
- In Catholic tradition it is recognized to be the burial place of St. Peter who was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus and the Bishop of Rome.
- There is historical evidence that St. Peter’s tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica and it has sparked interest in popes since the early Christian period.
- A famous place for pilgrimages, liturgical functions, and historical associations.
- Associated with papacy, counter-reformation, and numerous artists (mainly Michelangelo)
- Greatest building of its age
- Central space is dominated externally and internally by one of the largest domes in the world
- Has massive gold ceilings
