The Amusing Vatican City

Many people often get confused when they hear the name Vatican City for the first time and mistake it for a city. But in reality, Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and is of great importance to Catholics globally. There are many amazing things about this country that will make you wonder how you are unaware of something so intriguing.

Earlier, from the founding years of Rome (around 800 BCE) through to the end of the Roman Empire, a marshy area on the west bank of the Tiber across from the city of Rome was known as Ager Vaticanus. It is located between the Janiculum, the Vatican Hill, and Monte Mario, down to the Aventine Hill, and up to the confluence of the Cremera creek.

During the reign of the Roman Empire, the Romans referred to this place as the Vaticanum, where the rich and powerful built their villas and gardens. The third emperor of Rome, Caligula built a large circus there. In 64 CE, a huge fire broke out in the city of Rome that destroyed 2/3^rd of it. According to the historian Tacitus, the fifth and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Nero, himself set the city on fire. He had planned to rebuild Rome the way he had imagined and construct his massive Golden House (Domus Aurea). But modern-day historians believe that at the time of the fire, Nero was away in Atinum and the fire could have been an accident instead. But according to Christian traditional beliefs, Saint Peter was crucified by Nero under the curtains of the Great Fire.

The Vatican emerged as the heart of the Catholic Church back in the 4^th century A.D., after a basilica was built on the grave of St. Peter in Rome. It became a popular pilgrimage site and commercial district, but it was abandoned following the shifting of the papal court to France in 1309. The Papal States, which covered a large portion of the Italian peninsula, was ruled by the Popes for more than a thousand years until the mid-19th century.

In 1870, during the Italian unification, the Pope’s holdings were left in an uncertain situation when Rome itself was annexed by Italian forces. In 1871, the Quirinal Palace was confiscated by the King of Italy and became the royal palace. The Popes resided undisturbed within the walls of the Vatican but they did not recognize the Italian king's right to rule in Rome.

The modern-day Vatican City came into being when the Lateran Treaty was signed between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy between Pietro Gasparri (for Pope Pius XI) and Benito Mussolini (on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III) on 11 February 1929. The treaty came into effect later on 7 June 1929, establishing the independent state of Vatican City and reaffirming the special status of Catholic Christianity in Italy.

Today, the Vatican City is just over 0.44 Sq. km in the area within the city of Rome, making it the smallest country in the world, and you can walk around it in less than an hour.No permanent citizenship is given as no one is born here because there are no hospitals or delivery rooms in the country. Citizenships are granted only on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of the Holy See. In 2022, the population of the country is just over 500 making it the least populated country in the world.

It is really hard to believe for anyone that the country with the smallest population is also the one with the highest crime rate. This is not because it has more crimes than other countries, but because it has more crimes per capita, owing most of the crimes to the tourists that stream through the area.

Despite its small size, Vatican City holds assets worth over $8 billion, making it the 18^th wealthiest country in terms of per capita income. The majority of its economy is supported financially by the sales of stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos as well as fees for admission to museums, publication sales, and donations from the followers of the Catholic Church.

The current ruler of the Vatican City is Pope Francis who is also the 266^th Bishop of Rome since 13 March 2013. He is also the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide and is responsible for unifying Catholicism's voice and centralizing its doctrine. He is protected by 135 Swiss Soldiers all the time, who are also part of the population of the smallest country.

It is the only country in the world where there are no prisons but does have a few cells for pre-trial detention. The Vatican Bank’s ATM has instructions written on it in the Latin language despite Italian being the official language of the Vatican City. It is also home to the world’s shortest railway tracks which are just 300 meters in length and are used only for ferrying goods, operable at only one station, Citta Vaticano.

The secret archives of Vatican City also known as the Vatican Apostolic Archive are the central repository of the country which hides state papers, correspondence, account books, and many other documents that the church has accrued over the centuries.

When in Vatican City, the two most important sites that you should not miss at any cost are St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The Basilica is the grave of Saint Peter, which is of great importance for Catholics around the world, and the other is the rectangular hall, the Pope’s domestic chapel. The walls and ceilings of the chapel are covered by beautiful frescoes by Michelangelo and others depicting the idea of the Creation as described in Genesis, whereas the side walls have frescoes of Biblical scenes.

The Vatican City is also the only country that is entirely declared a World Heritage Site, which makes it even more attractive for tourists and history lovers, equally.