A tour inside the smallest country in the world
Vatican City is an independent city-state that is located in the heart of Rome. It is home to significant religious and cultural landmarks like St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, as well as the Vatican Museums. The museums host an abundance of world famous sculptures and paintings.
To enter the Vatican Museums, you must have a ticket. I would recommend purchasing one in advance, because otherwise, you may have to wait in a long line upon arrival. However, Vatican City has an open-border policy, so you do not need a passport to enter the country.
The two pictures above are Cortile della Pigna, or Pigna Courtyrard. It is a serene outside area that is within the grounds of the museums, which is worth checking out before and/or after you visit the museums.
When you are purchasing your tickets for the Vatican Museums, you can choose to get a guided tour. I purchased tickets for a guided tour of the museums with entrance to the Sistine Chapel.
In total, there are 54 museums with over 70,000 paintings and sculptures. Given how much there is to look at throughout the museums, I would recommend getting a guided tour, as it helps give more context to the significance of the art pieces and the history of everything that is there. Thanks to the tour guide, I found the tour to be more insightful and learned more in the time I was there than if I were to walk through the museums myself.
Laocoön and His Sons is a famous marble sculpture that depicts a Trojan priest named Laocoön and his sons named Antiphantes and Thymbraeus being attacked by snakes as punishment. Originally discovered in a Roman vineyard in 1506, it was placed in the Vatican and is still there today.
The context of the depiction in the statue is based on the Greek Epic Cycle, which is a collection of classical mythology poems that pertain to the Trojan War. The story based on the statue has several versions, all of which have different details. This sculpture’s importance lies in its ability to emotionally connect with viewers through the figures’ movements and dramatic facial expressions as they approach their fate.
Created by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, the School of Athens is one of the most famous paintings in the Vatican. This fresco was done between 1509 and 1511 and was part of a commission by Pope Julis II to decorate the rooms called the four Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaell). It represents famous figures of the early 15th century like Pythagoras, Aristotle and Plato, Euclid, Socrates, Epicurus, Diogenes, Ptolemy and Zoroaster, and more. In total, there are 52 figures in the painting. Even Raphael himself can be seen in the piece on the far right staring at the viewers.
The combination of modern figures and ancient philosophers gathered together in one space is a symbolic representation of humanism that was prevalent in the high renaissance period.
From Pigna Courtyrard, you can see the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance. The view of it is so nice looking and exquisite, even from afar.
Bramante Staircase is the name of the two staircases in the Vatican Museums. The first one was built in 1505, and the one pictured above is its more modern counterpart from 1532. The new Bramante Staircase is the exit of the Vatican Museums, so if you do go visit all the museums, you will certainly get a chance to see the staircase from all sorts of different perspectives as you make your way to the bottom. Although walking down a staircase may seem mundane, walking down this one is a special experience!
Located in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, this area is called St. Peter’s Square. The plaza was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII between 1656 and 1667. It was built to compliment St. Peter’s Basilica, and it was also meant to be used as a place where people could spectate the Pope as he gives his blessings.
The tall structure in the center of the square is called an Egyptian Obelisk, and this one in particular is also known as the Vatican Obelisk. Originally, obelisks come from ancient Egypt and were a monument used to honor the dead and their gods, as well as a symbol to represent their kings. A good bunch of them ended up in Rome from Egypt and can still be found in the city today, and when you’re in the Vatican, you can see this one too!
Specifically, the Vatican Obelisk stands at 84 feet (25.5 meters) or 135 feet (41 meters) if you include the base and the cross in the measurement. Unlike many other obelisks, this one is not inscribed. It is said that this obelisk is around 4,500 years old, which makes it 1,500 years older than the city of Rome and certainly the oldest structure in St. Peter’s Square.
Just like the basilica here, St. Peter’s Square was named after Saint Peter, who served as one of Jesus’ apostles and the first Pope in the Catholic Church. The plaza was built where Saint Peter was ultimately killed, so it is a place of high significance, serving as a symbolic centerpiece of the city-state.
Entry to the St. Petersburg is free of charge, but you will probably have to wait in line and go through a security checkpoint. However, the line seemingly moves pretty quickly (at least when I visited).
This is the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica. More specifically, this is the view of it when you first walk in. Taking a few minutes to stand near the entrance and take in the scenery really gives you an appreciation for the intricate architecture and artwork that this cathedral contains.
As you continue to walk straight ahead, there is a bronze structure that is known as St. Peter’s Baldachin. A baldachin or a ciborium is a canopy that hangs over an altar or tomb. This one in particular is supported by columns and is freestanding without being connected to any wall.
Beyond the baldachin at the back of the basilica, one can see the Dove of The Holy Spirit, which is a stained glass window art piece that depicts the Holy Spirit as a dove. The window is split into twelve sections as tribute to the Twelve Apostles. From one wing tip to the other, the dove itself is six feet wide, so it can be inferred that this is a very large art piece.
Additionally, this window sits right above the the Chair of St. Peter (Cathedra Petri), an ancient relic safeguarded in the basilica. In early Christian basilica’s like this one, cathedra’s were a raised throne officially designated for the bishop, placed near the apse behind the altar. The chair itself is damaged by cuts and worms, so it is housed in a bronze casing that was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1647 and 1653. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI described the chair as “a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ's flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity.”
For being the smallest country in the world, Vatican City has so much to see to the point in which you would need to visit more than once to see everything. The artwork, history, and spiritual influence this place holds is what makes it so special.