Holy See

Vatican City

WHS Score 4.3
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Vatican City is an important site in the history of Christianity that is also known for its Renaissance and Baroque artistic creations.

Since the foundation of Saint Peter’s Basilica by Constantine (4th century), the Vatican has been a main pilgrimage center and later became the permanent seat of the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church. It holds many important examples of sacred architecture and art created since the 16th century, including the Sistine Chapel.

Community Perspective: Even if you are not Christian or not a believer, you can´t fail to be impressed by these monuments. The best attractions are the Vatican Museums (where the Sistine Chapel also can be found) and the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Both are always crowded, so pre-book what you can.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Vatican City (ID: 286)
Country
Holy See
Status
Inscribed 1984 Site history
History of Vatican City
1984: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • i
  • ii
  • iv
  • vi
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Nov. 20, 2023 greekreporter.com — Vatican Opens Ancient Roman Necropolis to the Public
  • Oct. 30, 2014 bbc.com — Vatican Sistine Chapel gets new lighting and AC system
  • Dec. 24, 2012 telegraph.co.uk — Sistine Chapel visitors to pass through vacuum system

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Religious structure: Christian
Travel Information
One million visitors or more
One million visitors or more
6.76 million visitors in 2023 // Musei Vaticani: ca. 6.8 million (2019)
Rome hotspot
Rome hotspot
It is an urban, landlocked enclave of Rome
Recent Connections
View all (89) .
Connections of Vatican City
Individual People
  • Helen of Constantinople
    Her sarcophagus is in the Museo Pio-Clementino in the Sala a Croce Greca.
  • Simone Martini
    "According to late Renaissance art biographer Giorgio Vasari, Simone was (...) a pupil of Giotto di Bondone, with whom he went to Rome to paint at the Old St. Peter's Basilica".

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Rama V)
    (4 June) met Pope Leon XIII
  • Attila the Hun
    A fresco of "The meeting of Leo the Great and Attila" by Raphael 1514 is situated in the Stanze di Raffaello. It portrays the meeting which took place, it is thought, on the banks of the Mincio near Mantua in 452AD where, after devastating much of N Italy, Attila met an embassy including Pope Leo I in person. After the meeting Attila turned back to the Danube for reasons not entirely clear. That winter Attila died and the divine intervention of SS Peter + Paul was assigned to the meeting thus significantly bolstering the Papacy in general and Leo "the Great" in particular. The fresco actually portrays the face of Leo X, Pope at the time of Raphael!
  • James Francis Edward Stuart
    "After a lingering illness, James died aged 77 on 1 January 1766, at his home, the Palazzo Muti in Rome, and was buried in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica in present-day Vatican City." (Wikipedia)

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Charlemagne
    the Pope crowned him Imperator Romanorum ("Emperor of the Romans") in Saint Peter's Basilica (wiki) - in 800
  • Elias Burton Holmes

    See www.alamyimages.fr

  • Rabban Bar Sauma
    1287: He next travelled to Rome, but too late to meet Pope Honorius IV, who had recently died. So Bar Sauma instead engaged in negotiations with the cardinals, and visited St. Peter's Basilica.
  • Mozart
    Heard Gregorio Allegri's Miserere in the Sistine Chapel
  • Sculpted by Canova
    tombs of popes Clement XIV (1783-87) and Clement XIII (1787-92)

    See www.britannica.com

  • Leo Africanus
    Was baptised in Basilica of St Peters in 1520 taking the name Leo
  • Goethe
    Italian Journey
  • Donatello
    Donatello made a tabernacle surround for Saint Peter's in marble relief, which is now in the museum there.

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Mahatma Gandhi
    Gandhi toured the Vatican museums on his return from a conference in London in 1931. "The Mahatma’s greatest regret was that Pope Pius XI refused his request to meet with him. " (see link)

    See www.theflorentine.net

  • Leonardo da Vinci
    Lived in the Belvedere
  • Giotto
    "The Navicella (literally "little ship") or Bark of St. Peter, of Old Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, was a large and famous mosaic by Giotto di Bondone that occupied a large part of the wall above the entrance arcade (...) It was almost entirely destroyed during the construction of the new Saint Peter's Basilica in the 17th century, but fragments were preserved from the sides of the composition, and what is effectively a new work, incorporating some original fragments, was restored to a position at the centre of the portico of the new building in 1675."

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Frederick Barbarossa
    On "18 June 1155, Adrian IV crowned Frederick I Holy Roman Emperor at St Peter's Basilica, amidst the acclamations of the German army." (Wikipedia)

    See en.wikipedia.org

Geography
Trivia
History
  • Assassinations
    Numerous famous assassinations (real of suspected), the last one being on May 4 1998, when the head of the Swiss Guard, Alois Estermann, his wife and a vice-corporal, Cedric Tornay, have been found dead killed by shotgun. The circumstances of this killing are still subjected to many speculations.
  • Famous suicides
    Alessandro Benedetti, a young Italian cadet officer of the elite Vatican police force, died of a gunshot wound inflicted by himself in 2007 in the Gendarmes barracks.
  • Medici
    The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, was originally commissioned by Pope Clement VII, born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici.

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Popes
    The Holy See has been the residence of popes since early Christian times
  • Coronation Locations
    (St Peter's Basilica)- Popes until 1963
  • Via Francigena
    St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in Rome holds one of the final destinations of the pilgrimage, the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle. (wiki)
Architecture
Damaged
  • Damaged in World War II
    Bombings of Vatican City occurred twice during World War II. The first occasion was on the evening of 5 November 1943, when a plane dropped bombs on the area south-west of Saint Peter's Basilica, causing considerable damage but no casualties. The second bombing, which affected only the outer margin of the city, was at about the same hour on 1 March 1944, and caused the death of one person and the injury of another.

    See en.wikipedia.org

World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Holy Door
    St. Peter's Basilica: "One of the decorated bronze doors leading from the narthex is the Holy Door, only opened during jubilees."

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Holy Lance
    "A relic described as the Holy Lance in Rome is preserved beneath the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica," (wiki)
  • 12 Apostles
    St Peter was traditionally crucified upside down where the high altar of St Peter's Basilica now stands
  • Religious Relics
    St Peters eg Part of the "True Cross"
  • Cadaver tombs
    Saint Peter's Basilica contains yet another [..], the tomb of Pope Innocent III. (wiki)
  • Eastern Catholic Churches
    St. Stephen of the Abyssinians is Ethiopian Catholic.
  • Religious sites connected to fishermen
    St. Peters's Basilica - Saint Peter was a fisherman from Galilee

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Axis Mundi
    St. Peter's Basilica

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Christian Pilgrimage Sites
    "Site of the tomb of Saint Peter and pilgrimage centre, the Vatican is directly and materially linked with the history of Christianity" (OUV)
  • Tombs of Biblical Figures
    St Peter's Cathedral - St James ("the Less") and St Philip. St Thaddeus is also known as St Jude and his remains are also claimed to be in St Peter's,

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Nunneries
    Mater Ecclesiae "founded by Pope John Paul II in order to have a community of nuns of an enclosed religious order inside Vatican City, who were to pray for the pope in his service to the Catholic Church. This task was, at the beginning, entrusted to the nuns of the Order of St. Clare, better known as the Poor Clares. This assignment, however, was shifted every five years to another female monastic order, who would then occupy the monastery." See -

    See en.wikipedia.org

Human Activity
Constructions
  • Equestrian Statues
    Equestrian of Emperor Constantine I by Bernini (1670) to the north end of the narthex in St. Peter's Basilica; Equestrian of King Charles the Great by Cornacchini (18th century) to the south end of the narthex in St. Peter's Basilica
  • Tunnels
    Passetto di Borgo (1277) - 800 metres Connects Vatican with Castel Sant'Angelo for Popes to escape
  • Cemeteries
    Campo Santo Teutonico

    See de.wikipedia.org

  • Loggia
    Raphael's Loggias
  • Frontier walls
    Vatican City Wall between Italy and Holy See
  • Walled cities
    "a walled enclave within the city of Rome", but it is not entirely surrounded by walls anymore.

    See www.atlasobscura.com

  • Thrones
    "The Chair of Saint Peter, also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, is a relic conserved in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City". "The relic is a wooden throne that tradition claims belonged to the Apostle Saint Peter, the leader of the Early Christians in Rome and first Pope, and which he used as Bishop of Rome. The relic is enclosed in a sculpted gilt bronze casing designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1647 and 1653."

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Sphinx
    At the loggia decoration painted by Rafael
  • Obelisk
    In the middle of St Peter Square: "It is traditionally known as Caligula’s Obelisk as it was Caligula who in 37 A.D took the monument from Alexandria to have it placed in the Circus Caligula ... The Vatican Obelisk was moved to its current location between 1585 and 1586 under Pope Sixtus V "

    See vaticantips.com

  • Railways
    The Holy See has a 300 m long railway with a station (including a 100m "Headshunt" tunnel). Opened in 1934, it was intended for Popes and freight! On Saturdays since 2014 a full day tour includes the Vatican and a tourist train journey from Stazione Città del Vaticano to Alabni Laziale for a visit to the Villa Barbarini (but returning to Roma San Pietro) - the only opportunity to travel on the World's shortest National Railway

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Large squares
    St Peter's Square, 23000 m2
  • Necropolises
    1st century Roman Necropolis
Timeline
  • Built in the 16th century
    St. Peter Basilica reconstructed in 16th century, Last Judgement painting by Michelangelo 1508-1512, influence on art from the 16th century on (AB)
WHS Hotspots
Science and Technology
  • Libraries
    "In 1475, Sixtus IV founded the Vatican Library, which is the first open to the public in Europe; the collections of manuscripts and books, prints, drawings, coins and decorative arts, constantly increased through the centuries, making it an invaluable repository of human culture." (OUV)
  • Universities
    Pontifician Urbaniana University
  • Astronomy and Astrology
    The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest astronomical institutes in the world. In fact, three early observatories were founded by the Papacy: the Observatory of the Roman College (1774-1878), the Observatory of the Capitol (1827-1870), and the Specula Vaticana (1789-1821).
  • Early cartographic representations of the Americas
    Diogo Ribeiro Map (1527) at the Vatican Apostolic Library
Visiting conditions
  • Strict no-photography policy inside
    Sistine Chapel - The Chapel is the only place in the Vatican where photography and filming are completely banned. Undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous buildings, the Sistine Chapel is a testament to the immense skill of history’s greatest artists within the Renaissance era. The real reason for the ban dates back to 1980. During this time, the restoration of the masterpieces within the Chapel was to be completed. Due to the cost of this restoration, the Vatican officials looked to outside companies to fund the project. The request took place, and the highest bidder was the Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan, offering 4 million dollars to restore this great masterpiece. As repayment, the Vatican officials provided the company with the complete rights to the photography and filming of the restored art. This exclusivity on photography was stated to expired three years after each artwork’s restoration was completed, however, the ban is still in place today. Given the damage that a large amount of flash photography can cause these artworks, it is no surprise that the Vatican City officials continued the camera restriction when Nippon’s contract expired.
18
News
greekreporter.com 11/20/2023
Vatican Opens Ancient Roman Necrop…
bbc.com 10/30/2014
Vatican Sistine Chapel gets new li…
telegraph.co.uk 12/24/2012
Sistine Chapel visitors to pass th…
Recent Visitors
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Visitors of Vatican City
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Community Reviews

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First published: 21/05/25.

Jgriffindor6

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Jgriffindor6

I initially thought that I would not be able to add much to the discussion in regards to the sites I visited in April 2025. I mean, what can yet another American tourist say about something as heavily visited as the Vatican? I did decide to visit during the year of the Jubilee, which I thought would add another layer to the experience, at least in an anthropological manner. 

However, the day before I was about to leave, the world received the sad news that Pope Francis had passed away. Even though I am somewhat distant from the faith my parents raised me in, I felt emotions for his passing that I had never really felt for the death of any public figure (except for maybe david bowie, that was pretty rough). Regardless of what faith you do (or don't) follow, I think we can all agree that the late Pope really lived for serving his fellow man. He was a rare example of really practicing what you preach. 

Now that I have gotten my obligatory waxing about Pope Francis out of the way, I can turn to my visit to Vatican City. I started my visit with a trip to the extensive Vatican Museums. Luckily, I preloaded my brain with the information about the artworks I really wanted to see because it was packed with both incredible works of art and a whole bunch of other humans. We started with the Pinacoteca first so we didn't forget …

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First published: 31/07/16.

Jay T

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Jay T

Vatican City is an architectural wonder, a theocracy, a rich repository of art and literature, and the center of the Catholic church; there is a lot packed into the world's smallest nation-state. St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world, and the interior is resplendent in marble and gold trim. The dome is impressive to see from inside the basilica, but I enjoyed the view even more from the tour I took to the top of the dome when I first visited over ten years ago. From the dome you can survey Bernini's masterful design of Saint Peter's Square, as well as the exquisite architecture of Rome spreading over its fabled hills. Nearby is the Vatican Museum with the Sistine Chapel and the wonderful Gallery of Maps, which was as magnificent as I'd heard. I highly recommend a visit to Vatican City on a Wednesday morning, when the pope gives an address to the masses assembled in the square, which are an impressive mixture of clergy, members of religious institutes, and visitors from all over the world. I've heard two different popes speak during my visits, and I'd submit this is about as quintessential a Vatican experience as you can find.

Logistics: Vatican City is an easy walk from downtown Rome, but it can also be reached by the Ottaviano metro station or by the Roma San Pietro railway station.

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First published: 21/12/14.

Hubert

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Hubert

In November 2013, we spent five days in Rome and we scheduled one day for a re-visit of the Vatican City, namely the St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Both sites are crowded with tourists throughout the year, thus I would recommend to purchase the ticket for the museums online and to visit St. Peter's Basilica either early in the morning or in the evening shortly before closing time.

We arrived at St. Peter's Square at quarter to seven. Before entering the basilica you have to pass a security check, similar to the check at an airport. But there are no queues early in the morning, there were only about 20 other people. St. Peter's impresses by its size, the huge dome, the interior decoration, and its famous artworks, it is the centre of Christianity and therefore it should not be missed. But to be honest, I am not very excited about the basilica, there are a lot of cathedrals on the WH list, that impressed me much more. The access to the apse is restricted to guided groups, but we were lucky, the security guard thought that we belong to a group of German tourists, and we were allowed to pass through the barrier. So we could take a closer look at Bernini's baldacchino and the Cathedra Petri. But my favourite work of art in St. Peter's is the Pietá by Michelangelo.

The highlight of our visit to St. Peter's was the dome. It opens at 8 a.m., …

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First published: 07/09/12.

Clyde

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Clyde

I visited this WHS several times. However, the highlight of all my visits was listening to the Pope's Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas Day from St. Peter's Square.

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First published: 17/07/12.

Eric Lurio

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Solivagant

One of the coolest things that a tourist can do is to see an entire foreign country…All of it…From one end of the other.

This is activity that can literally take a lifetime in some cases, and for most of us, that’s just too damn long. So how to choose?

Size matters. It has to be small, real small. So the best place is to start in Rome. The record books state that the City of Rome is home to three countries: Italy, of which it is the capitol, The State of Vatican City, and the embassy of The Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta,

The Knights of Malta’s embassy at Via dei Condotti 68, has official extraterritoriality, which means that, it’s the territory, not of Italy, but of the Knights, which don’t have a country back home like Belize or Monaco and thus, the small palace and it’s courtyard are the whole shebang. They don’t let tourists in, and there’s nothing to actually see except a couple of trees and boring office space.

So that’s why the Vatican’s a must. It’s an official country, and at 0.2 square miles, much of which is dedicated to one of the best museums in the world, is doable, and thanks to the internet, now more than ever.

It used to be that getting a ticket to the garden tour, where you get to hike all the way to the helicopter pad on the western end …

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First published: 14/03/09.

Stewart Ayukawa

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Solivagant

St Peters was extraordinary and arguably as impressive as any architectural feat in Christiandom. Even more special was a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The Renaissance paintings and rooms were breathtaking despite the crowds. Most impressive was a 15th century hand painted translation of Aristotle's 'Poetics'. However, the Museums have an enormous collection of artifacts from Antiquity onwards.

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First published: 15/11/05.

Ian Cade

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Ian Cade

This is the world’s smallest country, however it possesses a wealth of history, art & architectural treasures worthy of even the largest. The creation of the Vatican as it is at the moment mostly goes back to the High Renaissance when many of the commissions were taken up by nothing short of men of genius (Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo and Bernini), a much over used term but here it can be pretty justified.

The central part of the site is St Peters Basilica, it is one of the holiest places in Christendom, destination of one of its three main pilgrimages and is one of its largest cathedrals. I was very impressed, it is massive inside and finely decorated, the dome is huge. Underneath the Basilica sits the crypts with the remains of the popes from St Peter through to John Paul II.

The other main part open to visitors is the Vatican museums. These are very busy and normally have long queues, but I think they are defiantly worth he hassle to get inside. The exhibits are fine but the main draw is the rooms themselves with their immaculate decorations. I really enjoyed the geographical room, and of course the Sistine Chapel, which comes at the end of nearly all the routes. The chapel is one of the highlights of Rome, and impressive despite the huge amount of visitors.

However my favourite single piece of work was Raphael’s ‘School of Athens’ covering a wall in one of the many rooms he …

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First published: 07/06/05.

Ben Pastore

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Solivagant

I'm not Catholic, but it is hard to not be impressed by the lavish wealth and imposing structures amassed by the church and on display. It really is quite a show.

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First published: 01/05/05.

Klaus Freisinger

Vatican City

Vatican City (Inscribed)

Vatican City by Solivagant

Very few World Heritage Sites can claim to take up an entire country (only this one, really), and the Vatican City is an unusual country, to say the very least. You should go there just out of curiosity, even if you are not interested in anything else. The world´s smallest and least populated country, but one that issues its own coins and stamps, has a mercenary army of medieval Guardsmen, a border that is just a line drawn on the ground, and lots of other oddities in this last absolute monarchy in Europe (actually, a theocracy). Apart from all this, two top attractions await visitors: St.Peter´s Cathedral is an immensely big church with many side attractions (St.Peter´s Tomb, star marking the spot where Charlemagne was crowned Emperor in 800, the Pietà) and is usually very crowded (together with the no less magnificent St.Peter´s Square with its colonnades), especially on or around major church holidays. Probably the (even) better attraction is the Vatican Museums, an ensemble of museums, expositions, and collections that could take days to explore. Plus it contains a wonderful highlight - the Sistine Chapel, one of the world´s major masterpieces of art, in which papal elections still take place today. For this room alone, it´s certainly worth to stand in line for a couple of hours to get in. Often overlooked or bypassed, the Castel Sant´Angelo also merits a visit - very fascinating interior!

Even if you are not Christian or not a believer, you can´t fail …

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