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A tiny state, a sacred enclave, a place where one can receive a papal blessing. A photo of any sight of the Vatican can convince even the most experienced tourist to go on a trip. Where to go, what to see in the Vatican and get useful recommendations for a trip here – in this article.
What to see first in the Vatican?
Even a preliminary review of the TOP places of this stronghold of Catholicism will not allow you to see everything on your own. A professional guide will help you plan excursions so that you can see the main attractions of the Vatican in the allotted time.
1. Apostolic Palace
Official residence of the Pope
The main official residence of the Roman Pope is represented by a complex of buildings erected at different times. Among them are the most famous sights of the Vatican. If the visit here falls on the weekend, there is a chance to see how the Pope addresses the faithful from the window of his office with the Angelus prayer and a short sermon. It happens every Sunday at noon.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va
2. St. Peter's Cathedral
St. Peter's Basilica is the real heart of the Vatican
Sorting the main sights of the Vatican by importance, one of the first places should be given to this cathedral. Rising to 136 m, it surprises with its size and design. The cathedral owes its magnificent architecture to Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael, Bramante. From the top of the dome there is an amazing view of its interior, decorated with statues of saints, monuments and tombstones.
Official website:http://www.vaticanstate.va
3. St. Peter's Square
Aerial view of St. Peter's Square
Even without deciding in advance what to see in the Vatican in 1 day, you will still get here, because the rating of this place with a pink granite obelisk goes off scale. It is on St. Peter's Square that believers gather in order to receive the blessing of the pope, pray with Catholics around the world or participate in a festive mass.
4. Bernini's Canopy
Bernini's Canopy – a bronze canopy over the altar in the beautiful St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican Jorge Royan
Created by the famous architect Lorenzo Bernini (1624-1633), a special canopy over the altar, called a canopy, is located in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. A huge bronze canopy (ciborium), 29 meters high, is installed directly under a round hole in the top of the dome of the cathedral on four twisted columns, on which statues of angels stand. Many decorative elements of the construction sing of the aristocratic family of Pope Urban VIII, under which the canopy was created. Bernini's masterpiece still amazes all visitors of the cathedral with its luxury and monumentality.
5. Sacred Grottoes
One of the burials in the Sacred Grottoes of the Vatican Abir Anwar
The sacred grottoes of the Vatican are located immediately below St. Peter's Basilica in the central square of the Catholic state. This is a whole system of catacombs and tunnels, numerous chapels, where the tomb with the relics of St. Peter, noble persons and rulers of the Vatican is located.
6. Grotta di Lourde
Artificial cave Grotta di Lourdes Sailko
Not all interesting places in the Vatican are represented by architectural structures. The construction of this artificial cave, deepened in the Vatican Gardens, began at the dawn of the 20th century. Today it is a smaller copy of the Lourdes Grotto in France. Covered with greenery, it attracts a lot of tourists every day.
7. Sistine Chapel
Interior of the dome of the Sistine Chapel
The Last Judgment fresco by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel Alex Proimos
There is hardly a tourist who is unfamiliar with this attraction. Whatever the purpose of the trip, this place is a must to visit. In the middle of the XVI century. complemented by the “Last Judgment” by Michelangelo, the chapel is world famous for its frescoes by the greatest masters: Perugino, Rosselli, Botticelli. Today, conclaves are held here.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.
8. Vatican Gardens
Famous Vatican Gardens
In good weather, nature itself decides what to see in the Vatican. Guides in the Vatican will lead you to this landscaped botanical park, famous for its beauty – you won’t be able to get here without them. In the XVIII century. fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants were grown here, today the plant world on 20 hectares has an exclusively decorative purpose.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va
9. Pinakothek
View from the garden of the Vatican Pinakothek Sailko
The list of the best sights of the Vatican includes the museum's collection of paintings. Founded in the 18th century. Pope Pius VI, the Pinakothek received a separate building in 1932. The collection of paintings owes its prestige and celebrity to the most famous masters of various eras. In 18 rooms, about 400 paintings are arranged in chronological order.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va/
10. Raphael's Stations< /h3>
Raphael's Dguendel Stations
Considering the sights of Rome, it is worth planning a visit to this place. 4 palace rooms are completely painted with frescoes by Raphael from the period 1508-1517. In the hall of Constantine, some images were made after the death of the master by his students. This place deserves the best recommendations from travelers.
11. Villa Pia
Pontifical Academy of Sciences, located in Casino di Pio IV Sailko
Dating from the middle of the 16th century, this building was a summer villa for Popes Pius IV and Paul IV. The structure is beautiful enough: an oval courtyard, planted with greenery, is surrounded by two pavilions and two covered passages. Tourists leave the best reviews about statues, frescoes, amazing floor tiles.
12. Pio Clementino Museum
Museum of Ancient Art Pio Clementino Dguendel
This museum of ancient art occupies a well-deserved place on the list of attractions in the Vatican. Sculptures, mosaics, sarcophagi are presented in its halls. The aim of the creators of the Pius VI and Clement XIV Museum was to store Roman and Greek masterpieces on the grounds of the Belvedere Palace. As the collection was replenished, rooms were added to the museum, the halls were differentiated by theme, and niches were made for the most significant sculptures. Many excursions to the Vatican include visiting it.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va/
13. Borgia Apartments
The martyrdom of St. Sebastian – painting in the Hall of Saints in the Borgia apartments Pinturiccio
It is difficult to make a detailed description of this attraction of the Vatican, it is better to see it once. The walls of the apartments, arranged in a private wing of the Vatican Palace on the floor below Raphael's Stations, are painted with unique frescoes. In addition to 6 rooms with thematic names, the apartment is complemented by a treasury and a papal bedroom.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va/content
14 Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini
Church of Santo Stefano degli Abyssini @@@@@
Any brief overview of local attractions contains information about this church. Thinking about what to visit in the Vatican? Come here! The oldest church that exists here is famous for its 15th-century fresco. “The Virgin and Child” Don't be fooled by the discreet appearance of the façade, flanked by two antique columns: the inside is very beautiful.
15. Swiss Guard
Pontifical Swiss Guard Etxaburu
Today, the guards of the armed forces, the only ones in the Vatican, created at the beginning of the 16th century, participate in diplomatic missions and masses, guard at the entrance to the state, near the cloisters of the pope and the secretary of state. They can be seen on all floors of the Apostolic Palace. The impressive appearance of the guards inspires admiration and respect.
Vatican attractions: what else to visit in the Vatican
The small state is replete with famous objects. The best hotels in the Vatican are always ready to welcome guests who decide to stay here for a couple of days to see as much as possible.
16. Niccolina Chapel
Niccolina Chapel Art Gallery ErgsArt – by ErgSap
This small two-tiered chapel is located in the oldest building of the Apostolic Palace and is considered to be a well-known landmark of the Vatican. By order of Pope Nicholas V, its walls were painted by master Fra Beato Angelico. The motifs of the frescoes, preserved today on three walls, are dedicated to the biographies of St. Lawrence and St. Stephen.
17. Gregorian Etruscan Museum
Gold jewelry at the Jean-Pol GRANDMONT Museum
Not sure where to go in the Vatican during your trip to Italy? This museum is definitely worth visiting. At the time of its opening in 1837, the exposition consisted of finds found ten years earlier in southern Entruria during excavations of ancient settlements. Each of the 22 halls is dedicated to individual exhibits. A marble portrait of Athena, a bronze statue of Mars, jewelry, household items are stored here.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va
18. Pinia's Courtyard
Pinecone Yard
When thinking about what to see in the Vatican, be sure to visit the Pinni Courtyard, which combines the Belvedere and Apostolic Palaces. The place got its second name – Courtyard of the Pine Cone – because of the 4-meter bronze cone crowned with an antique fountain. Its base is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the athletes of ancient Rome. In 1990, a golden installation in the form of a ball 4 m in diameter was installed in the Courtyard.
19. Candelabra Gallery
Tourists in the Jean-Pol GRANDMONT Candelabra Gallery
The Candelabra Gallery is one of the three famous galleries of the Vatican, located in the wing connecting the Apostolic Palace and the Belvedere Palace. In this eighty-meter Gallery, massive marble candelabra (2nd century AD) are installed in the side openings of the arcades, which gave the name to the gallery. The Gallery also displays ancient sarcophagi and Roman copies of ancient Greek statues created in the Hellenistic period.
20. Arazzi Gallery
One of the tapestries depicting gospel scenes in the Arazzi Gallery in the Vatican daryl_mitchell
In the famous Gallery of Tapestries (Arazzi Gallery), 10 Flemish biblical tapestries depicting scenes from the New and Old Testaments, created from drawings by Raphael's students at the Brussels manufactory Pieter van Aelst, are displayed at 100 meters. The Gallery of Tapestries is located in the wing connecting the Belvedere Palace and the Apostolic Palace, immediately behind the Gallery of Candelabra, in front of the Gallery of Maps.
21. Gallery of Maps
maps in the Map Gallery xiquinhosilva
The gallery is a corridor 120 meters long and 6 meters wide, where a magnificent series of frescoes in the form of 40 geographical maps are located. From floor to ceiling, its walls are covered with images of the former possessions of the Catholic Church and the most important regions of Italy during the era of Pope Gregory XIII.
22. Chiaramonti Museum
Exhibits of the Arch Gallery of the Chiaramonti Museum xiquinhosilva
What to visit in the Vatican for connoisseurs of antiquity? The Chiaramonti Museum, founded at the very beginning of the 19th century, is dedicated to ancient sculpture. It consists of 2 halls and a large gallery in the form of a high arch. Works of Greco-Roman art, more than 3 thousand fragments of pagan and Christian inscriptions are exhibited here.
Official website: http://www.vaticanstate.va/conten
23. Leonine Wall
The Wall of Leonidas and the tower of St. John gugganij
Initially, this ancient fortification towered only around the Vatican. After the attack of the Saracens in 846, the construction of the fortification began. As a result, 13 towers were built to defend against enemy attacks. Today, in the oldest part of the Vatican Gardens, you can see the surviving parts of the wall, decorated with Vatican symbols.
24. Vatican Apostolic Library
The Sistine Room of the Vatican Library de:User:Maus-Trauden
Founded in the 15th century, the Apostolic Library of the Vatican stores more than 1.5 million books, a myriad of engravings, manuscripts, coins, incunabula. On its territory there is a school for teaching librarianship, collection items are restored in the local laboratory. The library's collections are replenished even today.
25. Gregorian Egyptian Museum
Ushabti figurines of the Gregorian Egyptian Museum Bj.schoenmakers
The foundation of this museum with a unique collection of archaeological artifacts dates back to 1839 year. In 9 halls, along with exhibits of ancient Egyptian culture, finds of ancient Syria and Mesopotamia are presented. Bronze and clay items (4th-2nd centuries BC), Islamic and Christian ceramics, mummies, painted sarcophagi are presented here.
Official website: http: //www.vaticanstate.va/
As the experience of experienced travelers testifies, the sights of Italy, in particular, Rome, do not exist without the Vatican. Without visiting this “state within a state”, the impression of the eternal city will be incomplete.
