Sights and Scenes from the Vatican

Hello, my name is Alec and I am a Junior here at Florida Gulf Coast University. I am a double major in Theatre and Communications, and today for you, I would like to share some interesting sights when visiting Vatican City!

So before we dive into the different areas within the Vatican, I thought it might be important to share a little of its history. Vatican City is an independent city-state that gained its independence from Italy on February 11th, 1929 through the Lateran Treaties. However, long before it ever gained its independence, the land on which the Vatican sits on had always been considered sacred land, as it never was inhabited for a long period of time. Emperor Caligula of Rome had a circus built in AD 40 on the ground of the present day Vatican to honor elders and is commonly referred to as the Circus of Nero. Caligula continued to improve on the lands by taking obelisks from the Egyptians to Rome where they can even be seen today. After Caligula began erecting the obelisks, more and more people began to migrate to the area, and it eventually attracted religious figures. The first palace was built in the 5th Century, and eventually the Vatican began to house the Pope by the year 1870.

Vatican City

After that brief history, this brings us to our first point of interest, the Vatican Obelisk. As mentioned above, the Vatican Obelisk was taken by Caligula from Heliopolis in Egypt to decorate his spina for his circus. What makes this piece so interesting is that it is one of the only found obelisks to not have a form of hieroglyphics engraved on it. It's also the only remaining obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since the Roman Empire. In other words, you can't find a structure like this anywhere else in Rome. Legend has it, that there used to be an old sphere-like vase at the top of the obelisk, and it contained the ashes of Julius Caesar.

The Vatican Obelisk in St. Peter Square

Another one of the most popular sights to see in Vatican City is St. Peter's Basilica. One of the most world-renowned churches in the world, St. Peter's is known for the beautiful monuments and altars that lay within it, and the jaw dropping, domed ceiling at the very top designed by none other than the great Michelangelo. Although this church is stunning, it is in fact not the original, as the first was built on the grounds of the Circus of Nero, where thousands of Christians, including Jesus's disciple Peter, were martyred.

The domed roof of St. Peter's Basilica 

The final sight to see when visiting would be the Vatican Museums. During the time Julius II was Pope, he began collecting multiple different pieces of artwork since he was a patron of famous artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. Because Julius had an immense amount of pictures, he became the founder of Vatican Museums in the 15th Century. Since then, it became the National Museum of Vatican City and is the 5th most visited art gallery in the world.

The Vatican Museums 

These are only a few of the many other sights to see within this small 110 acre piece of land. Not only is Vatican City a great spot to take a couple of pictures or go sight seeing, but it's also a place to learn and gain a deeper knowledge about the Christian faith. Even if you aren't a religious person, taking the time to learn of our past and how Christianity influenced the United States is super important. The land may be small, but the history we as a group can take from this place could actually be very, very big.

Sources:

Vatican. “The Holy See.” Vatican.va, w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html. 

“Guide to the Best Things to See in Vatican City.” As We Saw It, 3 Dec. 2018, www.aswesawit.com/vatican-bucket-list-ideas/.