I booked an all day tour of the Vatican. I walked for an hour to get to the Vatican at 8:30 and we spent 3 hours going through the Vatican museums and St. Peter's Basilica. Then we got some time to get lunch on our own then in the afternoon we went to the other three Papal Basilicas. Long day but great! I learned so much and tried to take notes on my phone, but there was just so much! I will do my best to give you important information.
So Vatican city is the 13th country I've been to! It is also the smallest country in the world. You can walk around it quickly. 0.44 K It has 900 citizens - all people who work for the pope or who are diplomats etc. The military- they basically just guard the pope - is Swiss guards - they have to be Catholic and really tall. They wear the same uniforms they did 500 years ago. About 2000 Italians work for the Vatican and it is a coveted job. Italians pay 55% tax plus sales tax etc. If they work for the Vatican - which is another country - they don't have to pay Italian taxes. Much like me working overseas. Vatican City has no income tax or Sales tax. They make 65 million Euro in money from museum tickets - they also get a lot of money in donations. The US catholic church give 30% of the donations. Souveneirs were cheaper in VC because of no sales tax.
It is a monarchy - the pope is king, but he is a king that is elected. When the current pope dies a group of cardinals lock themselves up in the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope out of a pool of candidates. They cannot leave until one is elected. I guess sometimes it would take weeks or months, so now they only give them enough food for 8 or so days. When I mean locked in, I mean locked in. Absolutely no contact with the outside world. If a cardinal has a hear attack or something in there, the room cannot be opened for medical care unless a pope has been elected. I guess there is a short list of people and they know who they are. Once they are elected they cannot turn it down because it is God ordained. Only one man in history refused to be put in the pool of candidates. There is a room off the side of the chapel called the "room of tears". I guess every pope has cried when he was elected because this is the job he will have until the day of his death - there is no hope for any other life. The emerge from there and have to go to the San Giovanni in Laterano Basilica/Cathedral and sit on the seat and conduct Mass there. THEN he is pope. I always thought the words Basilica and Cathedral were synonyms for church. Not true. Basilica is just a certain shape of building - many other types of buildings were basilicas in ancient times. Cathedrals are churches that are the seat of the bishop in a diocese. So there is one cathedral in each diocese. The pope is also the Bishop of Rome and this St. John church is the Cathedral of the diocese. Interesting.
We went to all the Vatican museums - it would probably mean a lot more to an art major or architecture person - me I just looked at all the pretty things and said wow and then went on with my day :) The guide explained all kinds of things about the art, artists, styles, architecture etc. It was really fascinating. There were paintings, sculptures, frescos, tapestries etc. Each time a pope came in they would bring in different art and make new rules etc. Pope Pius is the one responsible for saying that Mary was born without original sin. He also had a problem with all the naked statutes other popes had allowed. He took a hammer and broke all the Penises off the statues. Then he kept them in boxes!!! The penises have not been reattached because it is difficult to tell which belongs to whom :) We could take pictures of everything but the Sistine Chapel. Apparently a Japanese company paid for the cleaning of the art in 1980 or something $100 million or so. In return they wanted the rights to the art - which they have for 10 more years. So if you go back after 2023 you can take pictures. It was horrible the way people were taking pictures anyway and getting yelled at by the guards and ruining the peaceful atmosphere. It was fascinating they way he depicted all the Bible stories. It was smaller than I thought it would be.
We went to St. Peter's Basilica and saw St. Peter's Square. No building in Rome can be taller than St. Peter's dome. Only the pope can give Mass in the center with the big alter. There are chapels off to the side where regular Masses can be given. They were preparing the big part for Mass on Sunday Jan 6th - the Epiphany. Just like the other three papal basilicas I will tell you about later, this one has a papal door in the center that only the pope can go through so it is closed most of the time. and on the right is the holy door (on the Mary church it is on the left). These doors are only open once every 25 years. So they will be open on Christmas eve 2024 and will close on Christmas Eve 2025. They are open for a year and pilgrims from all over the world come. If you walk through the holy doors on all four papal basilicas your sins will be forgiven. Um. Isn't the whole point of being a Christian and following Christ is that He forgives your sins? This kind of craziness is why I left the Catholic church. Anyway the doors are beautiful albeit weird. The church is built over st. Peter's grave - he was the first pope. The church started out well - we know Peter loved Jesus and founded the church on good status. It was the weird power they gave popes later and how they were allowed to just decide things whether it said so in the Bible or not.
We went to "st. Paul's outside the walls" San Paolo Fuori le Mura - the church was build outside Roman City walls. It was less ornate than the others - quiet and beautiful. Most on the tour loved this one more than the others. We learned that when you see statutes Peter is always the one with keys in his hand - gold the key to Heaven and Silver the key to Earth. Paul always has a sword.
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The we went to St. John's. San Giovanni in Laterano - most important church in Catholocism because this is the seat of the Bishop and sitting her is what makes him pope.
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The oldest obelisque in the world sits outside this church - 36 centuries old. It was brought over from Egypt. The Holy Stairs are in a building nearby the church. They are the marble stairs that used to lead to Pontious Pilate. You have to climb them on your knees and the guide said they are covered with different material and you can see the original marble through slats. she said no one is Holy enough to walk on the stairs He walked on. Weird. I've been to Jerusalem twice and you can walk all over where He walked, touch stones and trees that He probably touched. Walk the Via Dolorosa. It doesn't get much more holy ground than that.
The last church we went to was Santa Maria Maggiore - a papal church dedicated to Mary. It's holy door is on the left and they actually had to label it. People that come on the Jubilee year to walk through the doors to get their sins forgiven were walking through the right door - which is the holy door in the other three basilicas and were *gasp* not getting their sins removed.
This church is right next to my hotel so it was great to end there :)
So Vatican city is the 13th country I've been to! It is also the smallest country in the world. You can walk around it quickly. 0.44 K It has 900 citizens - all people who work for the pope or who are diplomats etc. The military- they basically just guard the pope - is Swiss guards - they have to be Catholic and really tall. They wear the same uniforms they did 500 years ago. About 2000 Italians work for the Vatican and it is a coveted job. Italians pay 55% tax plus sales tax etc. If they work for the Vatican - which is another country - they don't have to pay Italian taxes. Much like me working overseas. Vatican City has no income tax or Sales tax. They make 65 million Euro in money from museum tickets - they also get a lot of money in donations. The US catholic church give 30% of the donations. Souveneirs were cheaper in VC because of no sales tax.
It is a monarchy - the pope is king, but he is a king that is elected. When the current pope dies a group of cardinals lock themselves up in the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope out of a pool of candidates. They cannot leave until one is elected. I guess sometimes it would take weeks or months, so now they only give them enough food for 8 or so days. When I mean locked in, I mean locked in. Absolutely no contact with the outside world. If a cardinal has a hear attack or something in there, the room cannot be opened for medical care unless a pope has been elected. I guess there is a short list of people and they know who they are. Once they are elected they cannot turn it down because it is God ordained. Only one man in history refused to be put in the pool of candidates. There is a room off the side of the chapel called the "room of tears". I guess every pope has cried when he was elected because this is the job he will have until the day of his death - there is no hope for any other life. The emerge from there and have to go to the San Giovanni in Laterano Basilica/Cathedral and sit on the seat and conduct Mass there. THEN he is pope. I always thought the words Basilica and Cathedral were synonyms for church. Not true. Basilica is just a certain shape of building - many other types of buildings were basilicas in ancient times. Cathedrals are churches that are the seat of the bishop in a diocese. So there is one cathedral in each diocese. The pope is also the Bishop of Rome and this St. John church is the Cathedral of the diocese. Interesting.
We went to all the Vatican museums - it would probably mean a lot more to an art major or architecture person - me I just looked at all the pretty things and said wow and then went on with my day :) The guide explained all kinds of things about the art, artists, styles, architecture etc. It was really fascinating. There were paintings, sculptures, frescos, tapestries etc. Each time a pope came in they would bring in different art and make new rules etc. Pope Pius is the one responsible for saying that Mary was born without original sin. He also had a problem with all the naked statutes other popes had allowed. He took a hammer and broke all the Penises off the statues. Then he kept them in boxes!!! The penises have not been reattached because it is difficult to tell which belongs to whom :) We could take pictures of everything but the Sistine Chapel. Apparently a Japanese company paid for the cleaning of the art in 1980 or something $100 million or so. In return they wanted the rights to the art - which they have for 10 more years. So if you go back after 2023 you can take pictures. It was horrible the way people were taking pictures anyway and getting yelled at by the guards and ruining the peaceful atmosphere. It was fascinating they way he depicted all the Bible stories. It was smaller than I thought it would be.
We went to St. Peter's Basilica and saw St. Peter's Square. No building in Rome can be taller than St. Peter's dome. Only the pope can give Mass in the center with the big alter. There are chapels off to the side where regular Masses can be given. They were preparing the big part for Mass on Sunday Jan 6th - the Epiphany. Just like the other three papal basilicas I will tell you about later, this one has a papal door in the center that only the pope can go through so it is closed most of the time. and on the right is the holy door (on the Mary church it is on the left). These doors are only open once every 25 years. So they will be open on Christmas eve 2024 and will close on Christmas Eve 2025. They are open for a year and pilgrims from all over the world come. If you walk through the holy doors on all four papal basilicas your sins will be forgiven. Um. Isn't the whole point of being a Christian and following Christ is that He forgives your sins? This kind of craziness is why I left the Catholic church. Anyway the doors are beautiful albeit weird. The church is built over st. Peter's grave - he was the first pope. The church started out well - we know Peter loved Jesus and founded the church on good status. It was the weird power they gave popes later and how they were allowed to just decide things whether it said so in the Bible or not.
We went to "st. Paul's outside the walls" San Paolo Fuori le Mura - the church was build outside Roman City walls. It was less ornate than the others - quiet and beautiful. Most on the tour loved this one more than the others. We learned that when you see statutes Peter is always the one with keys in his hand - gold the key to Heaven and Silver the key to Earth. Paul always has a sword.
+11.jpg)
The we went to St. John's. San Giovanni in Laterano - most important church in Catholocism because this is the seat of the Bishop and sitting her is what makes him pope.
+in+Laterano+a+papal+basilica.+seat+the+new+pope+has+to+sit+on+and+do+Mass+to+become+Pope.jpg)
The oldest obelisque in the world sits outside this church - 36 centuries old. It was brought over from Egypt. The Holy Stairs are in a building nearby the church. They are the marble stairs that used to lead to Pontious Pilate. You have to climb them on your knees and the guide said they are covered with different material and you can see the original marble through slats. she said no one is Holy enough to walk on the stairs He walked on. Weird. I've been to Jerusalem twice and you can walk all over where He walked, touch stones and trees that He probably touched. Walk the Via Dolorosa. It doesn't get much more holy ground than that.
The last church we went to was Santa Maria Maggiore - a papal church dedicated to Mary. It's holy door is on the left and they actually had to label it. People that come on the Jubilee year to walk through the doors to get their sins forgiven were walking through the right door - which is the holy door in the other three basilicas and were *gasp* not getting their sins removed.
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