The State has its own currency and issues its own postage stamps. With the exception of its gold  and silver coins, Vatican coins, have legal tender even in Italy and in all other countries, by virtue of the Monetary Agreement with the Italian State, on behalf of the European Community, dated 29 December 2000.

The Agreement gave Vatican City State the right to use the Euro as its own official currency, as of 1 January 1999. The State regulated the exercise of this right, with Vatican Law No. CCCLVII of 26 July 2001.

As Vatican City State does not have a proper institute that can issue its own metallic coins, it has made a commitment to have them minted in Italy, by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (Poligraphic Institute and State Mint) – to a maximum value, which is currently set at one million Euro per year.

In 1996, in light of the Jubilee of 2000, Vatican City returned to minting gold coins, which had been regularly issued every year from 1929 to 1959. This continued even after the Jubilee and still continues with a yearly mint release.

The issuing of postage stamps is not subject to special limitations, except for those established by postal regulations, in accordance with Agreements with the Italian State, and with those enshrined by International Agreements to which Vatican City State has subscribed.

The Pontifical Flag or the Flag of Vatican City is made of a two-coloured banner, consisting in yellow (towards the hoist) and white, with crossed keys surmounted by the papal Tiara in the centre. The top of the flagpole has a spear decorated with a cockade in the same two colours of the flag, trimmed with gold tassels.

In the past, the flag of the Papal States was yellow and red (to be precise reddish rose, the colours of the Holy See’s coat of arms), the two colours that were traditionally used by the Roman Senate and the people of Rome. They were substituted with white and yellow in 1808, when Pius VII ordered his Noble Guard and the other armed corps that had remained loyal to him, to adopt a new cockade with the said colours, to distinguish them from the remaining troops that had been incorporated into the French army, who were permitted by General Sestio A. F. Miollis to use their old cockade.

It was hoisted for the first time by the Marina Mercantile (Merchant Navy). However, the oldest Pontifical flag in yellow and white hails back to 1824, but the two colours were divided diagonally. They were later arranged vertically at the request of Pius IX, who upon his return from exile in Gaeta, also replaced the three-coloured band on the hoist side (red, white and green), added in 1848, with the papal coat of arms. It was only after the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy on 11 February 1929, that the Pontifical flag took on the appearance it has today, the flag of a foreign State which enjoys the same protection given to all others (Article 299 of the Italian Penal Code). The modern flag was hoisted for the first time on 8 June 1929.

One should not confuse the Pontifical flag with the Banner of the Holy Roman Church, a symbol of her spiritual sovereignty over the whole world. The Banner of the Holy Roman Church consisted in a red cloth, with an image of Saint Peter, that was sometimes accompanied by the image of Saint Paul. The images were substituted with the emblem of the crossed keys surmounted by a white cross, at the request of Innocent III ((1198-1216), who explained the reason behind the change in a written account.

During the Pontificate of Boniface VIII (1294-1303), the Banner of the Holy Roman Church took on the appearance that it still has today: a banner made of crimson silk, sprinkled with numerous symmetrically-arranged six-pointed stars, embroidered with gold, bearing the symbolic crossed keys in the centre, surmounted by a conopaeum or a sinnicchio (pavilion), ending in a two-point pennant, each point decorated with a golden bow. The banner was attached to a long golden pole, hollowed out at the handle and topped by a small metallic spear, hung with golden tassels. The Banner of the Holy Roman Church accompanied the Pontiff when he travelled and during important religious and civil solemnities (Corpus Christi processions, papalpossessions, solemn cavalcades) and was carried into battle by troops, including at the Crusades and Lepanto.

The two mosaic frames on the sides of the rebuilt Triclinium Leoninum (1743) depict the oldest image of the Banner. They faithfully depict the original mosaics of the 8th and 9th century. The left mosaic shows “Jesus Christ giving the keys to Pope Saint Sylvester and the Banner to Constantine”. The mosaic on the right shows “Saint Peter giving the pallium to Leo III and the Banner to Charlemagne. There are also various paintings that show the Banner hoisted beside the papal throne.

Both in times of war and in times of peace, protection of the Banner of the Holy Roman Church was entrusted to persons of high rank, who assumed the title and the task of “Bearer of the Banner of the Holy Roman Church”, also known as Gonfalonier of the Church. And because this position was a great honour, perhaps the greatest that popes could confer on a layperson, it was often reserved for Kings, like James II the Just (1264-1327), the King of Sardinia and Corsica, who received the title from Boniface VIII, Ladislaus the Magnanimous, (1376-1414), King of Naples and Sicily and King of Hungary, who was appointed by Innocent VII.

Among the illustrious people who were honoured with the position, are also Louis Dauphin of France, who was appointed by Eugene IV (1431-47);  Francesco Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, appointed by Julius II at the start of the 1500’s; Odoardo Farnese, fifth Duke of Parma and Piacenza, who was appointed by Gregory XV (1621-23); Carlo Barberini who was appointed by his brother, Urban VIII (1623-44), and following his death in 1630, Torquato Conti, Duke of Guadagnolo. Innocent XI (1676-89) appointed Giovanni Battista Naro (Marquis) as Gonfalonier with the right to pass the title to all the firstborn sons in his family. When the Naro family died out, the title passed to the Patrizi Montoro who also inherited the Naro family estate.

Emphasizing the importance of the dignity of the Bearer of the Banner of the Holy Roman Church, at the beginning of his pontificate, Clement XI (1700-21) ordered that during solemn cavalcades, the bearer should be escorted by two captains of the Cavalleggeri, (cavalry) in response to protests that had arisen regarding those who wished to honour the Banner of the Holy Roman Church and not the bearer. When Pius VII instituted the new corps of the Pontifical Noble Guard in 1801, to replace the dissolved Cavalleggeri, the Bearer of the Banner was made part of the Guard and given the rank of Lieutenant General, taking his place in between two Captains of the same Guard, during cavalcades, as tradition warranted.. The final pontifical act of benevolence in favour of the Bearer of the Banner of the Holy Roman Church was that of Pius IX. He ordered that the bearer, who wore a decorative special badge with the word Vexillifer, around his neck, should always be a member of the Cameriere segreti.

Vatican City State as a universally recognized sovereign entity under International Law, not only has its own flag but also has its official anthem, which, as ordered by Pius XII on 16 October 1949, is the Pontifical March composed by the renowned French musician and ardent Catholic, Charles Gounod (1818-1893), who was well known for his musical compositions, in particular for the Opera, Faust, and for the most wonderful and sweet Ave Maria.

Previous official anthem

In the past, each Corps of the dissolved Pontifical army had its own musical band that participated in parades and solemn celebrations. They were mostly groups of young people, not always properly enrolled, and usually the children of soldiers under the age of 20, some of whom were chosen at the age of 14 to serve as student trumpeters and student drummers. They had a special badge on their uniforms with a golden replica of the instrument they played. Prints from the 19th century show that the musicians had a silver lyre embroidered on two opposing sides of their collar. The banner donated by Pius VII to the Noble Guard depicts among other things, two intertwined trumpets. The 1856 Regulation for the activities and manoeuvres of the Pontifical Troops, specifically outlined the position of the drums, the trumpets and musical concert.

The Pontifical Gendarmerie also had a well-known musical band directed by Maestro Roland, which was well received at all civil events. By 12 April 1871, when the Gendarmerie was created from the original corps, there were  already 14 trumpeters on horseback and as many drummers on foot. The band was dissolved after the Roman events of 1870, and re-established in 1904 with 28 members.

The Regulation, which had become obsolete, had set forth rules for military honours. When His Holiness passed by, the troops bent their knee, and trumpets and drums played the Pontifical Anthem. For Cardinals and Principi Assistenti al Soglio (Princes Assistant to the throne), the troops presented their arms as the band played the Field March. The Prelati di Fiocchietto and ministers were also presented arms, but no drums or trumpets was played. The troops simply stood to attention. Military music, which later became only ceremonial, thus has a long tradition at the Vatican.

The official anthem of the Vatican has existed since 1857. It was composed by Maestro Viktorin Hallmayr (1831-1872), Director of the Band of the XXXXVII Line Infantry Regiment (Count Kinsky Regiment) of the Austrian unit of the Pontifical State, stationed in Rome. This is the music that played through the streets of the Capital immediately after the Conciliation of 1929. It was performed for the first time on 9 June 1857 at 7:00 p.m., as Pope Pius IX entered Bologna from Porta Maggiore. The Triumphal March of Hallmayr immediately took on the name, Pontifical Anthem, as there had not been an official anthem of the Pontifical State until then.

The notes of the anthem, which had been so well-received, were played again the same day in Piazza San Petronio in front of the Legate’s Palace, where a stage had been set up for the Holy Father. Reports of the time, say the music performed by the 9th and 22nd Regiment of Austrian Hunters, along with the Band of the 1st Pontifical line Regiment, had been a great success. It was chosen as the music that accompanied the Pope’s entire journey, from Ferrara to Ravenna, from Modena to Florence, where it was performed jointly in Piazza della Signoria by eight Bands under the direction of Maestro Matiozzi, and lastly in Rome, on the Sovereign’s return on 5 September 1857. It was adopted by the Band of the Palatine Honour Guard and the Secretariat of State established to use Hallmayr’s anthem as the Pontifical Anthem.

Current Pontifical Anthem

The music of the current Pontifical Anthem was composed by Goundot in filial devotion to the Pope, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Coronation of His Holiness, Pius IX. The Pontifical March was performed for the first time in the afternoon of 11 April 1869 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Pope’s ordination to the priesthood. On that day, a great crowd had assembled in Saint Peter’s Square to listen to the extraordinary concert of seven Pontifical musical bands, belonging to as many papal corps and regiments stationed in Rome (The Pontifical Gendarmerie was directed by Maestro Roland, the Line Regiments by Maestro Baffo, the Hunters by Maestro Pezzina, the Papal Zouaves by Maestro Willimburg, foreign Carabinieri and the Roman Legion by Maestro Angelini, Dragoni Regiment), accompanied by a choir of more than 1,000 soldiers, to honour the Supreme Pontiff after the morning’s solemnities in the Vatican Basilica. Goundot’s Pontifical March was so well received that it was performed several times that afternoon, as reported in L’Osservatore Romano the following day.

Pius IX who had already received messages of congratulations from diplomatic representatives of various countries in the morning, in the presence of some 5,000 faithful inside the Vatican Basilica, responded to the cheers of the crowd that had assembled in the Square, by appearing at the central loggia. When the Pope appeared, the seven bands lined on the steps started to play Hallmayr’s old Triumphal March, the official Pontifical Anthem. They began the concert by performing the anthem, which the previous day’s edition of the Vatican newspaper, had described as  the “new anthem composed specifically for the occasion by Maestro Gounod with a of 1,000 of our soldiers”. To say that the new composition was a great success is to say the very least. L’Osservatore Romano of 12 April 1869 reported that the “music was played several times”.

It was played very often after that day, and was well-known for its grandiosity and its solemn almost liturgical pace. However, it did not become the Pontifical Anthem until 81 years later, although there had been hopes it would have occurred earlier.

Gounod’s Pontifical Anthem, which was officially adopted on the eve of the Holy Year of 1950, is quite different from Hallmayr’s composition, which was composed in the style of the time and had a vivacious and lively rhythm, vivace and brioso , like a waltz. Pius XII decided to substitute the official hymn in use until then, with the never-forgotten Pontifical March of Gounod, with its religious tone that was deemed to be more appropriate for our times. The music was performed for the first time as the new official Pontifical Anthem during an austere ceremony on Saturday 24 December 1949. It was both Christmas eve and the day of the opening of the Holy Year of 1950, when as if to mark the transition, the old anthem was played in San Damaso courtyard by the musical Band of the Palatine Honor Guard (later dissolved by Paul VI along with all the other Vatican armed corps, with the exception of the Pontifical Swiss Guard), after an order was read out communicating the replacement of the anthem.

Nowadays, even though it is no longer performed by the dissolved glorious Palatine Honor Guard, but by members of the current civilian band, Gounod’s Pontifical Anthem is well-known throughout the world and is played on the most solemn occasions of the life of the State, during ceremonies in which the Supreme Pontiff or his representative is present.

The Pontifical Anthem is also played when the Vatican Flag is solemnly hoisted. It is played in its entirety, only in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament, of the Holy Father or when officially receiving foreign Heads of State, when it is played alongside the national anthem of their respective countries. The anthem is also played when the Pope makes an Apostolic Journey to another country, or when a Pontifical Legate is officially received in a foreign country. Only the first eight bars are played in the presence of the State’s flag. When honours are performed by the armed corps, the anthem is preceded by three calls to attention.

It is worthwhile to highlight that the Pontifical Anthem cannot be called a national anthem: the words of Maestro Antonio Allegra (1905-1969) and of Maestro Raffaello Lavagna (1905-1969) speak to the hearts of those who, all over the world, consider Rome to be the See of Peter.

The composition and musical characteristics that make Gounod’s Pontifical Anthem so famously evocative, were described by Maestro Antonino De Luca (1910-1977), Director of the Palatine Honor Guard, in Vita Palatina in February 1950 with the following words: “Gounod’s Pontifical March, which reveals the vigorous personality of the composer of Faust, is a composition of majestic pace. The first part, in F Major, starts with a spot-on trumpet blast, which is joined by the full orchestra to indicate and emphasize the atmosphere of serene greatness. The second part instead, is in contrast with the first part: at its core, there is a new profoundly religious feeling that comes from a sense of superiority of spirit. The third part begins with a fortissimo, which indicates an almost imperial detachment from any earthly concern”.

The Sung text of the Pontifical Anthem

Monsignor Antonio Allegra, one of the organists of the Basilica of Saint Peter, composed an Italian text to accompany the anthem, on the occasion of the return to Gounod’s anthem in 1949. It is now usually sung and begins with the words “Immortal Rome, of martyrs and saints”.

Oddly, the Vatican’s official anthem never had Latin words. To be sung by all the world’s faithful, irrespective of national languages, Latin lyrics were later added to Gounod’s Pontifical Anthem. Starting with the words, “O felix Roma - o Roma nobilis”, they were written by Monsignor Raffaello Lavagna from Savoia, who was inspired by Saint Peter’s words in the Bible. It was performed for the first time in private by the Iubilate Deo Choir directed by Sister Dolores Aguirre on 15 June 1991 in the presence of the Holy Father, during his visit to Vatican Radio’s transmission centre of Santa Maria di Galera, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of Vatican Radio. The first public performance was performed in the Paul VI Hall by the choir and orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk from Leipzig on 16 October 1993, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the election of John Paul II and the 100th anniversary of the death of Charles Gounod.

Sheet music for fanfare, orchestra, piano and choir

In addition to the usual transcriptions for fanfare, (the arrangements most often performed by musical  bands during pontifical ceremonies are from S.P. van Leeuwen, Reginaldo Caffarelli and Antonio De Luca), Maestro Alberico Vitalini of Vatican Radio wrote reductions of the Pontifical Anthem for orchestra, piano and choir. The music was also recorded by Vitalini and distributed by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, along with the compositions Tu es Petrus, Christus Vincit and the Sound of the Bells of Saint Peter.

Laws and regulations are issued by the Supreme Pontiff, and on his behalf by the Pontifical Commission of Vatican City State, which also promulgates general regulations. Both are published in a special annex of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis,the Official Bulletin of the Holy See.

The executive function is exercised by the Cardinal President of the Pontifical Commission of Vatican City State, who in this capacity, assumes the title of “President of the Governorate”.

The President of the Governorate cooperates closely with the General Secretary and with the Vice General Secretary.

The Directorates and the Central Offices, which are part of the organizational structure of the Governorate, are subject to the President.

In drafting laws and in other matters of special importance, the Pontifical Commission and the President of the Governorate are assisted by the General Councillor and by the Councillors of the State.

The Fundamental law of the Vatican City State of 13 May 2023 defines legislative and executive functions as follows:

“LEGISLATIVE FUNCTION”

ARTICLE 7

The legislative function, except in cases that the Supreme Pontiff intends to reserve to himself, is exercised by the Pontifical Commission of Vatican City State.

ARTICLE 8

1.The Pontifical Commission is composed of Cardinals, including the President and other members, appointed by the Supreme Pontiff for a five year term.

2. When the President is absent or otherwise hindered, the Pontifical Commission is presided over first by the member with seniority of appointment, and then by the eldest.

ARTICLE 9

1.The Pontifical Commission exercises the powers attributed to it, in compliance with the laws and other normative provisions.

2. The meetings of the Pontifical Commission are convened and presided over by the President. The General Secretary and the Vice General Secretary of the Governorate, participate in an advisory capacity. Members of the bodies of the State, of the Institutions of the Roma Curia and other experts may be consulted.
3. The Pontifical Commission regulates its own functioning with specific regulation.

ARTICLE 10

1.The Pontifical Commission approves laws and other normative provisions. In developing projects, it is assisted by the Councillors of the State, by the Legal Office of the Governorate and other experts.

2. Before promulgation, the laws approved by the Pontifical Commission are submitted to the Supreme Pontiff for consideration.
3. The authentic interpretation of the laws of the State is reserved to the Pontifical Commission.

4.The Pontifical Commission issues general regulation in matters that are not reserved to the law or for the regulation of matters for which the law refers to regulations, establishing their principles.

ARTICLE 11

1.The President of the Pontifical Commissions may issue ordinances, decrees, and other provisions, in implementing legislative or regulatory provisions.

2. In cases of urgent necessity, the President can issue decrees having the force of law which, however, lose their effectiveness if they are not converted into law by the Pontifical Commission within 90 days of publication.

Article 12

1.The General Councillor and the Councillors of the State are appointed by the Supreme Pontiff for a five-year term and constitute the College. They also carry out advisory functions in drafting laws, other legal provisions and executive functions, on an individual basis.

2.The General Councillor organizes the activities of the College of Councillors of the State and presides over its meetings.

3. The President of the Governorate may submit the request of an opinion concerning a legal doubt that does not require authentic interpretation, to the College, also at the request of an institution of the Holy See. These opinions can take the form of statements or explanatory notes.

ARTICLE 13

1.The budget and final balance are decided annually by the Pontifical Commission, in compliance with accounting rules, with acts having the force of law. The Commission also decides on a three-year financial plan. These are all submitted directly to the Supreme Pontiff for approval.

2. The budget must ensure a balance of income and expenditure and be inspired by principles of clarity, transparency and correctness.
3. In case of need, the President can decree transfers of resources between the chapters of the budget, maintaining the balance of payments and taking into account their sustainability over time.

ARTICLE 14

The budget is subject to the control and audit of a College, made up of three members, appointed for a three-year term by the Pontifical Commission, to which it reports.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

Article 15

1. The President of the Pontifical Commission is the President of the Governorate and exercises the executive function in accordance with the laws and other normative provisions.
2. The President avails himself of the Governorate, whose governing bodies and organizations contribute to the exercise of the executive function of the State in the areas mentioned in Article 4.
3. Issues of greater importance are submitted by the President, according to their importance, to the Supreme Pontiff or to the examination of the Pontifical Commission.

ARTICLE 16

1. The General Secretary assists the President in the exercise of his functions.
2. In the event of absence or impediment, he replaces the President, except in the duties of issuing provisions having the force of law and adopting other normative provisions.
3. The General Secretary represents the State when it is required by laws or regulations or by delegation of the President. He oversees the execution of laws and the adoption of other normative provisions and implements the decisions and directives of the President.

ARTICLE 17

The Vice General Secretary cooperates with the President and the General Secretary , performs the other functions attributed to him, supervises the preparation and drafting of deeds and correspondence, and replaces the General Secretary in case of absence or impediment or by delegation of the same.

ARTICLE 18

1. It is the specific and exclusive competence of the State to ensure the equipment, infrastructure, services and supplies, pursuant to Article 6 of the Lateran Treaty, for its own needs and those of the Holy See.

2. The Governorate is responsible for their acquisition, distribution and their disbursement to the institutions of the State and of the Holy See.

ARTICLE 19

1. The organization and functions of the Governorate are governed by the Law on Government and by regulations adopted by the Pontifical Commission or by its President.
2. The Governorate, and its administrative structure, has as its own and exclusive task, the provision of the following, as mentioned in Article 4:
3. a) security, public order and civil protection;
4. b) the protection of health, healthcare, public hygiene, the environment and ecology;
5. c) economic activities, postal, philatelic and customs services;
6. d) any connectivity and network infrastructure, building activity, technical, plumbing, electrical systems and their surveillance and maintenance;
7. e) the conservation, enhancement and use of the artistic complex of the Vatican Museums, as well as the supervision of the assets of the entire artistic, historical, archaeological and ethnographic patrimony;
8. f) any other function required by law or by other regulatory provisions.

ARTICLE 20

In addition to availing himself of the Gendarmerie Corps for security and police purposes, the President of the Governorate, can request the assistance of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

In ancient times, the word Vatican referred to the swampy area on the right bank of the Tiber River, including the area between Ponte Milvio and today’s Ponte Sisto.

During the royal period and throughout the Republican Age, the territory was known as Ager Vaticanus and stretched as far north as the Mouth of the Cremera, and as far south as the Janiculum Hill. The earliest records of the use of the word Vaticanum to refer to the area that roughly corresponds to today’s Vatican City State, date back to the 2nd century A.D., in the Imperial Age. In the Roman era, the area outside the city of Rome was reclaimed and villas began to appear, among them the gardens of Agrippina, mother of Caligula (37-41 A.D.), as well as a vast necropolis  along its main arterial roads. Caligula had a small circus built in his mother’s gardens, as a training site for charioteers (Gaianum). Later renovated by Nero (54-68 A.D.), tradition says it was the place where Saint Peter was martyred during the great persecution of Christians in 64 A.D.

Several clusters of tombs were found along Via Trionfale that leads north from the Basilica of Saint Peter towards Monte Mario, and a necropolis was discovered along Via Cornelia leading west, in which the tomb of the Apostle Peter was found. The presence of Peter established the topographic fulcrum of the area, and since then and for two whole millennia, it remains one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites. Indeed, spurred by the desire to be close to Saint Peter, many ended up being buried close to him. The Necropolis was buried during the construction of the Basilica dedicated to the Apostle, built by Emperor Constantine (306-337 A.D.) which defined later developments in the area. After the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. with which he granted Christians the freedom to practice their religion, some time around 324 A.D., Emperor Constantine started the construction of a large church with five naves, a transept and a terminal apse, at the centre of which, lay the tomb of Saint Peter. It included a stairwell and a quadriporticus, which the non-baptized could not enter.

In the meantime, Nero’s circus fell into ruins, many of its stones having been removed for use in the construction of the new church, which did not take long to become a new source of attraction to the city Years later, Leo IV (847-855) chose the same site, in memory of Peter, to build the first walls of the civitas, which became known as Leonine, the spiritual heart of Rome throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Despite the fact that the popes still lived in the Lateran Palace, buildings began to be appear in the area adjacent to Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Middle Ages. The first palace was completed in the Middle ages, during the Pontificates of Eugene III (1145-1153) and Innocent III (1198-1216), and expanded between the end of the 1200s and the early 1300s, when the Leonine Walls underwent restoration works. However, in 1309, the Papal See was moved to Avignon and both Rome and the Basilica of Saint Peter were abandoned for over a century. It took 50 years from the Pope’s return in 1377, to polish up the city. By the mid-1400s, the idea of an integral reconstruction of Saint Peter’s Basilica began to surface.

Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) commissioned architect, Bernardo Rossellini, to draft a project for the expansion of the Basilica, with a new apse, that was more protruding than the one Constantine had built. Its construction was left in its initial stages, as Turkish groups advanced ever closer, culminating in the fall of Constantinople and the abandonment of the project. Between 1477 and 1480, Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) ordered the construction of a large chapel, which was later named after him, the Sistine Chapel. Decorated with frescoes by the greatest Italian painters of the time, it was inaugurated on 15 August 1483. Julius II (1503-1513) made many changes that radically changed the citadel. He began the demolition of Constantine’s Basilica and started the construction of a new Saint Peter’s Basilica. He built the famous Belvedere courtyard that connects the Villa Belvedere of his predecessor Innocent VIII (1484-1492) in the north, to the medieval buildings in the south, and he commissioned Raphael and Michelangelo to paint frescoes in the papal apartments and in the Sistine Chapel, respectively.

Additional work took place during that century. After a series of events, the Basilica of Saint Peter was designed and Michelangelo began work in its fulcrum in the mid-1500s. The Church was covered by a grand vaulted cupola by Giacomo Della Porta. It was later further expanded by Maderno in the early 1600s with the addition of two aisles in the longitudinal section, and completed by Bernini in the second half of the 17th century, with the grand square and the two semicircles of four rows of columns which give it its baroque look, and connects the Basilica to the rest of the city.

VATICAN CITY IN 1932

With a surface area of 0.44 hectares, Vatican City State is the smallest independent State in the world, both in terms of population and territory. Its borders are marked by its walls, and in Saint Peter’s Square, by the white marble line that joins the two wings of the colonnade. In addition to its proper territory, in a certain sense the Vatican stretches to Rome and beyond Rome, to places that have the right to “extraterritoriality”.

Vatican City State arose from the Lateran treaty signed on 11 February 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, which recognized it as a sovereign state subject to International Law, created to assure to the Holy See, in its role as supreme institution of the Catholic Church, an “absolute and visible independence” and “to guarantee it indisputable sovereignty also in the international arena”, as stated in the preamble of the Treaty.

The Catholic Church carries out her evangelic mission through the particular churches and the local churches via its central government, constituted by the Supreme Pontiff and by the Bodies that assist him in exercising his responsibilities to the universal Church (Holy See).

Its form of government is an absolute monarchy. The Supreme Pontiff is the Head of State with full legislative, executive and judicial power. In sede vacante, these powers are passed on to the College of Cardinals. The legislative power is also carried out in his name, by a Commission of Cardinals and other members and headed by the Cardinal President, appointed for a five-year term. The executive power is transferred to the President of the Commission, who in this role, takes on the name of President of the Governorate and is assisted by the General Secretary and by the Vice General Secretary. The President is responsible for the Directorates and Central Offices of theGovernorate, the collection of bodies and entities through which this power is exercised. Judicial power is exercised on the Supreme Pontiff’s behalf by the bodies of the judicial system

Vatican City State has its own flag, divided vertically into two: the yellow part is on the side of the flagpole while the other side is white and depicts the pontifical tiara and the crossed keys. It mints its own coins, which currently is the Euro, and issues its own postage stamps. It has a daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, which was founded in 1861, and since 1931, its own radio station, Vatican Radio which transmits throughout the world in various languages.

The security of the Pope and of the State is guaranteed by the Pontifical Swiss Guard, founded in 1506, whose uniforms, according to tradition, were designed by Michelangelo, and by the Pontifical Gendarmerie Corps, which provides police services and security to the State.

There are two vehicle registration codes:

• SCV: for motor vehicles that are the property of the State and of the Bodies of the Holy See;
• CV: for motor vehicles that are the property of citizens or of non-citizens who are granted permits based on their roles in the Vatican.

The International Code is V.