Vatican

Vatican - the state-city which has been had in the western part of Rome, capital of Italy, on hill Monte-Vatikano. Vatican - residence of the head of a latin church of the Pope, the international centre of Catholic church. Vatican has been formed as the independent state in 1929 according to Lateran agreements between the Italian government and the Pope.

Almost all terrain of Vatican is twined by a stone wall. The state square compounds less than half of square kilometre, resident population - about thousand persons. The Vatican citizenship has less than half of this number - nearby 70  ecclesiastics, 54  the Swiss guardsman to which preservation of Vatican and ceremonial functions is assigned, 150  papal gendarmes and approximately as much civilians. Other inhabitants of Vatican - Italians. Official languages of Vatican - Latin and Italian (Latin tongue is used only in official deeds).

Vatican represents a grandiose architectural complex where temples, palaces and fortifications combine with products of landscape gardening art. A solemn entry to Vatican the square of the Saint Peter framed with the colonnade ministers. The colonnade conducts to St. Peter's Cathedral - to the largest roman catholic temple of the world.

Behind a cathedral extensive palace ensemble XV-XVI of centuries places: chapel Íèêîëàÿ  V, apartments Bordzhia, the Sikstinsky chapel (with frescos Michelangelo and Botticelli), Loggias and Stantsy, painted with Raphael and its pupils, majestic yards of the Belvedere and the Dignity-damatstso. In palaces of Vatican there are world famous museums of an antique sculpture, and in the Vatican gardens - casino Pija V and a building Vatican pinakoteki where products of Italian painting XIV-XVII of centuries are collected.