When Was the Vatican Built?

The Vatican refers to Vatican City, which is officially known as the State of the Vatican City. It’s located in a walled off portion in the city of Rome, which is the capital of Italy. The Lateran Treaty in 1929 declared the territory of Vatican City.

Vatican City is the official home to the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church. In the early centuries, the Pope resided in Italy. The popes over the centuries acquired larger and larger parts of the neighboring lands, and actually ruled the majority of Italy until the mid 19th Century.

The pope did not stay in the Vatican during this time, but rather in the Lateran Palace. In the later centuries, it was known as the Quirinal Palace. In the mid 19th Century, the Papal Lands (as they were referred to) were seized by the Kingdom of Italy. This occurred in 1870. The Papal Lands were seized by troops lead by Piedmont forces. This was during the unification of Italy. After this time, the exact land that the Pope owned was in question.

Papal Lands

During this period, until about 1929, there was confusion over if the Pope had any right to the lands that were seized. This period is known as the “Roman Question,” in which the status of the Pope and his rights to lands were in contention.

The Pope himself was allowed to live in his palace, and the palace was allowed certain privileges that were similar to those practiced by autonomous governments. For example, the Pope had the right to send receive ambassadors. During this time, the Pope and the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church were adamant about the illegitimacy of the right of the King of Italy to rule the country. They refused to recognize his right, and they also refused to leave their castle. Other governments also continued to recognize the Pope and his governing body as a sovereign body.

Lateran Treaty

The King of Italy did not attempt to remove the Pope from his castle at this time, but the government did seize numerous properties of the Catholic Church throughout the country in the early part of the twentieth century. Finally, on February 11, 1929, the dispute ended with a treaty known as the Lateran Treaty.

The treaty was signed by Benito Mussolini who was representing King Victor Emmanuel III and by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, who was representing Pope Pius XI. This treaty established the independent State of Vatican City and Roman Catholicism was granted a special status in Italy.

The treaty also declared the territory of Vatican City. Thus, this was essentially when the Vatican was “built.” This treaty was updated in 1984 to declare Roman Catholicism as the official state religion of Italy.

Life at the Vatican

The city operates as an absolute elective monarchy, and the head of the Catholic Church—the Pope—is in charge. Thus, the Pope has legislative, executive, and judicial power over Vatican City. There is a body of Cardinals who are appointed by the Pope for five year periods. They have some legislative authority, and are referred to as the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. However, the Pope has the final say.

The actual city is situated on Vatican Hill, and is located in the west of the central of Rome. The city is two miles in its total length, and the borders trace the wall that surrounds it. The wall was built to protect the Pope from outside attack. Currently, they have their own non-commercial economy. It is supported by the sale of postage stamps and tourist memorabilia, as well as admissions to museums. They have their own coins, but also use the Euro as currency.