World Heritage Photos

Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world. Vatican City is a walled enclave within the city of Rome in Italy. Vatican City is one of the most sacred places of Christianity. Vatican City is the seat of the Pope and the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. The St. Peter's Basilica is situated in the centre of Vatican city. The St. Peter's Basilica was built in 1506-1626 over the burial site of St. Peter the Apostle. Already in the beginning of the 4th century a basilica was built on the same spot, this basilica was ordered by Emperor Constantine I. The principal designers of St. Peter's Basilica are Carlo Maderno, Donato Bramante, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Michelangelo Buonarroti. The St. Peter's Basilica is one of the largest churches in the world. The basilica is also a famous work of Renaissance art and architecture. Other important buildings in Vatican City are the Vatican Palace, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, renowned for the double spiral staircase. Alongr with Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela, Vatican City and Rome are the most important Christian pilgrimage destinations in the world. Vatican City gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1984.

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   Vatican city: The St. Peter's Basilica and the Egyptian obelisk by night. Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world, situated inside the city of Rome. Vatican City is one of the most sacred places of Christianity and the seat of the Pope. The St. Peter's Basilica is situated in the centre of Vatican City. Vatican City gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1984.

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   Vatican City: The St. Peter's Basilica is located within the Vatican City. The St. Peter's Basilica is one of the largest churches in the world. The present basilica was built in the period 1506-1626. It was constructed on the site, where the apostle Peter was martyred, crucified and buried in 64 AD. Vatican City is the papal enclave inside the city of Rome.

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   Vatican City: The St. Peter's Square is situated in front of the St. Peter's Basilica. The basilica is a famous work of Renaissance art and architecture. The St. Peter's Basilica is the burial place of its namesake the apostle St. Peter. The apostle St. Peter is considered as the first Bishop of Rome, the Pope. The St. Peter's Basilica is famous as a place of Christian pilgrimage.

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   Vatican City: Pope John Paul II in front of the St. Peter's Basilica. The basilica is situated on the Mons Vaticanus, the 75 metres high Vatican Hill. Already in the beginning of the 4th century a basilica was built on Mons Vaticanus over the burial site of St. Peter the Apostle, this basilica was ordered by Emperor Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor.

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   Vatican City: Pope John Paul II in front of the St. Peter's Basilica, escorted by the Swiss Guard. On the left hand side, a security guard stands in front of the Egyptian obelisk. In 37 AD, the obelisk was brought from Egypt to Italy by the Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula. Since 1586, the Egyptian obelisk stands at the centre of the St. Peter's Square in Rome.

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   Vatican: A Swiss Guard in his traditional uniform. The Swiss Guard is responsible for the safety of the Pope, but it also serves as a ceremonial escort to the Pope. The Swiss Guard has been protecting the Pope for over 500 years. The Swiss Guard is the smallest army in the world, the army consists of around 135 men.

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   Vatican City: The Holy Door of the St. Peter's Basilica is opened only for great celebrations, such as the Jubilee year, celebrated every 25 or 50 years. The Holy Door is bricked up on the inside of the basilica, it is ceremoniously opened by the Pope on the first day of a Jubilee year and will be closed by the Pope at the end of a Jubilee year or Holy Year. The ceremonial opening of the Holy Door symbolizes the opening to God's mercy.

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   Vatican City: St. Peter's Basilica houses the Pietà, sculpted by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1499. Michelangelo carved it from a single slab of Carrara marble. It depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The Pietà is the only work Michelangelo Buonarroti ever signed. Although Michelangelo thought of himself first as a sculptor, his most famous work is the ceiling fresco of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

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   Vatican City: Saint Peter's tomb is below the altar with Bernini's baldacchino in the St. Peter's Basilica. The principal designers of the Peter's Basilica were Carlo Maderno, Donato Bramante, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Michelangelo Buonarroti. The St. Peter's Basilica is a famous work of the Renaissance art and architecture.

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    Vatican City: Vatican Museums with the famous spiral staircase designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932. The staircase is made of two intertwined spirals, one leading down, the other leading up. The Sistine Chapel can only be entered through the Vatican Museums. Vatican City was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.