Vatican City, Rome

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Three versions for your viewing enjoyment, based on length:

Apostolic Palace, Vatican City ,length 0:51 :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Ov
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Vatican, Vatican Palace, St Peter's Basilica, Rome - Vatikan in Rome, length 4:01 :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqlB
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Rome and The Vatican in 4K Ultra HD, length 17:59 :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfGZ
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The longest video was my favorite probably because watching videos of our interesting and varied destinations is one of those things I love to do. 

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There is much to see here, so let's get to it ~



In 1447, Pope Nicholas V razed the ancient fortified palace of Eugene III to erect the Apostolic Palace, in the Vatican City, the 'official' residence of the Pope of the Catholic Church and the support offices. Vatican City is the smallest independent country in the world, measuring just 0.2 square miles, and is located in the heart of Rome.

The palace is more accurately a series of self-contained buildings within the well-recognized outer structure which is arranged around the Courtyard and surrounded by beautiful gardens. It is home to 1000 officials and other members who work and live within its walls to serve the church. All people are citizens of other countries, but hold a Holy See passport, issued to them regardless of nationality.

The Apostolic Palace covers 1,743,753 square feet and contains the Papal Apartments, offices of the Roman Catholic Church and Holy See, chapels, Vatican Library, museums and art galleries.


Apostolic Palace has more than 1,400 rooms. It’s really huge. The most famous room in the Apostolic Palace is the Sistine Chapel.
St Peter’s Basilica has an area of 40,000 square meters. It’s enormous. It is more than the area of six football fields.
Today we’ll look at both the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Catholic Church in the world.

Built on the foundation of the first St. Peter's, the new basilica took 120 years to complete. Masonry, sculpture, painting and mosaic work continued for nearly another 200 years. The dome of the basilica was designed by Michelangelo, and is 400 feet tall and 138 feet in diameter. The church is shaped like a cross and is almost 700 feet long, 450 feet wide at its widest point, and stands on more than 18,000 square yards.

In the grottoes or necropolis, beneath the basilica, is a papal burial chamber. The tombs of many popes, including St. Peter (the first pope), are located here.

The Sistine Chapel -

A separate structure from the basilica, designed to be the pope's chapel, was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere.
The Sistine Chapel was designed by architect Giovanni dei Dolci. The decorations by Pier Matteo d'Amelia, Michelangelo, Raphael and others continued for 60 years after construction was completed.
It is the site of the papal conclave and where elections for the new pope are held.
It is one of the world's most famous galleries of biblical art with the ceiling by Michelangelo, tapestries by Raphael and Rosselli's Last Supper.

All Raphael's tapestries return to Sistine Chapel after centuries -
www.reuters.com/article/us-v
atican-rap
hael-tapestries-idUSKBN20B180

About Michaelangelo -

He said, “Many believe —and I believe—that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him.”
Michelangelo lived a long life, passing away at age 88. As he got older, he never slowed down and spent the last decades of his life as the architect of St. Peter's Basilica—sending notes to workers when he was too weak to go on site. While that position occupied much of his time, he continued sculpting. In fact, he was working on the Rondanini Pietà, which is now in Milan, up until six days before his death.
As such a famous artist with a long career, it should come as no surprise that Michelangelo died a wealthy man. He worked for nine different Catholic Popes, a huge feat considering most leaders wished to change up artists when they took power. Upon his death, he left an estate valued at 50,000 Florins—the equivalent of between $35 and $50 million today. Interestingly, for as wealthy as he was, Michelangelo didn't act like it. It's said that he hated bathing and prided himself on continuing to live a humble life despite his fortune.
Due to the constant interruption that Michelangelo suffered at the hands of Pope Julius II while building a tomb for the Pope, Michelangelo reasoned that it was a ploy engineered by Raphael to disrupt his work. At that time, he thought his rival Raphael was jealous of his sculpting work. Fate would have it that it was in the course of these interruptions that Pope Julius II assigned Michelangelo to paint his famed fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. An alternative account of the story states that it was rather the architect Donato Bramante that got consumed with envy. He wanted Michelangelo to lose focus in his sculpting work in the tomb of the pope. He also expected Michelangelo to make a poor showing of himself in painting the fresco on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Michelangelo had a very profound effect on Raphael. His Creation of Adam figure on the Sistine Chapel was very much appreciated by Raphael.


The Vatican museums are over 9 miles (14,5 kilometers) long, and it is said that if you spent only 1 minute admiring each painting it would take you 4 years to complete the circuit!
It is hard to imagine all this beauty within 100 or so acres.
The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with the smallest population. It measures 44 hectares ( 110 acres) and has a population of about 1000 people.

- So much art to admire, it could honestly give one a neck ache! Then all at once, you look at the floor. Oh My GOSH! LOOK at the floors.


I could go on - maybe forever, at least four years- but I will refrain and leave with one more photo -

2020 in the rear view mirror and here we are, still Sparking on with the 5% challenges and virtually traveling around the globe! Nothing better for the Spirit, mind and body.
All that, and a trip to the Vatican! Not bad, eh?

Stay Strong Stars!