Holy See (Vatican) - Holy See

by Günther Eichhorn
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The Vatican (Holy See) is the smallest country in the world with a size of 0.44 km² (0.17 square miles). It is the seat of the pope, the head of the catholic church. I had been there half a century ago on a vacation, and had another chance to see it on my trip to Western Europe in 2016.

Vatican City and the Historic Centre of Rome are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The most famous building in the Vatican is Saint Peter's Basilica. The current building was started in 1506. It took 120 years to complete. Michelangelo designed the dome of the basilica.

See the Wikipedia description of Saint Peter's Basilica.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

Vatican City

View of St. Peter's Basilica. It was started in 1506, construction lasted for 120 years. (832k)

St. Peter's Square from the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. (930k)

St. Peter's Basilica. (879k)

St. Peter's Square. (878k)

Fountain in St. Peter's Square. (788k)

View of the Vatican Museum from the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. (953k)

View of the Vatican grounds with St. Peter Memorial in the center. (1211k)

Palace of the Governatorate. (1104k)

Swiss Guard. (754k)

Inside of St. Peter's Basilica. (930k)

Inside of St. Peter's Basilica. (1084k)

Inside of St. Peter's Basilica. (1055k)

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. It was designed mainly by Michelangelo in 1547. (1063k)

Climbing inside the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. (634k)

Staircase to the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. (777k)

Altar in St. Peter's Basilica. (992k)

Altar in St. Peter's Basilica. (927k)

Altar in St. Peter's Basilica. (859k)

Altar in St. Peter's Basilica. (975k)

Marble statues in St. Peter's Basilica. (897k)

Marble statue in St. Peter's Basilica. (875k)

Marble statues in St. Peter's Basilica. (974k)

Marble decorations in St. Peter's Basilica. (991k)

Marble statue in St. Peter's Basilica. (953k)

Marble statues in St. Peter's Basilica. (963k)

Marble statue in St. Peter's Basilica. (816k)

Marble floor in St. Peter's Basilica. (906k)

Marble floor inlay in St. Peter's Basilica. (842k)

Marble decoration in St. Peter's Basilica. (961k)

Marble floor in St. Peter's Basilica. The red marble is harder than the white and is raised due to slow wearing of the white marble. (906k)

Sarcophagus of one of the popes in the tomb underneath St. Peter's Basilica. (738k)

Sarcophagus of one of the popes in the tomb underneath St. Peter's Basilica. (798k)

This page contains 32 pictures

Page last updated on Mon Jun 13 13:05:37 2022 (Mountain Standard Time)

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