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The "border" is quite symbolic. It's a
white line on the pavement along the outer perimeter of St. Peter's
Square and the defense wall built in the XVI century to prevent
trespassing. Actually, this type of wall surrounds any monastery or a
bastion. Vatican has neither border guards nor passport control, but it
has a certain dress code. Since Vatican is a religious country, visitors
are supposed be dressed appropriately (no shorts or cleavage). However
in general, Vatican and its majestic monuments belong to a long list of
Rome landmarks.
Vatican has almost two thousand years of
history. Mons Vaticanus hill was here in the past; the name is
translated from Latin as "the place of divination." It was considered
sacred in ancient Rome. The Circus of Nero was built here, a place where
the ruthless emperor tortured his victims. Also, it was in this circus
that Saint Peter met his death. In 326 A.C., when Christianity came to
this land, Constantinian Basilica was built atop of alleged tomb of
Saint Peter, which gave start to Papal State.
It rapidly expanded, and by the end of
XIX century it occupied most of the Apennine peninsula. In 1870 the
Kingdom of Italy seized the papal lands. At that time the Pope locked
himself in the Vatican Hill, declaring himself a prisoner. It took six
decades to settle the political confrontation between the Italian
Government and the Papacy. So in 1929 Vatican City State became a
sovereign territory of the Holy See.
Despite its small territory, Vatican
City has fabulous treasures. The treasures have accumulated gradually,
and over time this collection has grown so much that now it requires
separate museums. So today the main Vatican landmarks contain priceless
works of art, created by famous artists and sculptors.
Famous St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican
City is more than just a tourist attraction. It's the heart of the
country, a symbol of Catholicism and, until recently, the largest
Christian church in the world. It employed several generations of great
artisans, including Raphael and Michelangelo.
The church has the internal floor area
15160 square meters (with total area about 23000 square meters). Its
height is 133 meters and length is 211.5 meters (with portico). The dome
sits on top of four heavy pillars; it has an inner height of 119 meters
and 42 meters in diameter. St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City has
given up its first place only recently. In 1990 a church in the capital
of Cote d'Ivoire, an African country, surpassed it in size. But even
this largest Christian church was built after St. Peter's Basilica in
Vatican City!
And of course, we should mention the
giant Cathedral Square, which was built to accommodate maximum number of
believers. It's a world masterpiece of urban planning. It has
monumental fountains and an obelisk, which contains pieces of the Holy
Cross. At nighttime the square is illuminated, creating a special
atmosphere in this sacred place.
Of course, Vatican City is more than
just a church, the square, and museums. Over a half of the city-state
territory is filled with gardens established during Renaissance and
Baroque era by order of the Pope. Most of the gardens are well
maintained, but there are wild areas with dense thickets of oak, cypress
and other wild trees. There are bats, snakes, rabbits, and birds in the
gardens! As well as Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pius IV villa
decorated with mosaics, palaces, towers, college, and the Vatican
Railway: cleanest and most un-crowded train station in the world.
These (and many more) parts of Vatican City are not open for tourists. However, now you can see them on our aerial panoramas.
Fuente:
http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Vatican
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