2. Papal and Other Official Apartments

The Vatican palace itself is a congeries of buildings measuring, according to the usual estimates, some 1,151 feet long by 767 broad (though these figures are probably under the true dimensions), and covering an area of 131 acres. The number of apartments is enormous, and must be at least 1,000. though some estimates run as high as 12,500. Within the palace precincts are twenty courtyards, of which the most important are the Cortile di San Damaso, at the main entrance to the Vatican, and the Cortile dells Sentinel- la, architecturally one of the most impressively medieval portions of the entire Vatican. Besides some 200 minor stairways, there are eight grand flights, the most noteworthy being the Scale Pis (forming the main approach to the palace) and the Scale Regia, or state stairway, commenced by Urban VIII. (1623-44) and completed in the pontificate of Alexander VII. (1655-67). The actual apartments of the pope are on the east side of the Cortile de San Damaso, and are only some twenty=two in num ber. This portion of the palace includes the pope's library, study, bedroom, private reception room, and chapel, the Hall of the Grooms (Sale dei Pala frenieri), the Sala Clementine (where a detachment of the famous Swiss Guards is stationed), the Sala dei Bussolanti (a sort of cloak-room for those ad mitted to a papal audience), the Anticamera d'On ore (where, on the papal throne, the pontiff receives important bodies of visitors and hears the Lenten and Advent sermons), and the Anticamera Segreta (which only privy councilors and cardinals may enter). On the west of the same court are the Borgia Apartments, forming the official residence of the cardinal secretary of state, and comprising the Sale dei Pontifici, the Sale dei Misteri, the Camera dells Vita dei Santi, and the Camera dells Arti a Science (where the cardinal secretary holds his audiences). These rooms, which were built at the command of Alexander VI. (1492-1503) and adorned with ex quisite frescoes by Pinturicchio (notably the An nunciation, Resurrection, and Disputation of St. Catherine), have beyond them the study of the car dinal secretary (the Sala dello Credo, so called from the frescoes of the twelve apostles, each holding a scroll bearing his portion of the Apostles' Creed), and above them are four rooms frescoed mainly by Raffael, while to their right is the exquisite chapel of Nicholas V., which contains the masterpieces of Fra Angelico, executed by him between 1450 and 1455. Running left from the Borgia Apartments are the Sala del Papagello, where the pope is vested before pontificating at St. Peter's, and the Sale dei Paramenti, the robing-room of the cardinals before great functions; while, still to the left, and sepa rated from the Borgia Apartments by the Cortile del Papagello, are the Sala Duoale and the Sale Regia, from the latter of which access is gained to the famous Sistine Chapel, as well as to the Capella Paolina, with two fine frescoes by Michelangelo--

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Crucifixion of St. Peter and Conversion of St. Paul -and serving as the parish church for the 2,000 or more persons lodged in the Vatican. Through the Sala Ducale and Sala Regia the pope and cardinals pass to St. Peter's, a staircase behind the Sistine Chapel leading from the palace to the church, while off the Sala Regis (so named because the pope there received ambassadors from foreign princes) opens a gallery containing the Leonine Chapel, with windows opening on the right into St. Peter's and on the left into the piazza of the same church. Here the newly chosen pontiff gives his first papal blessing not only to the faithful, but to all the world; and in this same chapel (hence called also Capella dells Beatificazione) are announced beatifications and canonizations.

To the right of the group of buildings thus far considered, and enclosing the Cortile Belvedere as far as the magnificent Sala Sistina (the great hall of the famous Vatican library), are the gallery of inscriptions on the one hand, and the Sala dells Nozze Aldobrandini (with a fine collection of Roman frescoes), the Hall of Papyri (mostly from Ravenna, from the sixth to the eighth centuries), the terra-cotta room, the Christian Museum (with valuable relics from the catacombs), the Hall of Aristides, the Hall of the Obelisk, and the Hall of the Bonaventura. The Sala Sistina, cutting off the Cortile del Belvedere to the right, and with the Hall

of Manuscripts at one end, opposite 3. Libraries the entrance, is the great repository of and the famous collection of manuscripts;

Museums. and on the floor beneath, in the Leonine Library, is the papal collection of printed books. This world-renowned library owes its inception mainly to Nicholas V. (1447-55), while Sixtus V. (158;r90) gave it a permanent endowment, after Sixtus VI. (1471-84) had already still further -increased its store of treasures. In the course of its history the library, the manuscripts alone of which number over 35,000, has absorbed many other collections, among them the Palatine library (presented by Maximilian of Bavaria in 1621), the Bibliotheca Ottoboniana (added in 1746, and including the collection which had been bequeathed to the Ottoboni collection in 1690 by the convert Queen Christina of Sweden, who thus restored to the Roman Church the treasures taken by her father, Gustavus Adolphus), the library of Cardinal Mai (given by Pius IX. in 1856), and the Barberini library (purchased by Leo XIII. in 1902). Beyond these accessory libraries, which have rooms of their own, is the Museum of Pagan Antiquities (Museo Profano), established by Pius VI. (1775-99) to counterbalance the Christian Museum, already mentioned, which was established by Benedict XIV. (1740-58). The entire opposite wing, separ rated from the rooms just enumerated by the Giardino dells Pigna (the pigna, or bronze cone from the atrium of Old St. Peter's, occupying a position at its extreme right), is devoted to the Aluseo Chiaramonti, which consists of a magnificent collection of sculpture gathered by Pius VII. (1800-23), who also gave the Vatican not only the Gallery of Inscriptions (Galleria Lapidaria) and the Braccio Nuevo, forming the left boundary of the Giardino XIL-10

dells Pigna and containing another rich collection of sculpture, but also the Egyptian Museum, at the extreme right of the same Giardino, above which is the valuable collection of the Etruscan Museum. In this same portion of the Vatican are located, among others, the Gallery of Statues, the Cabinet of Masks, the Hall of Busts, and the Galleries of Tapestries, Candelabras, and Maps.

In addition mention should be made of the archives (now in a room facing the Vatican gardens), of the Vatican press (occupying a position between

the Sala Sistina and the Braccio Nu4. Minor ovo), of the workshops of mosaics and

Portions tapestries, and of the treasury of the and Sistine Chapel, situated just behind

Gardens. that chapel, and filled with interesting

personal mementos of pontiffs, the collection still valuable, even though Napoleon, one of the many who have tried to carry off the richest treasures of the popes, robbed it of all its gems and gold. One part properly within the Vatican precincts no longer belongs to the pope-the mint, which was seized by the Italian kingdom. And allusion should also be made to the gardens of the Vatican, only a few acres in area, and somewhat frigidly classic, although the effect is relieved by the fine Casino of Pius IV. (also called the Casino Borromeo), built by Pirro Ligorio in 1560.

Within the precincts of the Vatican is the famous

Church of St. Peter (officially known as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano), the largest church in the world. The ground plan is that of a Latin cross, 613 feet long and 446 feet wide, with a nave 152

feet high and 87J feet wide, while the height to the top of the cross on the dome is 448 g. Church of feet. The style of architecture is

St. Peter. pseudo-Roman, and the effect of the

interior is unfortunately marred by strong contrasts of light and shadow, and the true proportions are somewhat dwarfed; but notwithstanding these defects the church remains one of the noblest in Christendom. The approach is through the Piazza di San Pietro, enclosed by neoclassic colonnades, and with a famous Egyptian obelisk in the center; still the best view of the church is not obtained here, but from the Vatican gardens. In its present form the Church of St. Peter owes its origin chiefly to Nicholas V., but the first pope really to start the new structure was Julius II., his architect being Bramante, who was succeeded by Raffael; he was followed, in 1546, by Michelangelo, who was in charge until his death in 1564. The cupola was completed about 1590, and the church was dedicated in 1626, after Carlo Maderna had made the final changes involved in transforming the ground plan from a Greek to a Latin cross soon after 1605, his work being marred by the unfortunate front on the Piazza di San Pietro. The interior of the church contains, besides the high altar, with a fine bronze baldachino ninety-five feet high, a large number of altars, shrines, tombs, statues, fonts, etc.

Beneath the present church are the remains of old St. Peter's-the old and new crypts (Grotte Vecchie and Grotte Nuove). The former contains, as already noted, portions of the basilica erected by

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Constantine the Great, with its five aisles, and having a large forecourt and baptistery, the former containing the famous Cantharus, or fountain of lustration, the pine-cone core and pea cocks of which are now in the Giardino 6. The Crypt dells Pigna, as noted above, and the of St. basilica, containing the chair of St. Peter's. Peter, added by Damasus I. in 366. Adrian I. (772-795) richly embel lished the basilica, as did Leo IV. (847-855); but the humanistic Nicholas V. and Julius II. deemed the old basilica's usefulness outworn, and through the influence of the Florentine architect Alberti and the active plans of Bramante the present church was begun. Amolig the most sacred relics of St. Peter's are the Volto Santo (the napkin with which Christ wiped his face on the way to Calvary); the lance of St. Longinus, with which his side was pierced; a piece of the True Cross; the head of St. Andrew; and the great bronze doors of the main entrance, which come from the old basilica. Note worthy, too, are the Colonna Santa (said to be the very column of the temple of Jerusalem against which Christ leaned while disputing with the doc tors; in the Capella dells Pieta), the chair of St. Peter and the tomb of Innocent VIII., and the tombs of Sixtus IV., Paul II., and Matilda of Tus cany (in the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, where the body of a dead pope lies in state until burial), and the tomb of Gregory the Great (in the Capella Clementine). It is, however, in the Grotte Vecchie that the most tombs are to be found: the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II., Christina of Sweden (the convert daughter of Gustavus Adolphus, who gave her throne for her faith), the English pretenders James III., Charles III., and Henry IX. (Cardinal York), and the popes Gregory V. (996-999), Adrian IV. (1154-59; the one English pontiff), Boniface VIII. (1294-1303), and the great builders of the present Vatican-Nicholas V. (1447-55) and Paul II. (1464-71). In the Grotte Nuove, which are far later than the Grotte Vecchie, and which, indeed, were constructed to support the dome of the pres ent church, are to be found not only the chapels of S. Maria Praegnantium and Santa Maria delta Boc ciata, as well as the Shrine of the Holy Lance, the tomb of Junius Bassus, and the frescoes of the old basilica and those of Mina da Fiesole for the mauso leum of Paul II., but the crowning gem of all-the very tomb of St. Peter. This lies almost below the high altar, and, though now concealed from view, was seen by Clement VIII. in 1602 or 1603. He was, however, unable to have it permanently revealed, owing to the Roman belief that he who touched this sacred tomb would be struck dead; but, with singu lar appropriateness, Clement himself now lies buried in the chapel of the tomb. Outside the Vatican gates a few places are still reckoned in the papal domains, such as the Palace of the Holy Office, the Armory, Castello Gandolfo, a few palaces and churches in Rome, and a villa in the Alban Hills. But to all intents and purposes, the pope is a prisoner in the Vatican, for though he would unquestionably be personally safe, should he go without its walls, the construction which would be placed upon such an act, in view of the secular

power which in 1870 seized his domains, is thought incompatible with the position of the Roman

Church. Though the king of Italy is de

y. Vatican facto ruler of Italy, the pope regards and himself (and is regarded by the faithful)

Quirinal. as the de jure potentate. There are,

therefore, in Rome two courts, the Quirinal, or royal, and the Vatican, or papal. Those countries which maintain an official connection between the State and the Roman Church accordingly accredit ambassadors to the Vatican as well as to the Quirinal; and delicate questions have arisen in connection with the visits of foreign potentates to Rome in view of the presence of two ruling powers in the same capital; while still more distressing contretemps have come about through the ignorance of those with a quasi-official position regarding the true status of the pope as the head of Christendom and as a temporal sovereign.

The Vatican naturally possesses its own police and military. The police force consists of about 120 carabinieri (the force being collectively known as the Gendarmerie Pontificia); and the military of the Palatine, Swiss, and Noble Guards. The Palatines are practically a militia, recruited from the

bourgeoisie and tradesmen, founded 8. The by Pius IX., and numbering some 400. Vatican Better known are the Swiss and Noble Guards. Guards. The Swiss Guards are about

120 in number and form the real military force of the Vatican, mounting guard at the great bronze doors of St. Peter's, in the Cortile dells Sentinella, and in the antechamber of the pope's private apartments. They were first organized some four centuries ago. The Noble Guards, formed by Pius VII., are recruited from the Roman nobility that remained faithful to the pope after the erection of the temporal kingdom of Italy, and now consist of fifteen officers and forty-eight privates. Originally they were the pope's bodyguard, attending him in his carriage, accompanying him on his journeys, and being present at functions of state.

For the governmental side of the Vatican see Curia, and for the relations between the Vatican and the Quirinal, see Italy, I., § 2.

Bibliography: D. Sladen, The Secrets of the Vatican, new ed., Philadelphia, 1911; L. De Sanctis, Rome Christian and Papal, New York, 1856; P. M. Letarouilly, Le Vatican et la basilique de Saint-Pierre de Rome, 2 vols., Paris,

1882; E. Muentz and A. L. Frothingham, Il Tesoro delta Basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano, Rome, 1883; F. Wey, Rome, its Monuments, Arts, and Antiquities, London, 1887; H. Lemaire, Basilique de Saint-Pierre, Paris, 1888; P. Batiffol, La Yaticane, de Paul 111. it Paul V., Paris, 1890; R. Laneiani, Pagan and Christian Rome, Boston, 1892; F. Gregorovius, Hist. of the City of Rome, London, 1894 sqq.; G. Goyau, A. Perate, and P. Fabre, Le Vatican, Paris, 1895, new ed., 2 vols., ib. 1901; A. S. Barnes, St. Peter in Rome; and his Tomb on the Vatican Hill, London, 1900; D. A. Mortier, Hist. de la basilique vatieane, Tours, 1900; G. E. Clement, The Eternal City, 2 vols., London, 1901; E. M. Philipps, The Frescoes in the Sixtine Chapel, London, 1901; E. Steinmann, Die sixtinische Kapelle, 2 vols., Munich, 1901-05; P. J. Chandlery, Pilgrim Walks in Rome, New York, 1903; Mary K. Potter, The Art of the Vatican, London, 1903; Der PapsE, die Regierung und die Verwaltung der heiligen Kirche in Rom, Munich, 1904; J. P. Kirsch and V. Luksch, IllusErierte Geschichte der katholischen Kirche, pp. 482 sqq., Munich, 1905: A. J. C. Hare, Walks in Rome, new ed., London, 1905; J. A. F. Orbaan, Siztine Rome, London and New York, 1911; KL, xii. 800-607.

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