20 Curiosities About The Vatican That Will Surprise You
For Muslims it is Mecca, for Jews it is Jerusalem and for Christians it is the Vatican City, the place they must visit at least once before they die.
This city is also the smallest sovereign country in the world, with only an area of half a square kilometer and a population that barely reaches 800 people.
Despite being almost tiny, there are many interesting data about the Holy See. Here we will see a few curiosities about the Vatican that surely few know.
No matter how small this country is, there are many curiosities that can be found, in addition to some somewhat turbulent information about its history.
1. Highest crime rate in the world
Despite being one of the most sacred places in all of Christianity, Vatican City is, coincidentally, the place with the highest crime rate in the world.
This is mainly due to the fact that It is a tourist place and where there are innocent tourists taking photographs of everything they see, there are also thieves
St. Peter’s Square is a major focus of pickpockets and other crooks who have no qualms about stealing in a place as sacred as the Pope’s country.
2. Latin is its official language
The Latin It is not a dead language Not only because it is still taught as an elective in many institutes and there are people who speak it fluently like any other Romance language. Latin is the official language of the Holy See.
Both the website of this state, as well as its ATMs, signs and documents are written in the language of Virgil.
3. Vatican Bank and its own currency
The Vatican Bank, like any other bank in the world, has its own ATMs.
Another interesting aspect of the Vatican economy is that the tiny country has come to issue its own currency, the Vatican lira whose value was directly linked to that of the old Italian lira.
However, this changed when Italy joined the eurozone in 2002, adopting the euro as its currency, something that Vatican City also did, even though it is not even part of the European Union.
4. Vatican economy
The Vatican economy is not supported by taxes, since there are none. The country’s wealth is based on donations from believers, in addition to income from tourism that the city receives every year.
With the money obtained in this way, the Holy See can afford to cover the costs of the Pope’s travels, maintain churches and schools, in addition to defraying the costs of cleaning and maintaining the works found in its museums.
5. Swiss Guard
The “police” of this country is called the Swiss Guard, not the Vatican. They are the Pope’s bodyguards, easily recognizable by their red, orange, blue and yellow uniform
Among the requirements to be part of this particular guard are being between 19 and 30 years old, being single and, naturally, being devout Catholics. They are Swiss citizens who have received military training.
Once they have been chosen to protect the Pope, the Holy Father grants them a private audience where he himself gives them a blessing.
6. He who drinks does not sin
Another quite shocking fact, like that related to crime in this small country, is that, despite its tiny population, There is a lot of drinking in Vatican City
According to research carried out by the Wine Institute, on average, a Vatican citizen consumes about 55 liters of wine per year.
It should be said that this is because wine is the blood of Christ and this country is made up, fundamentally, of members of the Church, who drink this drink in religious ceremonies.
However, it is possible that behind this great consumption of God’s blood on Earth is because, as the saying goes, he who drinks, sleeps, and therefore does not sin, a fundamental quality in every priest…
7. Exorcisms
Although exorcism is seen as a practice very distant in time and related to unorthodox circles, the truth is that In the Holy See there is a group of priests who specialize in this type of rituals
These exorcists, who number around 350, are authorized by the Holy Father, and are one of the few who can carry out this type of practices without risking being excommunicated.
8. St. Peter’s Basilica is bigger than an aircraft carrier
Many people have the mistaken idea that since Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, it is much smaller than a neighborhood and that there is barely enough room for people in it.
That’s not true. In fact, its most important building, St. Peter’s Basilica is bigger than an aircraft carrier This building is 193 meters long and almost 45 meters high.
9. Vatican Radio
In 1929, the then Pope, Pius XI, commissioned Guglielmo Marconi, known for his contribution to the creation of modern radio, to install a radio transmission system in the Vatican. The station, known as Vatican Radio, It began broadcasting in 1931 and continues to operate today
Today it is possible to listen to it on the official website of the Vatican, and its main mission is to transmit the word of God to the entire world, which it does in up to 30 different languages.
10. Vatican archives
The archives found in Vatican City are shrouded in a halo of mystery; However, despite what many thriller films may imply, many of these documents are publicly accessible
In 1881, Pope Leo XIII allowed several scholars to visit the papal archives, and today part of the private library is open to any visitor. In addition, some of these documents can be visited on the Vatican website.
11. Vatican cuisine
Who said that a small country would not have its own gastronomy? In 2006 the Vatican published a book in which it revealed several recipes typical of the Papal State.
12. Little inhabited, but very visited
The Vatican is, without a doubt, a country with a small population. In the 2011 census there were only 793 people living in this city However, about 15 million people visit the country each year.
This means that each year about 18,915 times more foreigners than residents enter the Vatican.
13. Apostolic Penitentiary
The apostolic penitentiary is a somewhat shady Vatican organization whose existence has been known for relatively recently.
It came to light in 2009 and consists of a court whose function is to judge those members of the Church who have committed any of the following sins:
14. Calendar of handsome priests
As if it were a fire station, Every year the Vatican releases a calendar whose protagonists are the most handsome priests
The most attractive fathers in all of Christianity are part of an almanac that serves as souvenirs for visitors and, thus, they make a little money to keep the Christian faith alive in addition to maintaining the State.
The calendars are sold for about €10 each and, although it is impossible to date any of the protagonists, given that the priests must be chaste, more than one (or one) can delight in observing their divine beauty.
15. Vatican nationality
Being born in the Vatican does not mean having citizenship of this country. Vatican nationality is granted by right and is taken away according to need.
Those who have this nationality are a limited group of people, fundamentally the Pope, the Vatican ambassadors around the world and the rest of the religious residents of the City. When you stop being a Vatican ambassador or working in the Holy See, this nationality is revoked
16. The obelisk
In the very center of St. Peter’s Square there is a large obelisk, which points directly to the sky, representing the link between the Pope on Earth and God in Heaven
This obelisk comes from Egypt, and was built in the ancient city of Heliopolis when the pharaohs still reigned in the African country. It measures 25.5 meters and was stolen by Caligula.
In the 16th century it was placed in the Vatican and it took more than a year to raise it to the way it is today. At first, at its tip you could find a golden ball, which was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar himself.
17. Soccer team
Football is played in every country in the world, and the Vatican was not going to be an exception, no matter how difficult it is to build a stadium for the beautiful sport in the small country.
Vatican City has its own soccer team, made up mainly of Swiss Guards and some members of the Vatican administration It does not belong to FIFA, but it does participate in the occasional international match.
18. Getting married here is forever
Getting married in the Vatican is forever. This status does not contain any law allowing divorce so getting married in the Holy See is a truly act of eternal love.
19. Not everything is done by the Pope
Surely many people will think that the Pope governs the Vatican absolutely; However, no matter how small and easy he may seem to control the country, the truth is that he needs certain subordinates.
The Pope is the highest authority, but In the Vatican there is a governor who is in charge of the tasks most typical of the executive branch that is, what a president and his council of ministers would do in any other country.
This governor, in fact, receives the title of President of the Governorate of Vatican City State and President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City, who is a cardinal chosen by the Pope himself, usually of Italian origin.
20. It has not always been the residence of the Pope
Long before it was decided that Vatican City would be the definitive seat of the Catholic Church, the popes lived in the Lateran Palace, which is located just on the other side of Rome.
In 1309 the papal court moved to Avignon, France. Seven popes ruled in that city, until in 1377 the headquarters were changed again, this time in the Vatican, since the Lateran Palace had been destroyed.
