How long the history of the Vatican lasts is a moot point. These lands were inhabited back in the period of Ancient Rome. But the place was rural. Gardens were laid out here. However, later, at the behest of Caligula, a hippodrome was built on the Vatican Hill. Tradition says that it was at this hippodrome that Saint Peter was crucified. Here, in the necropolis, he was buried.
When Christianity came into its own, Emperor Constantine ordered to build a basilica on this place. The history of the Vatican can be counted from this mark, and if not from it, then from 64 years, when Peter was crucified.
The papal state was built on this site in the 8th century, but then it was liquidated by the Italian kingdom. This gave rise to the "Roman Question". Benito Mussolini tried to solve it. As a result of the negotiations, a city-state was recognized, subordinate to the papal throne. The documents of the agreement reached went down in history as the Lateran Agreements. It took three years and 110 meetings and negotiations to achieve them.
Little country
Today the Vatican is an enclave in the territory of Rome. Its area is only 1.5 square kilometers. However, this does not prevent him from gathering a lot of tourists who want to see the Papal Palace, attend official ceremonies, and greet the Pope himself when he walks out onto the balcony of the palace.
The inhabitants of the Vatican are subjects of a theocratic state. These are either clerics or guards. There are also lay people here - and from whom, in fact, to recruit service personnel? After all, the citizenship of the Vatican is strictly connected with the official duties performed here. That is, if a person stops working in the Vatican, then he loses the citizenship of this small country, becoming a citizen of Italy. This is spelled out in the agreements of 1929. It is interesting that during the day on the territory of the Vatican there are about 3,000 Italian citizens who leave the country at night, returning home.
The history of the Vatican is closely connected with the activities of each head of the Catholic Church.
