History of the Vatican City
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By Alejandro Serna
The recent election of Leo XIV as the successor to Francis has once again placed the Vatican at the center of the global stage. The death of Pope Francis, a key figure in the 21st-century Church, marks the end of an era, while opening a new chapter that once again shines a spotlight on this small walled city. Covering just 44 hectares and home to fewer than 1,000 residents, the Vatican is the smallest country in the world, yet its spiritual, political, and symbolic weight is far from insignificant. To understand its current role, it is worth pausing to look at its origin and evolution over the centuries.
What we now know as Vatican City was part of Rome until 1929. That year, after decades of tension between the Church and the Italian state, the Vatican was officially established as an independent state, becoming the smallest country in the world in both area and population. However, its religious, historical, and cultural importance is immense: it is the spiritual center of Catholicism and the official residence of the Pope.
The Vatican’s origins date back to the Roman Empire. The area where the Vatican now stands was known as the Vatican Hill, a suburban zone of ancient Rome. It was home to Nero’s Circus, a stadium where, according to Christian tradition, Saint Peter—considered the first pope—was martyred. This event turned the area into a sacred space for early Christians. In 318 AD, Emperor Constantine, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, ordered the construction of a church on what was believed to be Saint Peter’s tomb. Thus, the first St. Peter’s Basilica, known as the Constantinian Basilica, was born. During the papacy of Symmachus, in the 5th century, one of the first papal palaces was built in the same area, marking the beginning of the Vatican as the spiritual and political power center of the Church.
A major boost to its current structure came between the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Popes commissioned the construction of a new, far more monumental St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as the Apostolic Palace—today’s papal residence—and the famous Sistine Chapel, where conclaves are still held to elect the new pontiff. For centuries, the Popes ruled over vast territories in central Italy known as the Papal States, thanks to the Donation of Pepin in the 8th century.
However, with the unification of Italy in the 19th century, these territories were annexed into the Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, Rome was seized by the Italian army, and Pope Pius IX, refusing to recognize the new situation, declared himself a “prisoner in the Vatican.” The conflict lasted nearly 60 years, until 1929, when the Lateran Pacts were signed between Pope Pius XI and the then head of the Italian government, Benito Mussolini. This agreement ended the dispute: the Holy See recognized the Kingdom of Italy with Rome as its capital, and in return, the Vatican City State was established as a sovereign, independent, and neutral entity, with the Pope as its head of state.
Today, as the world witnesses the beginning of Leo XIV’s pontificate, it is worth remembering that this tiny city, with just a handful of streets and squares, harbors a history that has shaped not only the fate of the Church but also that of much of the Western world. Vatican City is not just a religious enclave: it is a living symbol of continuity, power, spirituality, and diplomacy that remains crucial in transitional moments such as this one.