The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the Vatican Palace. The Vatican itself refers to the building as the Palace of Sixtus V, in honor of Pope Sixtus V, who built most of the present form of the palace.
A view of the Papal Apartments from Saint Peter's Square
The Portone di Bronzo at the Vatican Apostolic Palace entrance
A model of the palace in the Vatican Museums. The buildings are arranged around a central courtyard.
Under the patronage of Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512.
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is a landlocked sovereign country, city-state, microstate, and enclave within Rome, Italy. It became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, and it is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains the city-state's temporal power and governance, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. The Vatican is also a metonym for the pope, Holy See, and Roman Curia.
Vatican City
The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula
Musicians of the British Army's 38th (Irish) Brigade playing in front of St. Peter's Basilica in June 1944
View of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michelangelo's dome
