Vatican Hill stood outside ancient Rome's original city center. Roman traditions connect the area with the martyrdom and burial of the apostle Peter, and the emperor Constantine commissioned an early basilica there in the fourth century. The present St Peter's Basilica and the surrounding institutions developed over many centuries on this religious site. Medieval popes governed territories in central Italy known as the Papal States. Their political rule lasted until 1870, when the Kingdom of Italy annexed Rome during Italian unification. The popes rejected the loss of their territorial government and remained in a dispute with Italy, known as the Roman Question, until the Lateran Pacts settled the relationship in 1929. The Lateran Pacts established Vatican City State as an independent territory and recognized the sovereignty of the Holy See in international relations. Vatican City provided the pope with territorial independence, while the Holy See continued to represent the Catholic Church diplomatically and administratively. The two terms therefore should not be treated as interchangeable. During the twentieth century, Vatican City became a major site for papal residence, Church administration, diplomacy, religious ceremonies and cultural preservation. Its museums, archives, churches and gardens contain evidence from different periods, including ancient Roman remains, medieval traditions, Renaissance buildings and modern institutional changes. The history of Vatican City is therefore both the history of a small territory and the history of the institutions that use it.
History in Vatican City
The history of Vatican City combines the ancient Christian significance of Vatican Hill with the political history of the papacy. The present Vatican City State was created in 1929 through the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy. The Holy See, the central governing authority of the Catholic Church, is distinct from the territory of Vatican City.
Tip
Use the history of Vatican City to distinguish the ancient religious site, the former Papal States, the Holy See and the present Vatican City State. The clearest approach is to place each building, institution or event in its period and identify whether it concerns territory, papal government or Church administration.