The term Vatican was used in ancient times to identify the marshy area on the right bank of the Tiber River, between the Milvio Bridge and the present Sixtus Bridge. During the monarchy and the republican age, the area was known as Ager Vaticanus. It extended northwards as far as the mouth of the Cremera and southwards at least as far as the Janiculum. In the Imperial age, from the 2nd century A.D., the toponym Vaticanum was applied to an area corresponding roughly to the present Vatican City State.
Many tourists choose to visit Vatican City, which itself is surrounded by the city of Roman and remains to this day the Papal seat of the Catholic Church. Vatican City is named after the hill upon which it was built, known in Latin as Mons Vaticanus, or Vatican Hill. It includes a number of very important cultural attractions including the Sistine Chapel (most noted for its painted ceiling) and St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. As one might expect, Vatican City, for those visiting Rome who are Catholic is also a popular spiritual and pilgrimage destination. Other interesting facts about Vatican include the fact that its army is Swiss, known as the Swiss Guard and is the oldest standard army in the world. In addition, many go to see the Pope. The current Pope is known as Pope Benedict the sixteenth, who was elected as the 265th Pope in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul the Second. A segment of the Catholic going public had hoped that after the death of Pope John Paul the Second that the Catholic church would elect a reformist Pope who might bring the religious organization through a further modernizing process given its increasing antiquation in a changing world. However, this was not to be the case as was proved when the latest Pope, a staunch conservative was elected. Since his election he has continued to uphold the Catholic Church’s traditions in a forthright and very conservative manner. At times, this manner has renewed frictions between the Catholic Church and other religions, such as Islam, that Pope John Paul the Second had attempted to alleviate. Despite these political notes, Vatican City remains to this day an architecturally beautiful and unique city not only in Europe, but the entire world.
