Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 36: Leonine Wall

In 846, Arab raiders in Rome sacked the original St. Peter's Basilica. It, like much of the territory that today makes up the Vatican city state, was outside of Rome's protective walls.

In order to prevent any future sacking, Leo IV decided to enclose St. Peter's and the surrounding area in its own wall, which he built between 848 and 852 (Leo III had previously started a wall, but it faced several delays and was largely dismantled by locals who wanted to use the stone for their own buildings).

Today, there are still bits of the wall standing, most notably in the Vatican gardens by the Vatican Radio transmitter. These parts of the wall are anchored on the Torre San Giovanni, which as previously noted was added later to bulk up Vatican defenses.