Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 38 - Apostolic Palace

Once again the home of the pope, the Apostolic Palace is actually a collection of buildings, some of which we've already discussed (like the Vatican Museums). There's been a papal palace going back to the fifth century and Pope Symmachus, who built a palace close to old St. Peter's (prior to that popes lived in the Lateran Palace).

After the Avignon papacy the papal palace had fallen into disrepair, and the Lateran Palace had suffered two significant fires. In 1447 Nicholas V knocked down the old palace (built by Eugene III in the 12th century) and started construction on the current one, though the palace as we'd recognize it today was mostly shaped by Sixtus V (with the building sometimes referred to formally as the Palace of Sixtus V).

The palace complex has a number of notable artistic areas, including:

* The Borgia Apartments, a suite of rooms created and designed for Alexander VI, one of the Borgia popes. 

* The Raphael Rooms, originally intended as an apartment for Julius II, decorated with a number of frescoes by Raphael and his team.

* Clementine Hall, built by Clement VIII to honor Clement I, also notably decorated with frescoes

* The current papal apartments, located on the top floor of the palace, home to all popes (save Francis) since 1870

* The Sistine Chapel... which I'll talk about tomorrow.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 37 - Apostolic Vatican Archive bunker, Cortile della Pigna

The Apostolic Vatican Archive (once known as the Secret Archive) is located off of the Cortile del Belvedere, next to the Vatican Library. In operation since 1612, the archive holds many of the documents related to the various popes and official acts of the Holy See.

As you can imagine, the collection built up over time. More space was needed to hold the archive, ideally space that met modern archival standards rather than something built in the 17th century. To that end Paul VI ordered the construction of two vaults to hold archived material, which were inaugurated by John Paul II in 1980.

As you might have guessed from the word 'bunker,' this is one building that you are not going to see in the Vatican skyline. Instead, it is located below the courtyard between the Vatican Museums and the library, named for the second century AD bronze pine cone that stands in it. The bunker has a volume of over a million cubic feet, and has (if I did the conversion right) over 26 linear miles of shelf space (the website says 43,000 meters if you want to do the math).

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.

  Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 35: Sacristy, St. Peter's Basilica

Like I said, more on this, but not much more.

The current sacristy was the idea of Pope Pius VI, who laid its cornerstone in 1776, and saw it inaugurated in 1784. It stands on the place of the old sacristy, though some additional buildings were demolished so architect Carlo Marchionni could build the new one at an appropriately monumental scale.

The sacristy is connected to the basilica by two covered walkways, one enters into a side chapel while the other is near the tomb of Pius VIII. 

  Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 34: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cortile Belvedere

The origins of the Apostolic Library go back to the 4th century, when there is documentary evidence of  a combined library and archive. But there wasn't a specific, permanent collection until the 15th century, when Pope Nicholas V made the decision to create a formal library and Sixtus IV saw the plan through. Starting with a collection of 1200 manuscripts in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, the collection would grow over time, with a collection today of over 1.1 million books and 75,000 codices.

The library is still located in its original building, which is now considered part of the Apostolic Palace complex. Its most notable contribution to Vatican architecture was its bisecting of the Belvedere Courtyard, created by Donato Bramante in the early 16th century. The courtyard was originally intended as one long enclosed space running from the Apostolic Palace to the Villa Belvedere. But a new wing for the library ordered by Sixtus V saw the courtyard cut into two pieces (now three, with the Pigna Courtyard, a small library courtyard, and the remaining Belvedere Courtyard).

While I feel bad for Bramante that his original vision was permanently altered, he at least didn't live to see it happen. It also could be worse; he could have lived to see that, today, his courtyard is used as a parking lot.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 33: Palazzo della Canonico

I still don't know much about this building, which is located right next to the sacristy of St. Peter's (more, but maybe not much more, about that later). It doesn't help that there are other buildings by this name in Italy, most notably (based on the number of hits) in Pisa.

The best that I can tell is that this was built for the canons of the basilica by Pius VI. which would put its construction in the last quarter of the 18th century. Other than use by the canons, it was also the home of the basilica's archives for a time (most of the archive was relocated to the Vatican Library in 1940).

More recently, the building became home to the School of Arts and Crafts of the Fabric of Saint Peter, which will teach skills like masonry, plastering, and carpentry to students who will then use their skills to maintain the basilica (the mission of the Fabric). 

One map I've been consulting for this suggests that the building is also the home to the Treasury of St. Peter, a museum of historical liturgical artifacts used in earlier iterations of the basilica. But the descriptions I've found online make it sound like the museum is housed in the basilica (or the sacristy) itself.

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 32: Domus Sanctae Marthae, Piazzza Santa Marta

The House of Saint Martha takes its name from Martha of Bethany, sister of Lazarus. The Bible stories with Martha show her as being focused on the duties of the household and towards her guests, as opposed to her sister Mary, who "has chosen what is better" by ignoring those duties and only paying attention to Jesus and his teaching.

Over time, as Martha became venerated, the stories were transformed into positive qualities of common sense, maturity, and care for others. So it's not surprising that when John Paul II decided to build a place where visiting clerics could stay when visiting the Vatican, he chose to name it after Martha. 

The domus was built on the site of the former St. Martha Hospice, built in 1891 by Leo XIII to treat patients of an expected cholera outbreak. When that didn't happen it took in the sick from part of Rome, as well as pilgrims who fell ill. Over time it began to house displaced persons and, increasingly, Vatican staff.

JP2's primary motivation for building the domus, though, was to give cardinals a place to stay during conclaves. Previously they stayed in temporary rooms in the Apostolic Palace, which were lacking in comfort and amenities (as JP2 experienced himself in two conclaves). The five story building, located next to the Palazzo San Carlo and steps from St. Peter's, was completed in 1996. It would be used for a conclave for the first time after John Paul's death.

The domus may be best known as the home for Pope Francis during his tenure in office. He opted to stay in the domus rather than move to the papal apartments as he wanted to live with others rather than in the solitude the apartments would provide. This arrangement is also seen in the movie Conclave, where the recently deceased pope is shown living in the same building that the cardinals inhabit during the vote to replace him.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 31: Grotta di Lourdes, Viale Benedetto Quindicesimo

In 1854, Pope Pius IX promulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the idea that Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. This idea was the basis of a series of visions a few years later by Bernadette Soubrious, who reported 18 visitations by Mary in a grotto near Lourdes, France.

The construction of replica grottoes became popular after that, with Leo XIII deciding the Vatican needed one of its own.  Built in the Vatican Gardens along the wall to St. John's Tower, it was presented to Leo in 1902 but formally consecrated in 1905 by Piux X.

The grotto was built with a spire and two staircases to reach it, but all of that was removed by Pius XI and John XXIII for safety reasons. The grotto is often the site of a papal mass at the end of May, a month dedicated to Mary by the church.

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 30: Heliport, Viale Pio XI

Not a building per se, but in the interest of transportation completeness let's throw it in. The Vatican heliport is a concrete slab with parking tucked into the westernmost bastion of the Leonine Wall. It was built in 1976 by Paul VI to facilitate trips between the Vatican and Castel Gandolfo, as travel by car could take up to two hours one way.

The heliport is also occasionally used to get visiting dignitaries to the Vatican from Rome's airport. It can also be used for medical transport to the Bambino Gesu Hospital, a pediatric hospital in Rome that was donated to the Vatican and is under its extraterritorial jurisdiction.

  Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 29: Barracks of the Papal Gendarmerie

Unlike the Swiss Guard, who were founded for the personal protection of the Pope, the Papal Gendarmerie were founded in the early 19th century to ensure public safety in the Papal States. After Italy conquered the states as part of unification, the gendarmerie shifted to providing the same services for the Vatican. This became their official role after the Lateran Treaty, and they transitioned to being fully focused on Vatican security under Paul IV.  This page goes into greater depth about the role of the gendarmerie today (including its band!) and the qualifications to join.

There is not a lot of information online about the gendarmerie barracks, which is located near the Church of San Pellegrino and the Vatican print media offices. It does not appear that anyone is looking to replace the building. The barracks does house an historical armory, which includes a number of bombards, cannon, and muskets.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 28: Barracks of the Swiss Guard

The Swiss Guard was founded in 1506 with a simple mission - protect the life of the Pope at all costs. That mission hasn't really changed since then, in much the same way as their uniform and most notable weaponry are still rooted in the Renaissance. While they largely perform ceremonial functions today, the guard still protects the Pope and the Vatican, and is one of the oldest military units in continuous operation.

They are housed in a barracks located just to the left of St. Anne's Gate (as you enter the Vatican), a complex built in the 19th century. Two buildings house unmarried guardsmen and the canteen, while a third building holds their offices and lodgings for married guards (guards have to be single when they join, but can marry during their service). 

Unfortunately, the complex hasn't had much work done to it since it was built, and is not in the best of shape. It is also too small to house all of the guards, a number of whom live in Rome. In order to remedy these problems, a Swiss foundation was formed to renovate the barracks, which will involve an almost complete teardown of the existing structures. This website from the foundation behind the rebuild includes some renderings and other information about the project. 

Just don't expect to see it in person any time soon. As this story notes, the cost of the project has ballooned from its original 45 million Swiss francs to at least 70 million, and is now not expected to be completed until 2029 at the earliest.

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 27: Radio Vaticana, Via A. Canal

Vatican Radio started broadcasting in 1931, thanks to the help of local radio enthusiast Guglielmo Marconi. Service grew during the 1930s and 1940s (when it maintained broadcasting independence during World War II), and in the 1950s opened a transmission and broadcasting center at Santa Maria di Galeria, an extraterritorial property of the Vatican about 10 kilometers north of Rome.

In 1950 it also became one of the founding members of the European Broadcasting Union, of which it is still a member. Meaning that the Vatican could, it it wanted to, participate in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The station broadcast content to all corners of the globe, carrying news and programming related to the Vatican and the Catholic faith. More recently, Vatican Radio moved into online spaces, from livestreams to podcasts to its own YouTube channel. This saw a related reduction in traditional radio services, aimed at both reducing redundancies in service and saving money. The station is estimated to lose between 20 and 30 million Euro a year, even with the backing of the church and the introduction of advertising on some broadcasts.

The station has also dabbled in TV, with current programming available through a satellite channel.

Now part of the Secretariat of Communications, this building located in the Vatican Gardens houses administrative offices and a small museum.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 26: Cappella di Santa Maria Regina della Famiglia

The Church of St. Mary Queen of the Family is part of the Governor's Palace complex. I've seen it referred to as being in the palace, but the maps and photos I've been looking at do make me think that the description of the palace as individual buildings later connected is correct. There's not a ton of information out there about the church, but it looks to have been built at the same time as the rest of the palace complex by our favorite Vatican architect and builder, Giuseppe Momo.

About the only other thing I can find about the church is that Pope Francis attended the funeral there of his personal physician, who passed away in 2021. 

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 25: Chiesa di Santo Stefano degli Abissini, Via delle Fondamenta

The Church of St. Stephen of the Abyssinians is the national church of Ethiopia at the Vatican. Tucked in behind St. Peter's, it survived the destruction of the original basilica, and is the oldest surviving church in Vatican City.

The church was built in the early 5th century by Pope Leo I, and was named for Stephen the Protomartyr, a deacon mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles who was stoned to death in Jerusalem for blasphemy. When the Vatican started to see increased numbers of pilgrims from Ethiopia, it gave that community this church for a center of worship, along with a nearby monastery. The monastery would eventually be replaced by the Ethiopian College, but the church remained.

While not generally open to the public, it is sometimes used for special occasions outside of its role with the Ethiopian community. Most notable in that regard was the 2006 wedding of Lord Nicholas Windsor to  Paola Louise Marcia Doimi de Lupis, which marked the first Catholic marriage of a member of Britain's royal family (Windsor is the son of the Duke of Kent and a godson of Charles III) since the 16th century.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 24: Torre Niccolo V, Via di Belvedere

When Nicholas V became pope in 1397, one of the first things he did was start to rebuild Rome, which included improvements to the city fortifications. This tower, just off of the Gate of St. Anne, was part of his building program. 

Now part of the Apostolic Palace complex, it now serves as the headquarters of the Institute of the Works of Religion, better known as the Vatican Bank. The bank was formed in 1942 by Pius XII, merging other bodies related to finance and the charitable working of the church. It doesn't operate as a private bank or a central bank, but as of 2014 is described as providing "specialized financial services to the Catholic Church worldwide."

Historically, some of those "specialized financial services" went to groups outside of the church, such as the Mafia, a Masonic lodge called P2, and the CIA (some of these connections are proven, other still alleged). The bank also was involved in a couple of notable bank collapses in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing increased scandal and financial losses to the Vatican.

Things did not particularly improve as the bank moved into the 21st century, as it regularly fought off charges of fraud and money laundering for some of its activities. Attempts at significant reform finally started in 2010, with the Vatican entering into a monetary agreement with the EU and the establishment of a financial watchdog, the Financial Intelligence Authority. The bank also had increased compliance and transparency requirements put on it, and is now required to publish an annual report. This all seems to have helped, as it's been a few years since the last notable bank scandal, but we'll see what the future holds.

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 23: Statzione Vaticana

This is the dedicated terminal for the Vatican Railway, which at 300 meters is the shortest national railway in the world. The railway was established to connect the Vatican to the Italian rail system by a connection at the Roma San Pietro station. 

Rail access to and from the Vatican was guaranteed in the Lateran Treaty of 1929, and Pope Piux XI started construction of the railway and station shortly after ratification. 

The station was designed by - surprise! - Giuseppe Momo, and opened in 1933. It does not get a lot of use, mostly for freight and the occasional trip out to Castel Gandolfo. Pope Francis opened the rail line to the public so that tour groups to Gandolfo could take the train out there, but as far as I can tell there's no regular service. It's also not clear to me if the station is open to the public generally, or if there is actually a stamp and coin museum there. I think the Vatican is missing an opportunity to get train geeks to visit.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 22: Greenhouses, Viale San Marco

I didn't find much information about the greenhouses (or maybe just greenhouse?) at the Vatican, other than that they (it?) exist(s). I assume it's helpful in both preparing plants for the gardens and providing the various sacramental and living spaces with flora. There is a lot more out there about the greenhouse and other facilities at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence, which now houses a training center for ecologically-focused agriculture.

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 21: Pinacoteca, Viale della Zitella

For centuries, as popes acquired paintings, they would be displayed in various places around the Apostolic Palace. It wasn't until the 20th century that the collection was given a proper home, as Piux XI called on old friend Luca Beltrami (who had been given a number of other Vatican commissions) to create the Pinacoteca. It opened in 1932, the year before Beltrami died.

The museum has a collection of about 460 works, mostly Italian. The artists represented in the collection run from Giotto to Leonardo to Raphael to Caravaggio. 

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 20: Casina del Giardiniere, Rampa dell'Archeologia

The gardener's lodge is located (not surprisingly) in the Vatican Gardens, located just behind St. Peter's and near the St. Peter memorial. There's not a lot of information about the lodge online, other than it's the home of the Vatican's head gardener. I did find a mention that it was built in the 12th century, and from the pictures I could find I don't doubt it. 

It's not open to the public, which isn't surprising as it's someone's house. You do see it on some of the garden tours, hopefully those folks have more information about the building than what's on Google.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 19: Torre Gregoriana

The Gregorian Tower, also known as the Tower of the Winds, is unique in that it's a building built on top of other buildings. Constructed between 1578 and 1580, the two-story tower in on top of the Gallery of Maps that is part of the Vatican Museum. It served as an observatory, as the planned Gregorian calendar reform would involve a number of astronomical observations.

Outside of a period in the 19th century, the tower (now actually two towers) has served as an observatory, though is now more of an historical site. It also features some 16th century Flemish frescoes, and was once the residence of Queen Charlotte of Sweden after she converted to Catholicism.