Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 15 - Farmacia Vaticana

Located within the Belvedere Palace (which we'll get to), the Vatican pharmacy was founded in 1874, when the Vatican's Secretary of State charged a monk of the Brothers Hospitaliers of St. John of God to supply medicines for the pope and resident cardinals. They'd been stuck in the Vatican since 1870, thanks to a dispute over the annexation of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy.

While it started as a medicinal storeroom, it expanded into what we would recognize as a pharmacy in 1892, and would move to its current location in 1929 after the signing of the Lateran Treaty. 

It's often said that the Vatican pharmacy is the busiest one in the world, serving an estimated 2000 customers per day. It's open to anyone who is on the Vatican's health plan, and people not on that plan can apply for a permit to use the pharmacy. The bureaucracy is worth it, though, as the lack of regulations applying to the pharmacy means it can stock medications not approved in Italy. As the Vatican also has no taxes, purchases are duty free.

What you won't find at the pharmacy, though, is anything contrary to Catholic social teaching, so no contraceptives or related sexual health medication. It also doesn't carry medicinal marijuana products or traditional Chinese medicines, for reasons I'm assuming aren't Catholic social teaching-related. They also sell some health and beauty products, prompting this review of their line of perfumes.