Tourists to Rome often include the Vatican City in their Roman holiday. Though it is a sovereign city-state in itself that is independent of the Roman or the Italian government, the Vatican City occupies a small, landlocked and walled enclave in the Eternal City. Many tourist guides to Rome consider the Vatican City to be one of the must-see sights on their Roman holiday, and it alone attracts around four million tourists to Rome every year.

The Vatican City is the heart of the Catholic Church, being the residence of the Pope. But more than that, the Vatican City is also the repository of the more than two thousand years of Christian history and the home of some of the most important artworks of all time.

You do not have to be a Catholic or even a Christian to enjoy the sights that can be seen within the Holy See. The Catholic faithful may flock there by the droves to be able to touch what is holy on this earth, but non-devotees can also revere the Vatican City if only for the artistic and historical treasures that it is home to.

These historical and artistic treasures of the Vatican City are mostly found in the Vatican Museums, the largest museum complex in the entire world. In the Vatican Museums are found thousands of relics from Roman and Etruscan antiquity, mementos of the glory days from Rome’s ancient past. You can also find in the Vatican Museums important artworks made by Renaissance masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian and Fra Angelico.

The most important sections of the Vatican Museums are, without question, the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms. The Sistine Chapel contains the most famous work of Michelangelo, which is the chapel’s ceiling. From 1508 to 1512, Michelangelo painted over 300 biblical scenes on the chapel’s ceiling. Ironically, Michelangelo considered himself to be more of a sculptor than a painter.

Aside from its famous ceiling, the Sistine Chapel is also adorned with frescoes created by many of the noted painters of the Renaissance. Considered to be the most important of these frescoes are The Punishment of Korah by Botticelli and Christ Giving the Key to St. Peter by Perugino.

The Raphael Rooms, on the other hand, are a suite of four rooms originally designed to be the reception rooms of Pope Julius II. Raphael’s frescoes in these rooms are held to be prime examples of High Renaissance art.

The Vatican Museums may draw crowds from all over the world, but the heart of the Vatican City remains to be St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in Christendom, with a sitting capacity of 60,000. The iconic dome of the basilica commands a majestic view of the Vatican City and of Rome beyond the walls. The dome is also a prominent feature of the Roman skyline.

Tradition has it that underneath St. Peter’s Basilica lays the tomb of the Apostle Peter. The tomb is in the Scavi, a necropolis that contains other tombs. Whether the saint truly rests beneath the massive structure named after him, St. Peter’s Basilica nonetheless was built on the place where St. Peter was executed. It is also the final resting place of more than 100 other people, 91 of which were popes. The last person to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica is Pope John Paul II.

If you are planning to go to the Vatican City as part of your Roman holiday, make sure that you have your tickets to the Vatican Museum, especially to the Scavi, booked in advance. Also, the Vatican City has a dress code in that knees and shoulders should be covered.

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