Some people, let alone the Popes, definitely know how to live beautifully. Their residence in the Vatican consists not of one, but of several buildings at once, which are combined into the Apostolic Palace complex. The Apollo Belvedere, the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Stanzas are all masterpieces in the Vatican Palace.

The Apostolic or, as it is often called, the Papal Palace is located in the Vatican and consists of several independent buildings located around the courtyard of Sixtus V. These include, for example, the Pope’s apartments, the Belvedere Palace with the Pius Clement Museum located in it, chapels, the famous The Sistine Chapel, Stanzas of Raphael, the Borgia apartments, as well as several office spaces. Several galleries are also considered part of the complex, including Braccio Nuovo and Bramante.

Apostolic Palace

When was the palace built?

The beginning of the construction of the Vatican Palace dates back to approximately the 5th-6th centuries, although some historians suggest that the first stone could have been laid even earlier, during the time of Constantine the Great, that is, at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th centuries. Be that as it may, already during the coronation of Charlemagne, Pope Leo III lived in a palace on Vatican Hill. The building, however, fell into disrepair over time, and until the Avignon captivity, the Lateran Palace in Rome served as a refuge for the Popes.

For 70 years, the Popes languished in Avignon, and at the end of the 14th century they returned to settle in the Vatican again - this time for good. Until the end of the 19th century, the Popes also had a summer residence in the Quirinal Palace in Rome, where the President of Italy now resides.

The Belvedere Museum houses Michelangelo's Last Judgment

The palace complex was rebuilt gradually. In the second half of the 15th century, the Sistine Chapel was built on the site of the former Great Chapel. The Italian architect Giorgio de Dolci worked on its creation. The building is famous for its beautiful frescoes by Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo. And to look at the famous “Last Judgment” on the altar wall, thousands of tourists come to the Vatican every day.

World masterpieces in the Vatican palaces

At the end of the 15th century, the Belvedere Palace grew on Vatican Hill. The architect Donato Bramante worked on it - the same one who had a hand in the creation of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. At the end of the 18th century, by order of Clement XIV and Pius VI, the Pio Clementino Museum was located in the palace. It is famous for its square courtyard, where world-famous sculptures are located. It is here that you can see the Apollo Belvedere, a marble copy of the mid-2nd century AD. In one of the niches of the garden there is the composition “Laocoon and Sons”, which was restored by Michelangelo.

Laocoon and sons

Donato Bramante began the construction of boxes, which were later painted by Raphael and his students. Next to them are the Stanzas of Raphael, on which the artist worked on the orders of Pope Julius II. At that time, the future genius was only 25 years old, and this order became Starting point for young talent. For almost 10 years he worked to create the frescoes, which are today considered one of the greatest works of art of the Renaissance. Not far from Raphael's boxes on the third floor of the palace there was an art gallery, which was moved to the Belvedere Palace at the beginning of the 20th century. Now the Vatican Pinakothek is located in a separate building. On the walls you can find masterpieces by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian.

IN palace complex The Vatican includes several other museums. IN early XIX century, Pope Pius VII founded the Chiaramonti Museum. It contains an impressive collection of ancient sculptures, including, for example, the same Nile with 16 tributary children. Pope Gregory XVI founded the Egyptian and Etruscan museums a little later. The collection, of course, is inferior to that of the famous Egyptian Museum in Berlin, but it also contains interesting finds, for example, a sculpture of Ramses II on the throne and a headless statue of Ujagoressent (a priest who lived in the 6th century BC). A special place in the structure of the Vatican Palace is occupied by the Apostolic Library, where more than one and a half million printed books and about one and a half hundred manuscripts of the Renaissance are stored.

Neil with children

The Apostolic Palace is associated with the conversion of the Pope. It is from here that the pontiff speaks to his flock every Sunday. The Pope’s personal flag (designed for each individual separately) is hung from the window of the palace office, and then all those gathered can see the pontiff in person.

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Apostolic Palace(Italian: Palazzo Apostolico, also called Vatican Palace or Papal Palace listen)) is the official residence of the Pope, located in Vatican City. Official name - Palace of Sixtus V(lat. Palatium Sixti V).

The Apostolic Palace complex of buildings includes the Papal Apartments, government offices of the Roman Catholic Church, several chapels, the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library. The audience halls are located on the third floor of the palace, including the Clementine Hall, the Consistory Hall, the Great and Small Throne Rooms, the papal library (the Pope's office and a room for private audiences). On the fourth floor are the premises of the papal secretariat. The palace has more than 1,000 rooms that are world famous for containing the greatest works of art: the Sistine Chapel and its famous ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo (restored in 1980-1990) and the Stanzas of Raphael.

Before the transfer of the capital of Italy to Rome, the Quirinale Palace served as the pope's summer residence. Another papal residence is located in the Lateran Palace, and in the town of Castel Gandolfo there is a country summer residence.

Plan of the northern part of the Apostolic Palace (Rodolfo Lanciani, 1893-1901).

There is no exact information about the beginning of the construction of the Vatican Palace: some attribute it to Constantine the Great, others attribute the initial construction to the time of Pope Symmachus (VI century). What is certain is that during Charlemagne’s arrival in Rome for his coronation, the residence of Pope Leo III was the palace on Vatican Hill; but then the palace was neglected and the residence of the pope was moved to the Lateran Palace. Only since the return of the popes from Avignon (1377) has the Vatican become the permanent papal residence and expanded with a number of grandiose extensions.

The main entrance is located on the right wing of the colonnade of St. Peter's, near the equestrian statue of Constantine the Great. The main staircase (scala Regia), with a magnificent Ionic colonnade (built under Urban VIII), leads to the Royal Hall (Sala Regia), which serves as the vestibule for the Sistine and Pauline chapels. The Sala Regia is decorated with beautiful frescoes by Vasari, Sammachini, the Zucchero brothers, Salviati and Sicchiolante.

The Pauline Chapel is remarkable for two frescoes by Michelangelo: “The Conversion of the Apostle Paul” and “The Crucifixion of the Apostle.” Peter", significantly damaged by the soot of wax candles. During Easter, services are held here. On the second floor there are the famous boxes of Raphael and 4 rooms, the so-called Stanzas of Raphael, which Raphael and his students painted on behalf of Popes Julius II and Leo X (1508-20). The Sala de Constantine leads into the Sala de Chiroscuri (the hall of chiaroscuro), from which one opens on one side into the Chapel of San Lorenzo, with frescoes by Fra Angelico, and on the other into the Gallery of Lodges. But the main route to the Lodges comes from the courtyard of St. Damase along the magnificent staircase of 118 steps, built under Pope Pius IX.

In the 19th century, in the 5 halls of the third floor, behind Raphael's boxes, the Vatican Art Gallery was located, which contained a small number of paintings that are the best works great masters. Then, on March 19, 1908, the Vatican Pinacoteca was opened in one of the wings of the Belvedere Palace, for which a new building was built in 1932, commissioned by Pope Pius XI.

The pope's own apartments and audience halls are located around the courtyard of St. Damaz, from the side of the Church of St. Petra.

The Belvedere Palace is occupied by the Pius-Clementine Museum. There are two lobbies leading to the museum: a quadrangular one, with the famous Belvedere torso of Hercules, and a round one, which offers views of the panorama of the city of Rome. Next to the round vestibule is the Meleager Hall, where a statue of this mythical hunter is displayed. From the circular vestibule one enters an octagonal courtyard surrounded by a portico supported by 16 granite columns. Under the portico there are sarcophagi, altars, fonts, bas-reliefs - all of almost wonderful antique work. The quadrangular niches contain world-famous statues: Apollo Belvedere, Laocoon and his sons, Hermes Belvedere and Perseus of Canova.

From this courtyard one enters the gallery of Statues, where between other works are the Apollo of Sauroctone and the Cupid of Praxiteles, Sleeping Ariadne. From here, through the Hall of Beasts (so named after the collection of wonderfully executed sculptural figures of animals) one enters the Hall of the Muses, octagonal, supported by 16 columns of Carrara marble, with antique statues of Apollo of Massageta and the Muses found in Tivoli. The Hall of the Muses leads to the Round Hall, with a dome on 10 marble columns, with a floor made of antique mosaics found in Otricoli. In this hall there is a pool of red porphyry, unique in size and beauty, statues of Antinous, Ceres, Juno, Hercules, etc. To the south of this hall is the hall of the Greek cross, so called by its shape; here are sarcophagi made of red porphyry of St. Helena and Constance.

The museum's staircase leads to the garden della Pigna. In the end wall of the palace there is a semicircular niche (architect Pirro Ligorio, 1560) with a bronze Roman fountain in the shape of a cone (Italian: Pigna) of the 1st century, which gave its name to the entire garden.

The northern end of the eastern Bramante gallery and the Braccio Nuovo gallery is occupied by the Chiaramonti Museum. Each side of the first gallery is divided into 30 compartments, furnished with a remarkable collection of statues, busts and bas-reliefs (Tiberius, Julius Caesar, Son, Silenus, etc.; busts of Cicero, Mary, Scipio Africanus, etc.). In the gallery of Braccio Nuovo there are statues of: Augustus, Claudius, Titus, Euripides, Demosthenes, Minerva, etc.; busts: Mark Antony, Lepidus, Hadrian, Trajan, etc. From the Chiaramonte gallery to the south, separated by one lattice, is the Museum of Inscriptions (more than 3000 monuments), founded by Pope Pius VII.

The western gallery of Bramante houses the following museums and halls: 1) Museum of Secular Objects - a collection of antique utensils made of various metals, bronze figurines of idols, precious stones and ivory carvings. 2) Museum of sacred objects - a collection of ancient church utensils found in the catacombs, etc. 3) Cabinet of papyri. 4) The Aldobrandin wedding hall. 5) The Hall of Byzantine artists, in which Gregory XVI placed a collection of paintings from the 13th and 14th centuries. 6) Numismatic office.

The Arazzi Gallery on the second floor of the western Bramante Gallery contains a precious collection of carpets made from Raphael's cardboards and depicting the acts of the holy apostles.

Several magnificent monuments of architecture and art formed the basis of a grandiose complex in Rome called the Vatican Palaces. The papal apartments, Catholic government offices, museums, the Vatican Library and several chapels formed the most magnificent monument in the world.

Vatican palaces. Pages of history

It was not possible to establish the temporary starting point from which the construction of the future residence of the heads of the Catholic Church began. One version attributes the beginning of construction to Constantine the Great, another connects the Vatican palaces with the residence of the apostles from the time of Symmachus (VI century). Of course, today not a trace remains of that ancient structure: numerous reconstructions and improvements have done their job. Initially, the building acted as a temporary residence for the popes (it was permanent) during periods of visits to St. Peter's Cathedral. The small palace gradually expanded and became increasingly important for history. Thus, the emperors Otto I and Charlemagne in the 9th-10th centuries were crowned to rule the state precisely in the Vatican Council. In the era of Leo IV, the papal palace was surrounded by a fortress wall, which gave the complex the name “City of Leo”. True, subsequent centuries had a devastating impact on the building, and Popes Celestino III and Eugene III had to carry out significant restoration of the structure.

The project to transform the building into the permanent residence of the heads of the church was initiated in the 13th century by Pope Innocent III. First of all, the permanent residence of the holy men had to be well fortified. In this regard, the project was based on already existing defensive structures: the fortress walls of the city of Leo and the Castel Sant'Angelo, associated with the palace, the so-called Borgo Corridor of the times of Pope Nicholas III. But another century would pass before the palace in Rome became the official papal residence.

The end of the popes' exile in France was marked by the return of Gregory XI to Rome in 1377. Since then, the Vatican became his permanent place of residence. The next two centuries passed in constant rebuilding and reconstruction of the papal home. Under Nicholas V in 1450, the residence was expanded: preserving all the existing buildings, they erected grand palace, and the Parrot's yard was inscribed in its square. The new Vatican Palace boasted a huge number of halls, the interior decoration of which was carried out by Piero della Francesca and Andrea del Castagno, and the Chapel of Nicholas V, decorated with frescoes with scenes from the lives of Saints Lawrence and Stephen Beato Angelico. The halls on the first floor with access to the courtyard became the Vatican Library, which was founded in 1451. True, 20 years later, the new Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the re-decoration by Ghirlandaio and Melozzo da Forli, finding a different use for the halls of the Vatican Library.
And in 1473, Giovanni de Dolce received from Pope Sixtus IV the task of building a chapel, later named, worthy of papal services. Representatives of the Umbrian art school, including Sandro Botticelli, Perugino and Pinturicchio, worked on the interior decoration of the chapel in 1481–1483, completing two cycles about the lives of Jesus and Moses.




The work of Nicholas V was completed by Alexander VI Borgia, on whose orders the Borgia Apartments were built in the 15th century. They consisted of six halls, three of which were “sheltered” by the Apostolic Palace, and three belong to the Borgia Tower, the decoration of which was entrusted to Pinturicchio and his students. All new halls were named according to the frescoes that decorated them:

  • The Prophets and Sibyls of the Hall of Sibyls display the prediction of the coming of the savior;
  • Figures of prophets and apostles decorate the Hall of the Creed, dedicated to Christianity;
  • The Hall of Liberal Arts was “given” frescoes depicting the Quamrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music) and Trivia (rhetoric, grammar, dialectic) by Antonio da Viterbo;
  • The Hall of Saints houses frescoes by Pinturicchio depicting scenes from the lives of Christian martyrs and saints;
  • The Halls of the Miracles of the Faith and the Pontiffs are decorated with frescoes and sculptures by Perin del Vaga, Giovanni da Udine.

By order of Inoccent VIII, the Belvedere Palace was also erected next to the Vatican. But the most large-scale transformations awaited the Vatican complex during the time of Pope and philanthropist Julius II, who instructed Bramante to carry out the unification of the palaces of Innocent VIII and Nicholas V. The result of the work carried out was the Belvedere Courtyard. The perspective of the courtyard (instead of the escedra with two staircases made earlier by Bramante) is blocked by a niche created by Pirro Ligorio in 1560. The loggias in the Courtyard of San Damaso, decorated with frescoes by Raphael, were also designed by Julius II. Thanks to the reconstruction, the facade of the Apostolic Palace began to overlook St. Peter's Square. And it was under Julius II that Michelangelo decorated the vault of the Sistine Chapel with his frescoes in 1509 - 1512, and Raphael in 1508 - 1524. was engaged in painting Stanzas (ceremonial halls).

The primacy of Pope Sixtus V occurred in the Baroque era, when Dominico Fontana created a modern residence, and the Belvedere was “cut” by the Transverse Courtyard. The construction of the Regge Staircase and the Paolina Halls, designed by Bernini, began in the 17th century during the reign of Pope Urban VIII. In the next century, work was carried out to create museums: the Museums of Church and Secular Art, the Chiaramonti Museum and the Pio Clementino Museum appeared. Already in the 20th century, under Pius XII, archaeological research was carried out under St. Peter's Basilica, and under John XXIII, the construction of new museum halls for the collection of the Lateran Palace began.

Description of the Vatican Palaces complex

Considering the long period of creation, the complex cannot be a complete monument of architecture and art. It is a collection of palaces, chapels, halls, galleries and courtyards belonging to different historical eras and architectural styles, preserving real treasures of sculpture, mosaic art and painting. The palace itself today has about 200 staircases, 20 courtyards and 12,000 different rooms.

The irregular quadrangle of the Vatican Palace stretches in an oblique direction from south to north from the columns of St. Peter. Two galleries connecting the Old Vatican with the Belvedere form the western and eastern longitudinal facades. Transverse galleries (Braccio Nuovo and Library Gallery) divide the space into 3 courtyards. The courtyard closest to the Vatican is called Belvedere, and the Giardino della Pigna garden is laid out in the third courtyard further away. By the way, this is not the only garden complex. On the hillside not far from the Villa of Pius IV, built by Pirro Ligorio, there is a garden called Girardino Pontifico.

Ancient part of the Apostolic Palace

Not far from the equestrian statue of Constantine is main entrance to the Apostolic Palace. The main staircase with an Ionic colonnade leads to the Royal Hall, which serves as a kind of vestibule for the Pauline and Sistine chapels. The truly royal decoration of the Hall itself are the frescoes of Salviatti, Vasari, the Zucchero brothers, Sammachini and Sicchiolante. But Michelangelo’s frescoes “The Crucifixion of the Apostle Peter” and “The Conversion of the Apostle Paul” of the Pauline Chapel suffered quite badly from the soot of candles, because Easter services are still held here today.

The second floor is famous for its halls and loggias, painted by Raphael. The Hall of Constantine leads into the Hall of Chiaroscuro, from which you can enter the gallery of boxes on one side, and the Chapel of San Lorenzo on the other side. True, the main road to the gallery of lodges remains the magnificent staircase of 118 steps leading from the Courtyard of San Domaso.

The oldest part of the complex also includes some of the Vatican Museums. Thus, back in the 19th century, behind the Raphael Lodges, in five halls on the third floor, the Vatican Art Gallery was located, and in 1908, one wing of the Belvedere Palace was enriched with the Vatican Pinacoteca.

The audience hall and personal apartments of the Pope are located on the side of the Cathedral of St. Peter's around the Court of San Domaso.

Vatican palaces. Galleries

They have Vatican palaces and their own galleries. The Braccio Nuovo and Bramante galleries are the most famous Vatican galleries, dedicated to the Chiaramonti Museum. On each side, the Bramante Gallery is divided into 30 parts, furnished with bas-reliefs, busts and statues of Caesar, Ciciro, Tiberius and others. The Braccio Nuovo Gallery stores busts and statues of Trajan, Augustus, Titus, Hadrian, Mark Antony and other personalities. Just one grille separates the Chiaramonti Museum in the south from the Museum of Inscriptions, founded by Pius VII and housing more than 3,000 exhibits.

The western part of the Bramante Gallery is truly replete with museums, among which stand out: the Cabinet of Papyri, the Museum of Sacred Objects, the Museum of Secular Objects and the Numismatic Cabinet. On the second floor (Arazzi Gallery) are collected precious carpets depicting the apostles based on paintings by Raphael.

Vatican palaces. Belvedere Palace

There are two entrance halls leading to the Pius Clemente Museum, located in the Belvedere Palace. From the round one there is a magnificent panorama of the The eternal City, and the quadrangular one is famous thanks to the torso of Hercules. The Hall of Mileagre with a statue of a hunter from myths is located near the circular vestibule. From here you can enter the octagonal courtyard, surrounded by a portico with 16 granite columns. Under the portico itself, antique bas-reliefs, fonts, sarcophagi and altars found their place. And in the niches, for many decades, Apollo Belvedere, Canova’s Perseus, Laocoon with his sons and Mercury have been showing off.

From the courtyard you can enter the gallery of Statues with Sleeping Ariadne and Cupid Praxiteles, then, through the Hall of Beasts, into the Hall of Muses in the shape of an octagon supported by 16 marble columns. Next comes the Round Hall with a dome supported by 10 marble columns and antique mosaics from Otricoli. Here you can admire the red porphyry pool, which amazes not only with its beauty, but also with its size. To the south of the hall is the Hall of the Greek Cross with sarcophagi of Saints Constance and Helen made of red porphyry.

From here you can go to the main museum staircase, created by Simonetta, and from it to the Egyptian and then the Etruscan museums, founded by Pius VII and Gregory XVI, respectively. The museum's staircase, in turn, leads to the Giardino della Pigna, named because of the bronze fountain in the shape of a cone, located in a niche at the end of the building.

The grand complex of the Vatican Palaces is today considered the most significant for humanity architectural ensemble all over the world, and the greatness of the treasures collected here can plunge any connoisseur of beauty into “sacred” awe for a long time.

The Vatican Palaces are the most majestic monument architecture in the world. It includes: museums, chapels, Catholic government agencies. The Vatican palaces are not a single structure, but a complex of buildings and structures that are shaped like an irregular quadrangle.

Historians to this day have not come to a clear conclusion about the start date of construction of the Apostolic Palace. Thus, some historians consider the days of the reign of Constantine the Great to be the starting point, others draw a parallel with the apostolic residence of the times of Symmachus (6th century AD). It has been established that for some time the Apostolic Palace was empty, but after the Avignon captivity of the popes it again became the “home” of the popes.

In the 15th century, Pope Nicholas V proposed to build new palace. Architects and builders set about reconstructing the northern wing without destroying the old walls. This building later included the Borgia apartments.

2 floors of the military tower were converted into a chapel, which later received the name “Niccolina”, because for some time the chapel was the personal chapel of Nicholas V. The chapel was decorated by a Dominican monk, the artist Fra Beato Angelico, and his student B. Gotzozoli. Three walls of the chapel tell stories from the lives of Saints Lorenzo and Stephen, the fourth wall later became an altar.

Towards the end of the 15th century, Pope Alexander VI Borgia invited the artist Pinturicchio to paint his chambers, which occupied six halls. The halls correspond to the subjects of the paintings - the Hall of the Mysteries of Faith, the Hall of Sibyls, the Hall of Sciences and Arts, the Hall of the Lives of Saints, the Hall of Mysteries and the Hall of Popes. Under Pope Julius II, the Vatican and Belvedere palaces were connected through the construction of galleries, the painting of which was carried out by the great Michelangelo Buonarotti and the brilliant Raphael Santi, the architect of the project was Donato Bramante.

The Belvedere Palace houses many exhibits of ancient Greek and Roman art. There are two lobbies leading to the museum: a round one with a panoramic view of Rome and a quadrangular one, in which the torso of Hercules flaunts. Near the circular vestibule is the Hall of Meleager, represented by a statue of this hunter. From here you can access the courtyard. In the courtyard of the Belvedere Palace, Pope Julius II installed a group of Laocoon sculptures and a statue of Apollo, and very soon other archaeological finds were added to them, forming the Vatican Museums.

The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is perhaps the most famous chapel in the world - the pearl of the Vatican. The architecture of the building will not arouse much interest, but the interior decoration will amaze with the beauty of the frescoes of brilliant Renaissance artists. The chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV, under whose patronage work was carried out on the reconstruction and decoration of the building in the period from 1477 to 1482. To this day, the conclave (a meeting of cardinals to choose a new pope) takes place here.

The Sistine Chapel consists of three floors covered with a barrel vault. The chapel is divided into two parts by a wall of marble with bas-reliefs, on which Giovanni Dolmato, Mino da Fiesole and Andrea Bregno worked.

The side walls are divided into three tiers: the lower tier is decorated with draperies with the coat of arms of the Pope, made in gold and silver; Artists worked on the middle tier: Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, who introduced us to scenes from the lives of Christ and Moses. But still, the greatest works of art are considered to be the ceiling and wall paintings made by the painter Michelangelo. The ceiling frescoes depict 9 scenes from the Old Testament - from the creation of the world to the Fall. On the wall above the altar of the chapel there is a scene of the Last Judgment, which during important ceremonies is decorated with tapestries made according to sketches by Raphael.

Vatican Apostolic Library

The Vatican Library is famous for its rich collection of manuscripts from different eras. The library was founded by Pope Nicholas V in the 15th century. The library's collection is constantly being replenished; now its fund includes about 150 thousand manuscripts, 1.6 million printed books, 8.3 thousand incunabula, more than 100 thousand engravings and geographical maps, 300 thousand coins and medals.

How to get there?

Review of the Papal (Apostolic Palace) of the Vatican based on primary sources.

The Papal (Apostolic) Palace in the Vatican under the shadow of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Still image from the official Vatican film “Vatican City”.

“Just as the Basilica (of St. Peter) is the grandiose repository of the tomb of St. Peter, the Apostolic Papal Palace is a continuation of the Vatican Temple, as if the house of its canon is the house of the clergyman.

The Pope's residence appears in architectural sequence with the Basilica, we're talking about about the totality of buildings and various residences added to one another,” says the official Vatican film “Vatican City,” released in eight languages ​​several years ago by the Vatican Museums Publishing House of the Vatican Governorate, about the Papal Apostolic Palace. (Hereinafter we will quote, among other things, data from this film according to the Russian version).

The most famous window in the world

- window in the Apostolic (Papal) Palace

Panorama of the Vatican with the Cathedral and St.

Panorama of the Vatican with the Cathedral and St. Peter's Square. On the right is the Apostolic (Papal Palace). The illustration shows the most famous windows of the Vatican, from where the Pope addresses his flock (Here Benedict XVI). The most famous of these windows is located in the Apostolic (Papal) Palace.

Every Sunday, at noon local time, the Pope addresses his flock from the window of his office in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican with the Angelus Domini prayer and a short sermon on current topics. This tradition is interrupted only if the Pope is at his country residence near Rome, in Castel Gandolfo (then the ceremony takes place there - in the summer Papal Palace), or on a trip. During the Angelus, anyone can see the Pope if they come to the window of his palace, but better place borrow early.

“The most famous window in the world,” as they say about the window of the Apostolic (Papal) Palace in the Vatican (the penultimate one from the right edge on the top floor of the Sixtus V building in the Papal Palace), is not the only window in the Vatican from which the Pope addresses. On more solemn occasions - at Christmas, for example, the Pope addresses the message Urbi et orbi ("to the city and to the world") from the balcony above the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica. It is also where the Pope appears for the first time before the public and after his election.

But, nevertheless, it is the window in the private office of the Apostolic Palace that is associated throughout the world with the addresses of the Popes. Before the start of the address of the Pope, the Papal personal coat of arms is hung from the window of the Apostolic Palace (Not to be confused with the coat of arms of the Vatican with keys and a crown, which does not change. The personal coat of arms is developed only for the period of the pontificate of each Pope. For John Paul II, the coat of arms depicted the Latin letter M in honor Virgin Mary, and Pope Benedict XVI contains, among other things, images of a bear and a Moor in memory of his archiepiscopal coat of arms of Munich and Freising, where the Pope once served).

Pope Benedict XVI in the window of his private apartments in the Apostolic Palace (Angelus, Dec.

Pope Benedict XVI in the window of his private chambers of the Apostolic Palace (“Angelus”, December 2011; still from a broadcast from the Vatican Television Center). For more information about these chambers, how the Papal Apartments are arranged, and whether the window actually faces the study, see the “Papal Apartments” section of this review.

“The cabinet window (of the Papal Palace) is the most famous in the whole world. Millions and millions of people look at him. Every day the whole world and the Universal Church invade the personal life of the Pope, with their hopes and, above all, with their sorrows, the most varied tragedies and anxieties,”- states the official Vatican film “Vatican City”.

In turn, the website of the Vatican governorate indicates, speaking about the first Papal Palace, located on the site of the current Apostolic Residence (hereinafter the quotation is from the English version):

“Back in the middle of the 9th century, small fortified buildings were built surrounding the old Basilica of St. Peter (i.e. the original one, Konstantinova, later built into the new one, which still exists today. For more information about St. Peter’s Basilica, see our website here. Note website). These fortified buildings with walls (around the Basilica) were built at the direction of Pope Leo IV (pontificate from 847 to 855), and they came to be called the “lion city”.

The official Vatican film states:

“The original core (of the future Papal Apostolic Palace) can be dated to the period from the 13th to XVII century“... (But first located here) the palace of Pope Innocent III was not much different from a fortified tower. The Vatican Hill, on which the palace was built, ultimately gave its name to this entire area with its palaces...

(Vatican Papal Palace) - the residence of the Popes since 1376, after their return from exile in Avignon. Before that, and at least until the 12th century, the Popes lived in an ancient palace built near the Basilica of St. John Lateran - Cathedral Rome".

Lateran and Avignon to the Vatican

Let us note on our own that the Avignon exile is the period from 1309 to 1377 (with a break in 1367-1370), when, under pressure from France, the Popes moved from Rome to Avignon (in French Provence). Several successive Popes who ruled from there were French (with the exception of one).

The Papacy bought Avignon, and later the Apostolic Palace was built in this city for the Popes, built on the basis of the old episcopal palace. (The Apostolic Palace in Avignon has survived, but now the Popes have no relation to it. Then, although the French king Philip IV the Fair, who forced the Pope to move to Avignon, reigned only until 1314 (when he died at the age of forty-seven), The popes remained in Avignon for more than sixty years.

All this time, the Lateran Palace continued to exist in Rome. This palace dates back to 312 AD. donated to the bishops of Rome, i.e. to the current Popes, Emperor Constantine.

This Roman emperor, who legalized Christianity in the empire and was himself a fan of this cult, received in turn this palace, which previously belonged to the noble Lateran family, after his marriage.

Already in 319, the emperor ordered the construction of the huge Church of Christ the Savior to the Lateran Palace (in the 10th century it was dedicated to John the Baptist), and it became known as San Giovanni in Laterana. It was the Lateran Palace that for ten centuries was main residence Popes in Rome, while the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterana was the main church.

In turn, at that time the Vatican Hill was a marginal swampy and unhealthy area, regularly flooded by the Tiber River. Christians of the first ten centuries of Christianity were interested in Vatican Hill only in connection with the existence there memorial place, associated with the name of the Apostle Peter, where the above-mentioned Emperor Constantine erected a basilica at the supposed site of the execution and burial of St. Peter.

Note that the Lateran Palace and the Lateran Basilica are located very far from the modern Vatican - on the opposite side of Rome, just as they were away from the center of Rome during the Roman Empire. Nowadays, the safely preserved Lateran Palace houses the residence of the vicar - the Pope's vicar in the Roman diocese.

We also note that in modern times, the office of the Popes who already lived in the Vatican was the Quirinale Palace in Rome. The Quirinale Palace personified the power of the Popes as heads of the Papal State. Nowadays it is the residence of the presidents of Italy.

The image from Vatican Television shows the front courtyard of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, known as the Courtyard of St.

An image from a Vatican Television broadcast shows the front courtyard of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, known as the Patio of St. Damasus. Here we see a door with a canopy (at which Vatican official cars are parked). The Pope uses this exit when leaving the Apostolic Palace and the Vatican by car (to exit the courtyard onto the Vatican streets, there is a passage arch in the facade, but it is not visible here). The courtyard is decorated with round clocks and sculptures.

Courtyard of St.

Courtyard of St. Damas.

In the image from the Vatican Television broadcast: Courtyard of St.

Image from Vatican Television broadcast: Courtyard of St. Damasus. The Swiss Guard and Vatican staff lined up to see off Pope Benedict XVI.

The image from the Vatican Television broadcast shows the Courtyard of St.

The image from the Vatican Television broadcast shows the Court of St. Damasus and to the right of it the Apostolic Palace. On the left side of the photo you can see the elongated structure of the Sistine Chapel, as well as part of St. Peter's Basilica. In the foreground is St. Peter's Square with a spire-shaped ancient Egyptian obelisk in the center.

Developmental chronology pictures

Apostolic (Papal) Palace in the Vatican

Papal Palace of Innocent III (ruled the church from 1198 to 1216.

Papal Palace of Innocent III (ruled the church from 1198 to 1216) from an old drawing (still from the film “Vatican City”). The Palace of Innocent III became the core around which the complex of the now existing Apostolic Residence on Vatican Hill began to take shape and was rebuilt.

Pope Nicholas V (headed the church from 1447 to 1454) against the background of a drawing of the old part of the Apostolic (Papal Palace) on Vatican Hill (Still from the film “Vatican City”).

Buildings of the Apostolic Palace from the time of Pope Nicholas V.

Constructions of the Apostolic Palace from the time of Pope Nicholas V. “Under Nicholas V, a new wing was added and the central part of the building was strengthened around the so-called. Pappagallo courtyard. From the outside, the palace retained its appearance medieval fortress- austere, compact, with its towers, but inside the halls were decorated according to the Tuscan Renaissance taste - refined and sophisticated,” notes the film “Vatican City”.

“(Pope) Nicholas V died in 1455.

“(Pope) Nicholas V died in 1455. His interest in culture and architecture was picked up a few years later by Sixtus IV, the Pope who associated his name with the beginning of the construction of the Apostolic Library, but above all with the Sistine Chapel, which from then on would be par excellence the Papal Chapel,” the film notes. "Vatican City". The Sistine Chapel historically belongs to the Papal (Apostolic Palace), although now it is part of the Vatican Museums, a department governed by the governorship of the Vatican City State. However, the Sistine Chapel is also used for official events of the Roman Catholic Church. The conclave is taking place here - the election of a new Pope. A still from the official film “Vatican City”: A bird's eye view of the Sistine Chapel. The film notes that despite its internal splendor, built under Sixtus IV as a Papal Chapel, and being part of the Apostolic Palace, it initially retained and retains on the outside the features of a typical fortified structure.

“In 1494, Rodrigo Borgia was chosen with the name of Alexander VI.

“In 1494, Rodrigo Borgia was chosen with the name of Alexander VI. It is this Pope who will bring to completion part of the project of the Papal Apostolic Palace begun by his predecessors. The Borgia Tower remains one of the most important parts of the Apostolic Palace in the 16th century. The Pope ordered his personal chambers to be built in this building. The six rooms of their components have a continuation in that wing of the Apostolic Palace, which was built under Nicholas V.” In the still from the film “Vatican City” the tower is on the right. The Borgia chambers are now, like all the older buildings of the Apostolic Palace, part of the Vatican Museums.

Donato Bramante, on the instructions of Pope Julius II (was Pope from 1503 to 1513.

Donato Bramante, on the instructions of Pope Julius II (Pope from 1503 to 1513), drew a plan for the new facade of the eastern part of the Apostolic Palace. Still from the film “Vatican City”.

The film “Vatican City” indicates: “It was Raphael, although he did not have much experience in architecture, who completed the eastern façade of the Apostolic Palace after the premature death of Bramante in 1514.” Note that, after the Popes began to move away from fortress architecture in appearance of his Apostolic Palace, it was the loggia windows of the new facades and galleries of the palace that became a visible manifestation of this.

The film “Vatican City” indicates: “It was Raphael, although he did not have much experience in architecture, who completed the eastern façade of the Apostolic Palace after the premature death of Bramante in 1514.” Note that, after the Popes began to move away from fortress architecture in appearance of his Apostolic Palace, it was the loggia windows of the new facades and galleries of the palace that became a visible manifestation of this. They also symbolized the offensive of the so-called. Renaissance.

Loggia windows overlooking the Courtyard of St.

Loggia windows overlooking the Courtyard of St. Damasus, formerly known as the Secret Garden of the Popes. Still from the film “Vatican City.”

"On east side(of the Apostolic Palace) Pope Sixtus V in 1589 wished to erect a strict quadrangular palazzo designed by Domenico Fontana. This palace acts as a third wing to the loggias of Bramante and Raphael,” notes the official Vatican film “Vatican City.”

“On the eastern side (of the Apostolic Palace), Pope Sixtus V, in 1589, wished to erect a strict quadrangular palazzo designed by Domenico Fontana. This palace acts as a third wing to the loggias of Bramante and Raphael,” notes the official Vatican film “Vatican City.” Here, in a still from this film, is the massive palace of Sixtus V (right) - the current residence and apartment of the Pope. It is also part of the large complex of the Apostolic Palace.

Dads are moving

to Vatican Hill

But let's return to the history of the Apostolic (Papal Palace). The official Vatican film talks about him further history following:

“The Papal or Apostolic Palace, however, is not only the residence of the Holy Father. It represents a whole complex of buildings, built in different eras, with halls and chapels abounding in artistic riches.

Nowadays most of the palace is closed to visitors. In addition to the personal chambers of the Pope, it includes various institutions, and the Secretariat of State is the most important governing body of the Holy See.

From the original core of the palace of Innocent III (ruled the church from 1198 to 1216. Note site), other buildings were developed at the will of Pope Nicholas III (ruled the church in 1277-1280), but, above all, Nicholas V (Nicholas V ( Parentucelli) - pope - a humanist who headed the church from 1447 to 1454. This is how this Pope is characterized in another part of the mentioned Vatican publication - the film “Vatican City”).

It was during his pontificate that work began, which in the history of the Papal Palace occupies a whole chapter in the history of the revival...

A new wing was added and the central part of the building was strengthened around the so-called. Pappagallo courtyard. From the outside, the palace retained the appearance of a medieval fortress - austere, compact, with its towers, but inside the halls were decorated, according to the Renaissance Tuscan taste - refined and sophisticated.

Michelangelo

and the Papal (Apostolic) Palace

(Pope) Nicholas V died in 1455. His interest in culture and architecture was picked up a few years later by Sixtus IV, the Pope who associated his name with the beginning of the construction of the Apostolic Library, but above all with the Sistine Chapel, which from then on would be par excellence the Papal Chapel.

The structure of this building reflects the constant concern of the Popes how best to protect their residence. In fact, from the outside the chapel appears to be an expanded and fortified tower.

The severity of the building's exterior is contrasted by its interior, which contains the most beautiful frescoes of the Italian Renaissance. In 1508, Pope Julius II della Rovere summoned Michelangelo to Rome to restore and fresco the ceiling of the chapel, which was already significantly damaged.

(Several decades later) Pope Paul III (was Pope in 1534 -1549. Note site) commissioned Michelangelo, who was already approaching the end of his long life, to also paint the walls of the so-called. Pauline Chapel (The paintings in this chapel (Pauline Chapel) are the now lesser-known work for this Pope, carried out by Michelangelo. They were eclipsed by the famous fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel - the most famous work late Michelangelo, commissioned by Paul III. With the Last Judgment fresco, Michelangelo complemented his other painting in the Sistine Chapel, which has already been mentioned - the ceiling of this room, painted on behalf of Pope Julius II. Note website).

Paul's Chapel was built according to the design of Antonio da Sangallo Jr. (Frescoes Michelangelo's painting in the Pauline Chapel replaced Fra Angelico's painting a century earlier. Note that Fra Angelico's paintings survived in the Papal Palace only in the above-mentioned private chapel of Nicholas V. We also note that the Last Judgment fresco replaced older frescoes by other masters in the Sistine Chapel. Note website).

Dad, whom they didn’t want to remember,

or why Raphael's stanzas were written

In the illustration: In Pinturicchio's canvas "Resurrection" in the room called the Stanza of Mysteries and Faith, the character kneeling in prayer before the risen Christ is Pope Alexander VI.

In the illustration: In Pinturicchio's canvas "Resurrection" in the room called the Stanza of Mysteries and Faith, the character kneeling in prayer before the risen Christ is Pope Alexander VI. A dad with a controversial reputation.

Before we continue quoting the Vatican source - the film "Vatican City", let's talk a little about Pope Alexander VI, who has a reputation in history for behavior inappropriate for a Pope.

It must be said that this Pope was distinguished by great foresight, concern for the safety of his subjects and diplomatic talents. In his activities both as a cardinal and on the Papal throne, Alexander VI always placed effective governance above all else. At the same time, serious publications, although perhaps sympathetic to the Papacy, usually do not take seriously the legends about this man buying votes in the elections, which allowed him to become Pope.

But despite all of the above, this Pope has generally earned a mixed reputation. Mainly because during his pontificate he promoted his illegitimate children into power, and throughout his life he had relationships with many mistresses. Be that as it may, Pope Alexander VI played a vital role in increasing the Vatican's cultural wealth and arranging the Apostolic Palace. This is what Cyrus Shahrad wrote about this to the Pope in his book “Secrets of the Vatican” (2007, 2008 also published in Russian):

“Nothing prevents visitors from wandering through some of the old papal apartments. Those formerly belonging to Julius II form one of the most visited parts of the (Vatican) Museum, magnificently decorated with paintings by Raphael. The chambers of the despotic Pope Alexander VI (in the world of Borgia) give rise to endless speculation. The frescoes (by Pinturicchio) use a complex system of religious iconography to emphasize the supposedly Divine origin of the Borgia themselves.

The protracted period of the reign of Alexander VI was so permeated with a pernicious spirit that his successor, Julius II, flatly refused to occupy the apartments of “this scoundrel,” and the deeply religious Alexander VII removed one fresco that offended his feelings. The fresco was recently found. It depicts the Pope kneeling in front of the Madonna, and the model, apparently, was his mistress Giulia Farnese. The Pope’s hand touches the baby’s leg, which could well have been copied from one of his illegitimate children.”

A still frame from the film “Vatican City” shows the fresco “Disputation of St. Catherine of Alexandria” in the Hall of Saints from the Borgia Chambers of the Apostolic Palace.

A still frame from the film “Vatican City” shows the fresco “Disputation of St. Catherine of Alexandria” in the Hall of Saints from the Borgia Chambers of the Apostolic Palace. The fresco depicts the son of Pope Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia, as Emperor Maximilian, and the Pope's daughter, Lucretia, as Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The brother and sister were de facto co-rulers of the Papal State under Pope Alexander VI.

The official Vatican film is not so categorical about the Borgia Pope. Although he notes the fact that this Pope was not very fond of his successors, and also mentions the frescoes in the Apostolic (Papal) Palace depicting the illegitimate children of the Pope, but does not directly indicate that these are the children of the Pope:

“In 1494, Rodrigo Borgia was chosen with the name of Alexander VI. It is this Pope who will bring to completion part of the project of the Papal Apostolic Palace begun by his predecessors. The Borgia Tower remains one of the most important parts of the Apostolic Palace in the 16th century.

The Pope ordered his personal chambers to be built in this building. The six rooms of their components continue in that wing of the Apostolic Palace, which was built under Nicholas V. Pinturicchio, a famous artist from the region of Umbria, was entrusted with the decoration of the rooms - stanze (The word stanze means room. Note website). In these works, the artist revealed his great technical capabilities, skillfully combining gilded stucco decorations with tempera (a type of paint)... On one of the frescoes ("Sunday") the Pope himself (Alexander VI)...

The idea of ​​presenting characters, making them similar to their contemporaries, quite common in that era (the Middle Ages), is also evident in the fresco “The Dispute of St. Catherine of Alexandria” in the so-called Hall of Saints. On the fresco, Emperor Maximilian is a portrait of Cesare Borgia (the son of Pope Alexander VI and the actual head of the Curia at that time. Note website). While Saint Catherine is endowed with a portrait resemblance to his sister Lucretia. To the left of the throne are the architect Antonio da Sangalla Sr. and Pinturicchio himself.

Alexander VI died in 1503. After Pius III, who was Pope for only 26 days, Pope Julius II della Rovere, nephew of Sixtus IV, was elected. The ten years of his pontificate should be seen as the apogee of the flowering of Renaissance art in the Vatican.

Donato Bramante was the architect who began to implement the Pope's designs. In a short time, work began on the destruction of the ancient Basilica of Constantine in order to replace it with another, which was supposed to surpass the first in size and splendor. We worked on creating the Belvedere courtyard. While a new impressive façade was designed for the Apostolic Palace. Ambitious projects were only partially implemented, but starting from those ideas they were able to give the Vatican buildings the form in which they exist to this day.

Memories of his predecessor Alexander VI, whom Julius II did not greatly respect, prompted the Pope to decide to change the rooms of his personal chambers. He chose some halls located just above the Borgia chambers, and to decorate them with frescoes he invited the young Raphael, who was barely 25 years old, to Rome in 1508. The painting was carried out in four rooms, known today as Raphael's stanzas (rooms). (A number of rooms were painted by Raphael with his own hand, and a number of them were painted by his students under his guidance. Pri. website) ... The fourth room of the stanzas, dedicated to Emperor Constantine, was painted after the death of Raphael.

"Ducal Hall" of the Apostolic Palace with Bernini's arch depicting the Cupids.

"Ducal Hall" of the Apostolic Palace with Bernini's arch depicting the Cupids. Still from the film “Vatican City”.

Loggias in the northern part of the Apostolic Palace, built under Pope Gregory XIII.

Loggias in the northern part of the Apostolic Palace, built under Pope Gregory XIII. Still from the film “Vatican City”.

From Julius II to Sixtus V

The new façade of the Papal Palace facing Rome, i.e. with the eastern wing, Pope Julius (There is Julius II, remember, he was Pope from 1503 to 1513. Note Portalosrtanah.ru) wanted to turn the gloomy medieval castle to a brilliant Renaissance residence. In an extremely original way (the architect) Bramante made the base of three levels of new spacious loggias and higher arches the main mass of the ancient building. The work was completed by Raphael...

Donate Bramante drew a plan for the new facade of the eastern part of the Apostolic Palace. But it was Raphael, although he did not have much experience in architecture, who completed its implementation after the premature death of the great architect in 1514.

The building with loggias is adjacent to the so-called. called the Secret Garden of the Popes, which will later be called the courtyard of St. Damasus.

After completing the loggias, Raphael and his students painted them with fresco cycles illustrating scenes from the Old Testament. These fresco cycles are known as the Raphael Bibles.

After the death of Julius II, Leo X was elected Pope. (This) Medici Pope continued the ambitious project of his predecessor. From that time on, all extensions to the Papal Palace developed around the courtyard of St. Damasus, (including) those buildings that were subsequently built at the request of Popes Gregory XIII and Sixtus V.” (And also the successor of Leo X - Pope Clement VII. Note Portalosrtanah.ru).

Let us note that Popes Clement VII and Gregory XIII entered the history of the development of the Apostolic (Papal) Palace, mainly as Popes who built new halls in the already existing premises of the Apostolic Palace.

Under Pope Clement VII from the Medici family (government of the Church in 1523-1534). in the medieval part of the Apostolic Palace, the architect Antonio Sangalla Jr., at the same time as the “Hall of Ceremonies”, designed and built the so-called. "Duke's Hall". The “Ducal Hall” adjoins the “Hall of Ceremonies”, which now serves as a kind of antechamber of the Sistine Chapel. ( Let us note that the well-known Giorgio Vasari, a contemporary of Michelangelo, also an artist and sculptor, famous for his biographies of Michelangelo, participated in the painting of the “Hall of Ceremonies” with frescoes about the political primacy of the Popes in the Christian world). Several decades later, in 1556, Bernini connected the “Ducal Hall,” previously consisting of two half-rooms, with an arch with cupids.

Pope Gregory XIII (ruled the church from 1572 to 1585) also rebuilt several halls in the medieval part of the Apostolic Palace. Among the halls where the paintings were changed under Gregory III: the Old Hall of the Swiss" (under Julius II it was adjacent to the chambers of this Pope) and the "Charoscular Hall". The Pope also built four so-called. “Fire Hall” - “foconi”. They were named so because they contained huge braziers for heating. From the second Fire Hall you can go to the Chapel of the Mother of the Redeemer, formerly called the Matilda Chapel, in honor of the Countess, who in the 11th century supported the power of the Pope against the power of the Emperor, and then left her entire fortune to the Church. Also under Gregory XIII, who was fond of geography and astronomy, the “Hall of Bologna” was built. In the hall named honor hometown The popes are dominated by frescoes in the form of geographical maps, in particular a full-wall plan of the city of Bologna.

On the next page: More about the Pope's apartment today in the Palace of Sixtus V, as well as a plan of the Apostolic (Papal) Palace and adjacent buildings.