Vatican Hill

Vatican Hill

Infobox Hill of Rome 2
name =Vatican Hill
Latin name =Vaticanus mons"
Italian name =colle Vaticano
rione =Borgo
buildings =Circus of Nero
palazzi =
churches =St Peter's Basilica
people =
events =
religion =
mythology =
sculptures =|

"Vatican Hill" (in Latin, "Vaticanus Mons") is the name given, long before the founding of Christianity, to one of the hills on the side of the Tiber opposite the traditional seven hills of Rome. It may have been the site of an Etruscan town called "Vaticum".

In the 1st century A.D., the Vatican Hill was outside the city limits and so could feature a circus (the circus of Nero) and a cemetery. St. Peter's Basilica is built over this cemetery, the traditional site of St. Peter the Apostle's grave. There was another cemetery nearby, which was opened to the public on 10th October 2006 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Vatican Museums. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1891559,00.html] The Vatican Hill is not one of the famous seven hills of Rome, although it was included within the city limits of Rome during the reign of Pope Leo IV, who between 848 and 852 A.D. expanded the city walls to protect St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican. Thus, Vatican Hill has been within the walls and city limits of Rome (until the Lateran Treaties in 1929 it was part the rione of Borgo) for over 1100 years.

Before the Avignon Papacy (1305-1378), the headquarters of the Holy See were located at the Lateran Palace. After the Avignon Papacy the church administration moved to Vatican Hill and the papal palace was (until 1871) the Quirinal Palace, upon the Quirinal Hill. Since 1929, part of the Vatican Hill is the site of the State of the Vatican City. However, the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, is not St. Peter's in the Vatican, but Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, which is extra-territorially linked, as indicated in the Lateran Pacts signed with the Italian state in 1929, with the Holy See.

The root of the word "Vatican" is derived from the Latin "vates", meaning "seer, soothsayer", which in turn is an Etruscan loan-word. [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=vatican&searchmode=none] Indeed, the Vatican Hill was the home of the Vates long before pre-Christian Rome. Vaticanus was an Etruscan god ofprophecy, and his temple was built on the ancient site of Vaticanum (Vatican Hill). [http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-2472]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Vatican City — State[1] Stato della Città del Vaticano[2] …   Wikipedia

  • Vatican — may refer to:*The Holy See, the central governing body of the Catholic Church, consisting of the Pope and the Roman Curia *The Roman Curia, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See *Vatican City, the sovereign state *Vatican Hill, a hill in… …   Wikipedia

  • Vatican Museums — Musei Vaticani Established 1506 Location Vatican City …   Wikipedia

  • Vatican — [vat′i kən] n. [L Vaticanus (mons), Vatican (hill)] 1. the papal residence, consisting of a group of buildings in Vatican City 2. papal government or authority adj. 1. of this residence, government, or authority 2. designating either of the Roman …   English World dictionary

  • Vatican — Vat i*can, n. [L. Vaticanus, mons, or collis, Vaticanus, the Vatican hill, in Rome, on the western bank of the Tiber: cf. F. Vatican, It. Vaticano.] A magnificent assemblage of buildings at Rome, near the church of St. Peter, including the pope s …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Vatican — /vat i keuhn/, n. 1. Also called Vatican Palace. the chief residence of the popes in Vatican City, now also including a library, archives, art museum, apartments, and administrative offices. 2. the authority and government of the pope… …   Universalium

  • Vatican — Vat|i|can [ˈvætıkən] n [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: Vaticanus Vatican Hill (in Rome)] the Vatican a) the large ↑palace in Rome where the Pope (=head of the Roman Catholic Church) lives and works b) the government of the Pope ▪ The Vatican… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Vatican — noun Etymology: Latin Vaticanus Vatican Hill (in Rome) Date: 1555 1. the papal headquarters in Rome 2. the papal government • Vatican adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Vatican — Vat•i•can [[t]ˈvæt ɪ kən[/t]] n. 1) rel Also called Vat′ican Pal′ace. the chief residence of the popes in Vatican City 2) rel the authority and government of the pope • Etymology: 1545–55; < L vātīcānus (mōns) Vatican (hill) …   From formal English to slang

  • Vatican — /ˈvætɪkən/ (say vatikuhn) noun 1. the palace of the popes in Rome and their chief residence since 1377; includes a library, art museum, archives, administrative offices, etc. 2. the papal power or government, as distinguished from the Quirinal… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”