Famous person in Vatican City -- Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II is the most famous pope around the world.
He was born on 18 May, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland.He was baptized as Karol Jozef Wojtyla. He had an unfortunate childhood, his mother died when he was eight years old. Two years later, he lost his elder brother as well. He was a goalie on a soccer team when he was a teenager.

He moved to Krokow with his father; then he learned 12 languages and participated as a playwright in many theatrical groups. His university closed in 1939 because Nazi Germans ocupied Poland. Therefore, he had to do a low income job for their living. In 1941, Karol's father left him, he became all alone.

After his father's death, he realized his calling for priesthood. Karol made the decision to study in the clandestine underground seminary that was run by the Archbishop of Krakow, Adam Stefan, Cardinal Sepieha.

Karol was sent to Rome to study theology at the Pontificial international Athenaeum Angelica as a priest in November 1946. In 1948, he returned to Poland after obtaining a licentiate and doctorate in sacred theology. His first job was to work as a priest in the village of Niegowic.

In the year of 1954, Karol gained another doctorate in philosophy. Then he published the comtemporary church issues in the Universal Weekly newspaper. In July 1958, Karol was nominated for ther position of bishop of Krakow and then became the youngest bishop in Poland.

After the death of Pope John Paul I, Cardinal Franz Konig the Archbishop of Vienna had suggested Karol as a compromise candidate. Then Karol won the election and became Pope John Paul II. In the history of Rome, he was the youngest Pope to be selected. Pope John Paul II had his Papal inauguration ceremony on October 1978.

Pope John Paul II died in April 2005 because of septic shock and a widespread form of infection. He was given medical treament by a team of doctors at his private residence before his death. He was cremated at St. Peter's Basilica.

In his priesthood, he had served as Pope and Sovereign of the Vatican City for 27years.

History of the Vatican City

Objective

1. The Popes have resided in the Vatican City since the return from Avignonin in 1377.
   



2. The Swiss Guard has served the Popes since the 1500s.
   



3. In 1667, Piazza di San Pietro (St Peter's Square) and the colonnade were designed and built by Bernini.
   



4. Between 1861 and 1929, the status of the Pope was referred to as the Roman Question.
   



5. Vatican City was established in 1929.
   



6. In 1930, the Vatican's railway Station was opened and is used for freight.
   



7. In 1969, the Vatican state eliminated capital punishment, which was in the legislation adopted in 1929 on the basis of Italian law.
   



8. The Palatine Guard and the Noble Guard were disbanded by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
   



9. A concordat altering the terms of church-state relations was signed in 1984.
   



10. The Vatican City State has been registered in the World Heritage since 1984.
    



11. On 3rd June, 1985 the Vatican and Italy authorise a new church-state known as a concordat.
    



12. At the end of 2005, the Guard had 134 members.
    



13. After the death of John Paul on 2nd April, 2005, German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was entitled the new pope.
    



14. As of 31 December, 2005, except from the Pope , 557 people has Vatican citizenship, while there were 246 residents in the state did not have its citizenship.
    



15. In 2007, the Vatican become the first Carbon neutral state by reducing their carbon footprint with the creation of a forest in Hungary.
    

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Subjective

1. The Popes have finally resided in the historical Vatican City since the last return from Avignon in 1377.



2. The loyal Swiss Guard has served the Popes since the 1500s.
   



3. In 1667, the famous Piazza di San Pietro (St Peter's Square) and the spetacular colonnade were perfectly designed and built by Bernini.
   



4. Between 1861 and 1929, the social status of the Pope was strictly referred to as the Roman Question.
   



5. Vatican City was well established on 1929 and becoming a independent state with it own government.



6. In 1930, the Vatican's convenient railway Station was grandly opened 1930 and is mostly used for freight purposes.
   



7. In 1969, the Vatican state eliminated the cruel capital punishment, which was in the legislation previously adopted in 1929 on the basis of Italian law.
   



8. The Palatine Guard and the Noble Guard were totally disbanded by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
   



9. A revised concordat altering the terms of church-state relations was eventually signed in 1984.
   



10. The Vatican City State has been proudly registered in the World Heritage since 1984 because of it historical building and culture.
    



11. On 3rd June 1985 the Vatican and Italy altogether authorised a new church-state known as a concordat.



12. In 2007, the Vatican become the first Carbon neutral state by reducing their carbon footprint with the great and smart creation of a forest in Hungary.
    



13. At the end of 2005, the faithful Swiss Guard had 134 members to perform their duty in Vatican City.



14. After the tragedy death of John Paul on 2nd April 2005 , German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was lastly entitled the new pope.



15. As of 31 December 2005, except from the Pope, only about 557 people has persistant Vatican citizenship, while there were 246 residents in the state relavantly did not have its citizenship.

Attractions in Vatican City

The Vatican Garden



The Vatican City is only the about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC . However, it has its own natural attraction just like other countries. The natural attraction of the Vatican City is The Vatican Gardens which is known as an urban garden and park. The gardens were established during the Renaissance era. This garden covers more than half of the Vatican territory in the South and Northeast.The gardens cover most of the Vatican Hill which are about 57 acres. It was decorated with fountains and sculptures. On the other hand, the garden also consists of a wide variety of flora and the area is considered a biotope.



The Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum is one of the famous attractions in Vatican City and also one of the greatest museums in the world. The museum was found by Pope Julius II in the 16th century. The museum exhibits a great amount of masterpieces of painting, sculpture and other works of art built up by the Roman Catholic Church many centuries ago.

The Vatican Museum consists of a group of museum sites that have different collections. Visitors are advised to visit their favorite sites before they run out of time.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the popes found the first museum which is known as The classical Greco-Roman statuary.

The Sistine Chapel displays a unique ensemble pictorial art of the Renaissance.

Clement XIV created the Pio-Clementine Museum in 1785, the Gallery of the Candelabra was created as a continuation of the Pio-Clementine Museum.

Pope George XVI created another three museums in 19th century; the Etruscan Museum, the Egyptian Museum, and the Tapestry Gallery.

In 1973, the Carriage Museum which contains the 19th century carriages and vintage motorcars belonging to popes and cardinals was opened.


Useful information for visitor:

• The Vatican Museum is open on weekdays from 8.45am to 1.45pm. Every last Sunday of each month, the museum is open for free admission. The entrance ends an hour before closing time.



• Headphones are available at the Sistine Chapel and the Rapheal Rooms.



• A self service restaurant is open during visiting hours.



• Only visitors with proper attire are allowed to access the Museums.

Climate and geography

Geography

Vatican city is located in Rome, Italy. Vatican City sits on a low hill and has walled teritories with 0.44 KM2 with the population around 1,000. The nature of the estate is urban and no space of the land is reserved for agriculture or other natural resources. Therefore, a lot of urban development like buildings are used about 50% of the total area, while the Vatican Garden is one of the areas that is reserved for open space. The country contains no natural resources and no known natural hazards.

Climate

Vatican City has a mediterranean climate which has warm to hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Vatican receives mild, rainy winters from September to mid-May; from May to August, it has hot and dry summer. Thus, in my opinion, the best time to visit Vatican City is during the summer time.

Vatican City - The smallest country in the world

The reason that I created this blog is to do research on one of the European countries for English class. Unfortunately, most of the countries that I wanted to study were taken by my classmates. However, I was still able to find a country which was left out.

I chose the Vatican City as the country for this semester's assignment. Vatican City is known as the smallest country in the world, therefore, I think it will be a very intersting country to study.

I do not know much about the country, so I hope to discover the culture, people and information about this country through this assignment. Last but not least, I wish all of you enjoy discovering Vatican City from this blog.