Apostolic Palace

{{Short description|Official residence of the Pope in Vatican City}} {{Distinguish|Lateran Palace}} {{Infobox building | name = {{unbulleted list | Apostolic Palace | {{small|{{native name|it|Palazzo Apostolico}}}} }} | native_name = [[Pope|Official residence of the Pope]] | native_name_lang = | alternate_names = {{unbulleted list | Palace of Sixtus V | Palace of the Vatican | Papal Palace }} | image = Saint Peter's Square - Vatican City - DSC00638.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = A view of the palace from [[Saint Peter's Square]] | building_type = Official residence | current_tenants = [[Pope Leo XIV]] | location_country = {{flag|Vatican City}} | coordinates = {{coord|41|54|13|N|12|27|23|E|region:VA|display=inline,title}} | pushpin_map = Vatican | construction_start_date = 30 April 1589<ref name="Bellori" /> }}

The '''Apostolic Palace'''{{efn|{{langx|la|Palatium Apostolicum}}; {{langx|it|Palazzo Apostolico}}}} is the [[official residence]] of the [[Pope]], the head of the [[Catholic Church]], located in [[Vatican City]]. It is also known as the '''Papal Palace''', the '''Palace of the Vatican''' and the '''Vatican Palace'''. The Vatican itself refers to the building as the '''Palace of Sixtus V''', in honor of [[Pope Sixtus V]], who built most of the present form of the palace.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/informazione_generale/sp_ss_scv_info-generale_en.html#Internet Vatican Press Office guide – buildings of the Vatican] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529155107/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/informazione_generale/sp_ss_scv_info-generale_en.html#Internet |date=May 29, 2010 }}</ref> [[File:0 Gardes suisses - Porte de bronze - Entrée du Palais apostolique du Vatican.JPG|thumb|The Portone di Bronzo at the Vatican Apostolic Palace entrance]] The building contains the [[papal apartments]], various offices of the Catholic Church and the [[Holy See]], private and public chapels, the [[Vatican Museums]], and the [[Vatican Library]], including the [[Sistine Chapel]], [[Raphael Rooms]], and the [[Borgia Apartments]]. Tourists can see this part of the palace, but other parts, such as the [[Sala Regia (Vatican)|Sala Regia]] (Regal Room) and [[Cappella Paolina]], had long been closed to tourists, though the Sala Regia allowed occasional tourism by 2019. The [[Scala Regia (Vatican)|Scala Regia]] (Regal Staircase) can be viewed from one end and used to enter the Sala Regia.<ref name=scalaenter>{{cite web |url=https://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Vaticans-Apostolic-Palace-Tour/d511-23618P1 |title=Vatican's Apostolic Palace Tour |work=Viator.com |access-date=2 October 2019 |archive-date=26 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726075948/https://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Vaticans-Apostolic-Palace-Tour/d511-23618P1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Cappella Paolina remains closed to tourists.

== History == In the 5th century, [[Pope Symmachus]] built a papal palace close to [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] which served an alternative residence to the [[Lateran Palace]]. The construction of a second fortified palace was sponsored by [[Pope Eugene III]] and extensively modified under [[Pope Innocent III]] in the twelfth century.<ref name="Vatican1">{{cite web |title=Le Palais du Vatican |trans-title=Palace of the Vatican |url=http://www.rome-decouverte.com/le-vatican/le-palais-du-vatican.html |publisher=Rome Découverte |access-date=14 August 2013 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426031515/http://www.rome-decouverte.com/le-vatican/le-palais-du-vatican.html |archive-date=26 April 2013 }}</ref>

Upon returning to Rome in 1377 after the interlude of the [[Avignon Papacy]], which saw Rome subject to civil unrest and the abandonment of several Christian monuments, the popes chose to reside first at [[Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere]] and then at [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]]. The Vatican Palace had fallen into disrepair from lack of upkeep, and the Lateran Palace underwent two destructive fires, in 1307 and 1361, which resulted in irreparable harm.<ref>Pedro Tafur, ''[http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/tafur.html#ch3 Andanças e viaje]'' (in Spanish)</ref> In 1447, [[Pope Nicholas V]] razed the ancient fortified palace of Eugene III to erect a new building, the current Apostolic Palace.<ref>{{cite book |last=Müntz |first=Eugène |title=Les arts à la cour des Papes pendant le XVe et le XVIe siècle |year=1878 |publisher=Georg Olms Verlag |isbn=9783487413006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqwC34pe-yIC |access-date=14 August 2013 |language=fr}}</ref>

In the 15th century, the palace was placed under the authority of a [[prefect]]. This position of apostolic prefecture lasted from the 15th century until the 1800s, when the [[Papal States]] fell into economic difficulties. In 1884, when this post was reviewed in light of saving money, [[Pope Leo XIII]] created a committee to administer the palace.{{sfn|Levillain|2002|pp=1093–1094}}

The major additions and decorations of the palace are the work of the following popes for 150 years. Construction of the current version of the palace began on 30 April 1589<ref name="Bellori">''The lives of the modern painters, sculptors and architects'' – Giovanni Pietro Bellori</ref> under [[Pope Sixtus V]] and its various intrinsic parts were completed by later successors, [[Pope Urban VII]], [[Pope Innocent XI]] and [[Pope Clement VIII]]. In the 20th century, [[Pope Pius XI]] built a monumental art gallery and [[Vatican Museums|museum]] entrance.

Construction of the Palace took place mainly between 1471 and 1605. Covering 162,000 square metres (1,743,753 square feet), it contains the papal apartments, offices of the Catholic Church and Holy See, chapels, Vatican Library, museums, and art galleries.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guinness Book of World Records|last=Glenday|first=Craig|year=2013|isbn=978-1-908843-15-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/155 155]|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/155}}</ref>

== Structure == [[File:Apostolic Palace model.jpg|thumb|250px|A model of the palace in the [[Vatican Museums]]. The buildings are arranged around a central courtyard.]] The palace is run by the [[Prefecture of the Pontifical Household]]. The ''palace'' is more accurately a series of self-contained buildings within the well-recognized outer structure which is arranged around the Courtyard of Sixtus V (Cortile di Sisto V). It is located northeast of [[St Peter's Basilica]] and adjacent to the Bastion of Nicholas V and Palace of Gregory XIII.

The palace houses both residential and support offices of various functions as well as administrative offices not focused on the life and functions of the Pope himself.

=== Sistine Chapel === {{Main|Sistine Chapel}} [[File:Musei vaticani, cappella sistina, retro 02.JPG|alt=A tall, narrow room with a highly detailed painted ceiling depicting Bible scenes|thumb|upright|Under the patronage of [[Julius II]], Michelangelo painted the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling|chapel ceiling]] between 1508 and 1512.]] Perhaps the best known of the palace chapels is the Sistine Chapel named in honor of [[Pope Sixtus IV|Sixtus IV]] (Francesco della Rovere). It is famous for its decoration that was [[fresco]]ed throughout by [[Renaissance art]]ists including [[Michelangelo]], [[Sandro Botticelli]], [[Pietro Perugino]], [[Pinturicchio]], [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]], and others.<ref>{{Citation |last=Monfasani |first=John |title=A Description of the Sistine Chapel under Pope Sixtus IV |journal=Artibus et Historiae |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=9–18 |year=1983 |postscript=. |url=http://www.artibusethistoriae.org/?menu=art&gdzie=artibusChapterResult&id=68 |access-date=7 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801183202/http://artibusethistoriae.org/?menu=art&gdzie=artibusChapterResult&id=68 |archive-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=live |publisher=IRSA s.c. |doi=10.2307/1483178 |issn=0391-9064 |jstor=1483178 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>Gardner, Helen (1970) ''Art through the Ages'', p. 469, Harcourt, Brace and World. {{ISBN|978-0-15-508315-8}}</ref><ref>Robert Coughlan, ''The World of Michelangelo'', Time-Life International, (1966) p. 116</ref>

One of the primary functions of the chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive Pope in a [[Papal conclave|conclave]] of the [[College of Cardinals]].<ref>Saunders, Fr. William P. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111005421/http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/05ws/ws050317.htm The Path to the Papacy]". ''Arlington Catholic Herald'', 17 March 2005. Retrieved on 2 June 2008.</ref> In this closed-door election, the cardinals choose a successor to the apostle and traditional first Pope, [[Saint Peter|Peter]], who is (according to tradition) buried in the crypts of nearby St. Peter's Basilica.

===Raphael Rooms=== {{Main|Raphael Rooms}}

[[Image:Raffael Stanza della Segnatura.jpg|thumb|260px|right|The Stanza della Segnatura]] This suite of rooms is famous for its frescos by a large team of artists working under [[Raphael]]. They were originally intended as a suite of apartments for [[Pope Julius II]]. He commissioned Raphael, then a relatively young artist from [[Urbino]], and his studio in 1508 or 1509 to redecorate the existing interiors of the rooms entirely.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raphael's Rooms |url=https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/stanze-di-raffaello/stanze-di-raffaello.html |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=www.museivaticani.va |language=en}}</ref> It was possibly Julius' intent to outshine the apartments of his predecessor (and rival) [[Pope Alexander VI]], as the ''Stanze'' are directly above Alexander's Borgia Apartments. They are on the second floor, overlooking the south side of the [[Cortile del Belvedere|Belvedere Courtyard]].

From east to west, as a visitor would have entered the apartment, but reversing the sequence in which the ''Stanze'' were frescoed, and also the route of the modern visitor, the rooms are the [[Raphael Rooms#Sala di Constantino|Sala di Constantino]] ("Hall of Constantine"), the [[Raphael Rooms#Stanza di Eliodoro|Stanza di Eliodoro]] ("Room of Heliodorus"), the [[Raphael Rooms#Stanza della Segnatura|Stanza della Segnatura]] (the earliest and the most admired) ("Room of the Signature") and the [[Raphael Rooms#Stanza dell'incendio del Borgo|Stanza dell'Incendio del Borgo]] ("The Room of the ''Fire in the Borgo''").

After the death of Julius in 1513, with two rooms frescoed, [[Pope Leo X]] continued the program. Following Raphael's death in 1520, his assistants [[Gianfrancesco Penni]], [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]] and [[Raffaellino del Colle]] finished the project with the frescoes in the ''Sala di Costantino''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winfield |first=Nicole |date=2025-06-26 |title=Vatican unveils last of restored Raphael Rooms after 10-year cleaning that yielded new discoveries |url=https://apnews.com/article/raphael-rooms-restoration-vatican-museums-frescoes-renaissance-df8f19adfb4e33cad525887d493f4bd5 |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

=== Borgia Apartments === {{Main|Borgia Apartments}}

The Borgia Apartments is a suite of rooms in the palace adapted for personal use by [[Pope Alexander VI]] (Rodrigo de Borja). He commissioned the Italian painter [[Pinturicchio]] to lavishly decorate the apartments with frescoes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Riess |first=Jonathan B. |date=1984 |title=Raphael's Stanze and Pinturicchio's Borgia Apartments |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/sou.3.4.23202237 |journal=Source: Notes in the History of Art |language=en |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=57–67 |doi=10.1086/sou.3.4.23202237 |issn=0737-4453 |s2cid=193058994 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The paintings and frescoes, which were executed between 1492 and 1494, drew on a complex iconographic program that used themes from medieval encyclopedias, adding an [[eschatology|eschatological]] layer of meaning and celebrating the supposedly divine origins of the [[Borgias]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krén |first1=Emil |last2=Marx |first2=Daniel |title=Frescoes in the Borgia Apartments of the Palazzi Pontifici in Vatican |url=http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/p/pinturic/vatican/ |publisher=Web Gallery of Art |access-date=14 August 2013}}</ref>

The rooms are variously considered a part of the [[Vatican Library]] and [[Vatican Museums]]. Some of the rooms are now used for the [[Collection of Modern Religious Art, Vatican Museums|Vatican Collection of Modern Religious Art]], inaugurated by [[Pope Paul VI]] in 1973.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Collection of Contemporary Art|url=https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/collezione-d_arte-contemporanea/collezione-d-arte-contemporanea.html|url-status=live|access-date=1 June 2021|website=Musei Vaticani|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714052613/http://www.museivaticani.va:80/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/collezione-d_arte-contemporanea/collezione-d-arte-contemporanea.html|archive-date=2017-07-14}}</ref> A permanent contemporary art gallery was installed on the premises in November 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gershon|first=Livia|title=The Vatican, Home to Centuries-Old Masterpieces, Opens a Contemporary Art Gallery|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vatican-opens-contemporary-art-gallery-180979039/|access-date=2022-06-10|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}}</ref>

=== Papal apartments === {{Main|Papal apartments}}

[[File:Sala regia, 12.jpg|thumb|''Sala Regia''. At the end of the hall is the entrance to the [[Cappella Paolina|Pauline Chapel]].]] Since the 17th century, the papal apartments have been the [[official residence]] of the pope. They occupy much of the top floor of the Apostolic Palace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Makeover for papal apartment |url=http://www.cathnews.com/news/509/161.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211133505/http://www.cathnews.com/news/509/161.php |archive-date=2007-02-11 |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=www.cathnews.com}}</ref>

With the exception of [[Pope Francis]], who took up residence in the [[Domus Sanctae Marthae#Papal residence (2013–2025)|Domus Sanctae Marthae]], all reigning popes have resided in the palace since the move from the [[Quirinal Palace]] in 1870. On 14 March 2026, [[Pope Leo XIV]] took up residence in the apartments following the completion of renovation works.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-14 |title=Pope Leo takes possession of apartment in Apostolic Palace - Vatican News |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-03/pope-leo-xiv-apostolic-palace-move-papal-apartment.html |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=www.vaticannews.va |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-15 |title=After a renovation, Pope Leo XIV moves into the papal apartment eschewed by Pope Francis |url=https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2026/03/after-a-renovation-pope-leo-xiv-moves-into-the-papal-apartment-eschewed-by-pope-francis/ |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=Crux |language=en|last=Winfield|first=Nicole}}</ref>

=== Clementine Hall === {{Main|Clementine Hall}}

The Clementine Hall was established in the 16th century by [[Pope Clement VIII]] in honor of [[Pope Clement I]], the third pope. Like other chapels and apartments in the palace, the hall is notable for its large collection of [[fresco]]s and other art.

=== Loggias === {{Main|Vatican loggias}}

The [[loggia]]s are corridors designed by [[Donato Bramante]] and decorated by [[Raphael]] with frescoes, which depict 52 biblical events divided into bays in groups of four. They served as inspiration to Italian architect [[Giacomo Quarenghi]] while working on the Raphael loggias in the [[Hermitage Museum]].

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Apostolic Palace 2014.jpg|The [[Papal apartments]] seen from St. Peter's Square File:Palais apostolique et aile de Constantin.JPG|Apostolic Palace from St. Peter's Square File:Roma Vatican Scala Regia c1835.jpg|[[Scala Regia (Vatican)|Scala Regia]] by [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]] File:Apostolic Palace (Lanciani).jpg|Plan of the Apostolic Palace (1893–1901) </gallery>

== See also == {{Portal|Vatican City}} * ''[[Domus Sanctae Marthae]]'' * [[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == === Citations === {{reflist}}

=== Works cited === * {{citation |last=Levillain |first=Philippe |title=Dictionnaire historique de la papauté |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |edition=Illustrated |series=The Papacy: An Encyclopedia |volume=II |isbn=0-415-92230-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c3NzTkyUntYC&q=apostolic+palace |access-date=20 December 2009}} * {{citation |last=Morton |first=H.V. |author-link = H. V. Morton |title=A Traveller in Rome |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2002 |edition=Reprint |isbn=0-306-81131-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fjU3mJ7BJggC&q=apostolic+palace&pg=PA355 |access-date=20 December 2009}} * {{cite book |title=The Vatican: spirit and art of Christian Rome |url=https://archive.org/details/vaticanspirit00metr |location=New York |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=1982 |isbn=0870993488 |url-access=registration }}

==External links== *{{commons category inline|Apostolic Palace}}

[[Category:Apostolic Palace| ]] [[Category:Episcopal palaces]] [[Category:Official residences]] [[Category:Palaces in Rome]] [[Category:Palaces in Vatican City]] [[Category:Sites of papal elections]] [[Category:Official residences in Vatican City]]