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Holy See (Vatican City)

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The boundaries of the Holy See (Vatican City) were formally defined by the Lateran Treaty of 11 February 1929, which gave this independent state sovereignty over 44 ha (108 acres) in the center of Rome. Vatican City is the smallest state in the world both by area and by population and is the second-least populated capital in the world. The Vatican is a holy city for Catholics as well as an important Roman archaeological site and a cultural reference point for people all over the world.
Looking past the obelisk that stands at the center of St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, out to the city of Rome, Italy.
The façade of St. Peter's Basilica as viewed from one of the two matching Bernini fountains that grace St. Peter's Square (Piazza) in front of the church. The upper story displays statues of Christ, his apostles, and St. John the Baptist. Constructed over a period of 80 years and consecrated in 1626, the basilica is the largest Christian church in the world, capable of holding some 60,000 people.
View of Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City, showing an Egyptian obelisk, the Via della Conciliazione, and colonnades with statues on the sides of the square. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square, which was constructed between 1658 and 1667.
An Egyptian obelisk in Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City. Composed of red granite, the obelisk is 25.5 m (84 ft) tall, or 41 m (134.5 ft) to the top of the cross. The Emperor Caligula transferred it to Rome in A.D. 37, and it was moved to its current location at the direction of Pope Sixtus V in 1586.
The statue of St. Peter in front of the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City.
A statue of Christ and some of his apostles on the façade of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Michelangelo designed the dome over the main altar in Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in 1547; it was completed in 1590 after his death. The dome is 136.57 m (448.1 ft) high, making it the tallest dome in the world.
The interior dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
The baldachin is a massive pavilion-like structure (30 m or 98 ft tall) that stands beneath the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It is reputed to be the largest piece of bronze in the world.
A view of the baldachin, a massive pavilion-like structure (30 m or 98 ft tall) that stands beneath the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Viewed through the structure are the Cathedra Petri (Throne of St. Peter) and the Gloria, a stained glass sculpture, both by Bernini.
Close-up of Bernini's Gloria in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
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