Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is an independent city state and enclave located within Rome, Italy. The Vatican City State, also known simply as the Vatican, became independent from Italy with the Lateran Treaty (1929), and it is a distinct territory of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity of international law, which maintains the city state’s temporal, diplomatic, and spiritual independence.
The independent state of Vatican City came into existence on 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of central Italy.
Within Vatican City are religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world’s most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from the faithful, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications.
Articles
- Big Blue 1840-1940: Vatican City
- Philatelic Database: Stamps of Vatican City: Papal Issues (1933)
- Philatelic Database: Stamps of Vatican City: World of the Family Meeting (2015)
- Stamp A Day: The State of Vatican City
- Stamp Collecting World: Vatican Stamps – Issues of 1929-1934
Dealers
Websites
YouTube
- Catholic News Service: Stories told by Vatican stamps
- International Stamp Club of New York: Vatican City Through Stamps
- Postal Pleasures: Vatican City Stamps Episode 1 – A Plethora Of Popes
- Snail Mail With Smokey: Episode 60 – Vatican City Stamps
