Holy See (Vatican City)

The Holy See (Vatican City State) is the smallest independent state in the world and is an enclave of Rome, Italy. Existing since medieval times, the Holy See is the central government of the Roman Catholic Church, described as an ecclesiastical elective monarchy and self-described as an “absolute monarchy”. The Pope is the chief of state, and a cardinal is secretary of state and head of government. In an agreement between the Holy See and the Italian government, Vatican City was founded in June 1929 and has a cardinal as head of government.

For more than a thousand years, Popes ruled areas of the Italian peninsula; but in the mid-19th century, the new kingdom of Italy seized many of the Papal States. Disputes over the pope’s holdings followed and were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties. These treaties established Vatican City as an independent sovereign state and granted special status to Roman Catholicism in Italy.
Visitors to Vatican City can visit St. Peter’s Square, attend a mass at St. Peter’s, or visit the Sistine Chapel, a world-famous tourist attraction. The Vatican Museums include many galleries with priceless works of art. The Hague Convention of 1954 protects all Vatican territory as world cultural heritage.