Virtually Visit the Vatican City-State

The Holy See has had a website for some time now: www.vatican.va. Now, Vatican City--the independent state in the heart of Rome from which the Holy Father governs the Roman Catholic Church--is joining the Holy See on the web. The website, offered in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian editions, provides links to the Vatican Museums as well as to Vatican media, including Vatican Radio, which broadcasts live on the internet.

The site also includes a history of the Vatican City State, "the smallest independent state in the world in terms of inhabitants and size," and fascinating information on the way Vatican City is governed. (Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI is a secular ruler, too? He rules Vatican City as an absolute monarchy.) A extensive collection of photographs allow visitors to take a virtual tour of Saint Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Gardens, and Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence), and five webcams provide live shots of Saint Peter's Square, the Dome of Saint Peter's, and the tomb of Pope John Paul II, among others.

An online shopping section is available, though it won't be fully functional until 2008. At that time, visitors will be able to purchase items offered in the gift shops of the Vatican Museums, as well as coins and stamps issued by Vatican City since its founding in 1929. Currently, you can browse catalogs of both the Museums and the stamp and coin collections, though they are a little slow to load.