Vatican City photos copyrighted by: Alan Ingram
The Vatican City State, sovereign and independent, is the survivor of the papal
states that in 1859 comprised an area of some 17,000 sq mi (44,030 sq km).
During the struggle for Italian unification, from 1860 to 1870, most of this area became part of Italy. By an Italian law of May 13, 1871, the temporal power of
the pope was abrogated, and the territory of the papacy was confined to the
Vatican and Lateran palaces and the villa of Castel Gandolfo. The popes
consistently refused to recognize this arrangement. The Lateran Treaty of Feb.
11, 1929, between the Vatican and the kingdom of Italy, established the
autonomy of the Holy See.
Find more Vatican City images in the gallery of Photorena.
All pics are under copyright of the photographer
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