Apostolic Palace

  • Apostolic Palace
  • Palazzo Apostolico (Italian)
Map
Alternative names
  • Palace of Sixtus V
  • Palace of the Vatican
  • Papal Palace
General information
TypeOfficial residence
Country Vatican City
Coordinates41°54′13″N 012°27′23″E / 41.90361°N 12.45639°E / 41.90361; 12.45639
Construction started30 April 1589[1]

The Apostolic Palace (Latin: Palatium Apostolicum; Italian: Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the Vatican Palace. The Vatican itself refers to the building as the Palace of Sixtus V, in honor of Pope Sixtus V, who built most of the present form of the palace.[2]

The Portone di Bronzo at the Vatican Apostolic Palace entrance

The building contains the papal apartments, various offices of the Catholic Church and the Holy See, private and public chapels, Vatican Museums, and the Vatican Library, including the Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, and Borgia Apartment. The modern tourist can see these last and other parts of the palace, but other parts, such as the Sala Regia (Regal Room) and Cappella Paolina, had long been closed to tourists, though the Sala Regia allowed occasional tourism by 2019. The Scala Regia (Regal Staircase) can be viewed from one end and used to enter the Sala Regia.[3] The Cappella Paolina remains closed to tourists.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bellori was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Vatican Press Office guide – buildings of the Vatican Archived May 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Vatican's Apostolic Palace Tour". Viator.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2019.