Apostolic Palace
The
Apostolic Palace, also called the
Papal Palace or the
Palace of the Vatican, is the official residence of the
Pope in the
Vatican City.
The palace is a complex of buildings, comprising the
Papal Apartment, the
Catholic Church's government offices, a handful of chapels, the
Vatican Museum and the
Vatican library. In all there are over 1,000 rooms with the most famous including the
Sistine Chapel and its renowned ceiling
frescoes painted by
Michelangelo (restored between 1980-1990) and
Raphael's Rooms.
The other papal residences are at the
Lateran Palace and the
Castel Gandolfo outside
Rome.
Before 1871, the
Quirinal Palace was the Pope's official residence. After the final overthrow of the
Papal States in 1870, the
King of Italy confiscated that palace in 1871, making it the king's official residence; after the abolition of the Italian monarchy in 1946, it became the President of the Italian Republic's residence.
*
Borgia Apartment*
Clementine Hall*
Domus Sanctae Marthae*
Papal Gentlemen*
Papal Apartment *
Sistine Chapel*
Raphael Rooms
