Vatican questions

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I need to get some fairly detailed information on the Vatican for a wip.

I've bought several books and DVDS as well as poking around the net it's amazing what I can't find.

For instance, I need to know where the Vatican Curia is housed and which departments are in what buildings. Also, the layout of the Apostolic Palace, and how freely can one roam around the Vatican and in which parts?

If you know the Vatican well or can point me at some really useful sorces, I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks.
 

mommyjo2

Bad grammar make me [sic]
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First, you might just check tourist maps.
Many of curia are actually archbishops and cardinals that live in their own see (i.e., the Archbishop of Denver lives in...Denver!)
The college of cardinals, which elects the new pope, lives throughout the world and gathers in a synod or Council. The basic unit of leadership of the Church are bishops - the Pope is the Bishop of Rome and has primacy. Cardinals, archbishops, etc. all have the same holy orders of "bishop", the other titles are basically administrative rankings.

Most of the other officials residing in Vatican city, i.e. the Pope, the Secretariat of State, court officials, etc. live in the Vatican Palace (as well as the Swiss Guard). Most of the Vatican palace is really like a museum or library, I think less than a quarter of it is actually residential.

Vatican city has less than 1000 residents, it's really not very big.

Otherwise, these might help:
http://www.catholic-pages.com/vatican/curia.asp

This is from the Catholic encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15276b.htm

Here's a map of the general layout:
http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/lgcolor/vacolor.htm

Official Vatican site with links to Roman Curia sites:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/index.htm
This is mostly documents, etc., not a lot of maps.

St. Peter's Basilica is pretty public (as well as the square); obviously the Papal apartments are less so. People get appointments months in advance for an audience with the Pope.

You might check out the forums at www.catholic.com - the owners of that site visit the Vatican fairly often and many users in the forums have been as well.
 
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Thanks.

The forum looks interesting. I'll nose around there. I have a feeling that it could be really helpfull.

A lot of the links -- I've looked at some of the ones you posted -- I've found, are short on the kinds of things that a writer needs for verisimilitude.

tccb