Vatican city, the world capital of Catholicism is the world's smallest state.
It occupies 43 ha. (106 acres) within high walls watched over by the Vatican guard.
It was the site where St.Peter was martyred (c.AD 64 and buried, and it became the residence of the Popes who succeeded him.
The papal palaces, next to the great basilica of St. Peter's, are home to home to the Sistine Chapel and the eclectic collections of the Vatican Museums, as well as being the residence of the Pope.