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Vatican The official residence of the Pope in the city is Apostolic Palace. It is also called Papal Palace. Located in the north-east of St. Peter Basilica, this huge complex has more than 1,000 rooms spread over 1.7 million sq ft. The construction of this palace began in 1589 during the reign of Pope Sixatus V and was completed by his heirs. For more than a century, it was a traditional residence of the head of the Catholic Church.
The Pope’s apartment is located on the third (upper) floor of the Apostolic Palace. Where the old pope lived, the apartment is about 3000 square meters. Where the Pope lives, there are an additional rooms for a chapel, several offices, the pope bedroom, a dining room, kitchen, secretaries and domestic workers. In 1903, St. Payas Dasham became the first pope to live there. This apartment was fully prepared by Pope Paul VI in 1964. Many amendments were made in the tenure of every pope that comes after that.
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Administrative Center is also the Apostolic Palace
Apart from the Pope’s residence, the Apostolic Palace also works as the administrative center of the Vatican City. It has various offices of Catholic Church, Private and Public Chapel, Vatican Museum and Vatican Library. Which includes Michael Angelo’s excellent work also includes Systein Chappell. In many ways it acts like a white house. Not only a residence but the center of governance.
Apartments at the Apostolic Palace.
Pope Francis did not remain in the grand palace
When Cardinal George Mario Bergoglyo became Pope Francis in March 2013, he surprised the Vatican by refusing to stay in the apartment of the Pope. Instead, he chose to live in Domus Saint Martha (St. Martha House). These are the guesthouse of the Vatican where the cardinals stop during the conclave. This decision of Pope Francis broke the tradition more than a century. But this was not completely surprising for people familiar with the past of Bergoglyo. As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, he refused to stay in the grand Bishop Palace. Then he preferred a minor quarter for his stay and often cooked his food himself.
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Pope Francis stayed in St. Martha House
St. Martha House is completely opposite to the grandeur of the Apostolic Palace. St. Martha House is a five -storey building built in place of an ancient Dharamshala for the poor during the Pope period of John Paul II in 1996. It looks like a minor hotel more than the Pope’s residence. Located next to the St. Peter Basilica in the Vatican City, it mainly serves as a guesthouse for priests. This is a plain and ordinary room building.
Grandiness of Apostolic Palace.
The previous pope remained in a very simple residence
Pope Francis initially stopped in room number 207, which he was allocated with other cardinals. Later he moved to Suite 201, which was a slightly larger residence with about 538 sq ft. In which the Pope lived in a single suite. Their suite has a bedroom, small meeting room and place to pray. The suite has some chairs, a sofa, a desk, a book cupboard and a crucifix. Also the bedroom has a dark wooden bed, cupboard and nightstand. Basic needs were kept in Pope Francis’ room.
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How much staff do the pope gets
The Pope usually has a private secretary, who handles his personal and official schedule. The Pope’s residence also consists of many domestic assistants, cook and security officers. By the way, the responsibility of safety of the Pope is with the Vatican Guard. They are deployed 24 × 7 under their protection. However, Pope Francis had kept the number of servants for himself much less than before. Outside his bedroom, only two Vatican guards were stationed in day and night shifts.
A room at St. Martha House.
What facilities are available
The Pope has a private garden, library, art gallery, helicopter pad and its private chapel in the Vatican City. Facilities like Vatican Bank and Pharmacy are also available only to the people of Vatican City. However, Pope Francis was very simple. He used ordinary fiat or Ford car instead of expensive vehicles. He avoided big food and royal food. The Pope used to eat food in the dining hall with priests and officials in Francis.
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Now cardinals are gathering in St. Martha House or Casa Santa Marta to choose their successor. The next Pope will follow the path of its predecessor or return to the grand tradition of the Apostolic Palace, it is yet to be seen. But Francis’s humble lifestyle has changed the meaning of sitting on the chair of St. Peter forever.
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