Vatican Gardens

Gardens of the Vatican City
The Vatican Gardens
Type	Botanical
Location	Vatican City
Coordinates	41°54.2′N 72°27.2′E / 41.9033°N 72.4533°E / 41.9033; 72.4533
Area	23 hectares (57 acres)
Owned by	The Pope as Bishop of Rome
Status	Active

The Gardens of Vatican City (Latin: Horti Civitatis Vaticanae) also informally known as the Vatican Gardens (Italian: Giardini Vaticani) in Vatican City are private urban gardens and parks which cover more than half of the country, located in the west of the territory and is owned by the Pope. There are some buildings, such as Radio Vatican and the Governor's Palace, within the gardens.

The gardens cover approximately 23 hectares (57 acres) which is most of the Vatican Hill. The highest point is 60 metres (200 ft) above mean sea level. Stone walls bound the area in the North, South and West. The gardens and parks were established during the Renaissance and Baroque era and are decorated with fountains and sculptures.

There is no general public access, but guided tours are available to limited numbers. The gardens also enshrine 15 Marian images venerated worldwide at the designation of the Roman Pontiff, who is the owner of the gardens.

Pious tradition claim that the foundation site of the Vatican Gardens was spread with sacred soil brought from Mount Calvary by Empress Saint Helena to symbolically unite the blood of Jesus Christ with that shed by thousands of early Christians, who died in the persecutions of Emperor Nero Caesar Augustus.

The gardens date back to medieval times when orchards and vineyards extended to the north of the Papal Apostolic Palace. In 1279, Pope Nicholas III (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, 1277–1280) moved his residence back to the Vatican from the Lateran Palace and enclosed this area with walls. He planted an orchard (pomerium), a lawn (pratellum) and a garden (viridarium).