On 11 February 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See, establishing Vatican City as an independent sovereign state and the world’s smallest country, both in area and population.
Nestled as an enclave within the heart of Rome, Vatican City became the spiritual epicentre of Catholicism, granting the Pope full temporal authority over the territory.
This pivotal agreement, brokered by Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, effectively resolved the longstanding “Roman Question” that had strained relations between the Papacy and the Italian state since the unification of Italy in the 19th century.
