The name Vatican predates Christianity, coming from the Latin word Mons Vaticanus, meaning Vatican hill. The Vatican was founded in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as the successor to the broader Papal State, which existed from AD 756 to 1870 and was a theocratic monarchy. The Vatican City State and the Holy See are two separate entities. “Vatican” is a term commonly used to refer to the territory of a country, closely associated with the city of Rome, the official document being issued in Italian and issuing ordinary passports to its citizens. “Holy See” is a term that has a broad connotation in terms of religion and governance structure over 1.2 billion believers in the world, official documents are issued mainly in Latin and issue passports. diplomacy and public service. Under the Lateran Treaty, several Holy See properties located within Italian territory, most famously Gandolfo Castle and Peter’s Basilica, were granted external territorial status similar to embassies. The Pope is the Head of State and head of government of the Vatican City State, is the non-inherited monarch, the only autocratic king in Europe, wielding absolute power, including legislative, executive and judicial powers. for the Vatican. The Pope is also the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome and the leader of the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church. When the Holy See is vacant, a conclave of cardinals under the age of 80 is convened to elect a new pope. Under the Pope, the heads are the Premier (who is also the Chairman of the Ceremonial Commission), the Secretary of State (who also acts as secretary of state) and the Chancellor of the Vatican, all of whom are appointed by the Pope, as well as may be dismissed by Him at any time. Many citizens have Vatican citizenship but live abroad (actually in Rome, Italy); The largest community in the Vatican are pastors from all over the world who come here to live and study. The Vatican has the smallest army (about over 100 people, well-trained, strong, disciplined and marksmen), founded in 1506. The Vatican has its own stamp, passport, license plate, national flag and anthem, but the currency is the Euro. The Vatican has a train station with a total length of just over 800 meters, but there is no tax system. The dispute between Italy and the Catholic Church in the Vatican ended in 1929 with the Lateran Pacts agreement, leaving the Vatican independent with the amount of money spent $ 93 million – the foundation of the national treasury. The Vatican also has a stake in certain corporations in the US, and more than 80% of its income comes from investments in the US and Canada. Tickets to museums, stamps and souvenirs, and donations from believers and organizations are also sources of income for the Vatican. The Vatican has an observatory at Gdandolfo Castle and a research center equipped with a modern telescope located on Mount Graham, southeast Arizona (USA). The Vatican itself is a cultural building, Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are home to many world-renowned works of art, including works by famous artists such as Botticelli, Bernini and Michelangelo. The amount of wealth stored in this cathedral is also very large, in addition to European masterpieces of art, there are also countless gold and foreign currencies. The Vatican Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world (officially established in 1475, although in fact it has existed since ancient times) possessing 75,000 rare documents, throughout history. Although the area of ​​territory and military strength is the lowest in the world, the political and cultural influence of the Vatican is comparable to that of the leading powers because behind it is 1/6 of the world’s population (believers). Christian). In 1984, the Vatican was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Visitors to Italy cannot ignore Rome and once they come to Rome, they will definitely visit the Vatican – the smallest and most attractive country on the planet.

The beautiful and ancient Kutaisi city. A long-standing culture The Imereti region is surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the west by the Tskhenistskali River, with diverse landscape areas including plains, midlands, meadows and high mountains. Mild, warm winters and hot summers are characteristic of Imereti. The average annual air temperature is from 11-15oC. That diversity gives Imereti an irresistible natural beauty. Viewed from above, this place looks like a colorful picture with an always blue sky. Nature hidden in the blue is compared to “a real paradise”, with gorges, waterfalls and unique caves. Imereti is the largest and most populous area in Georgia. The region includes 11 counties and the city of Kutaisi is the capital of the region. This land has a long history with traces of human life recorded from the old Stone Age. Here, many civilizations have been formed along with historical upheavals. Therefore, the culture of the Imereti region is very different and diverse. Visitors can find monuments of great historical and cultural significance from different eras. Vani, Gelati, Bagrati districts … take you through mazes of myth and history. Kutaisi, the main city of Imereti, is Georgia’s second largest city – after Tbilisi – with tree-lined streets, nineteenth-century houses and magnificent, ancient palaces and monasteries. rate … Imereti people are very friendly, enjoy festivals and love to sing. The region’s folklore and folk songs are widely known domestically, even in Europe. The Imereti are also very famous for their aesthetics. Traditional tiled houses decorated with elaborate carved balconies and colorful outfits are clear examples of that. You can also find fine traditional clothing samples by Imereti in the National Museum of Georgia. The short chokha (modern Georgia’s national dress) is a costume that originated in ancient Imereti. Katskhi Church towering on a stone pillar more than 40m high. The most isolated church in the world From the city of Kutaisi, driving through the beautiful, winding rural roads with a length of about 60km to reach the village of Katskhi, you will be surprised to see Pillar – a natural limestone block over 40m high, standing in the middle space. Towering on the top of the stone pillar is the Katskhi Church, one of the most famous buildings of the Imereti region, also known as the most isolated and holiest church in the world. Katskhi Church was built between the 6th and 8th centuries. In the opinion of many scholars, this ancient church was built by the ascetic monks, who were the first Christians to reach the top of the stone pillar to pray and perform religious ceremonies. However, how they built this church is still a mystery. In addition to the church, this ancient structure also has a burial room, a wine cellar, a curtain wall and three hermit living rooms. Standing from above the church can see the entire surrounding valley, the landscape of the Imereti region with the colorful beauty of the deciduous forests below, the silver-gray limestone slopes and the blue sky overhead. The only way to get to this church is to climb the thin metal stairs fastened to the cliff in about 20 minutes. Every day, the monks living below will take a trip to the top of the mountain to pray, which is supposed to bring them closer to God. Currently, only local religious are allowed to climb to the church – which is especially taboo against women. However, visitors can still learn about this unique church at the complex built at the foot of the rock. You can climb to the first floor of the stone pillar, where there is a prayer area and a 6th-century cross marked in limestone – one of the earliest examples of Christian symbols in existence. now on. Come to Imereti to learn about history, visit the natural landscape and especially explore this unique church in the world, that will definitely give you unforgettable experiences.