Lateran Treaty comes into effect

When the Vatican became an independent state

A map of the territory of the Vatican City, as 
defined by the Lateran Treaty of 1929

Benito Mussolini was helped to gain more power and any public opinion against him was effectively neutralised by the Lateran Treaty when it came into effect in Italy on this day in 1929.

The Catholic Church had effectively given legitimacy to fascism when the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See had signed the treaty earlier in the year, recognising the Vatican as an independent state within Italy. The Church was perceived as openly inviting Catholics to support the Fascist regime.

When the Treaty was ratified by the Italian Parliament on June 7, 1929, it finally settled what had been known as ‘The Roman Question’, a dispute regarding the power of the popes as rulers of civil territory within a united Italy. 

Although Italy was then under a Fascist government, the Lateran Treaty was incorporated into the new, democratic Italian constitution in 1947 and all the succeeding democratic Italian governments have upheld the treaty since.

Mussolini had agreed to give the church financial support in return for public support from the Pope, Pius XI. He paid the Vatican 1.75 billion lira to compensate for the seizures of church property since 1860. 

Pius XI invested the money in the stock markets and real estate. To manage these investments, he appointed Bernardino Nogara, who, through shrewd investing in stocks, gold, and futures markets, significantly increased the Catholic Church's financial holdings. 

The income largely paid for the upkeep of the expensive-to-maintain stock of historic buildings in the Vatican, which until 1870 had been maintained through funds raised from the Papal States.

The signing of the Treaty in the Lateran Palace, by
Cardinal Pietro Gasparri (left) and Benito Mussolini

 As part of the treaty, the youth organisation Catholic Action granted the unique status of being the only non-Fascist organisation in Italy that was not banned. It was allowed to continue by Mussolini, but its role was restricted to religious and educational activity. Later, Mussolini tried to absorb Catholic Action into his Fascist youth groups.

From this day in 1929, the Vatican was officially an independent state occupying 40 hectares (100 acres) of land within Italy, with the Pope as an independent sovereign ruling within Vatican City. 

The papacy had recognised the state of Italy, with Rome as its capital, giving the city a special character as ‘the centre of the Catholic world and a place of pilgrimage.’

During the Risorgimento, the struggle to unite Italy in the 19th century, the Papal States had resisted being incorporated into the new nation. Italian troops had invaded the Romagna, then part of the Papal States, in 1860, and the rest of the territory, including Rome, was occupied by the army in 1870. 

After the ratification of the Lateran Treaty, the Papacy formally relinquished any claim over its former territories. 

Via della Conciliazione, the wide boulevard built
after the Lateran Treaty was ratified

The treaty is named after the Lateran Palace where the agreement was signed by King Victor Emanuel III and Pope Pius XI.

The Lateran Palace was the main papal residence in Rome between the fourth and 14th centuries. It is in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, next to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, the first Christian basilica in Rome and now the Cathedral Church of the city. Some distance away from the Vatican, the palace is now an extraterritorial property of the Holy See, with similar rights to a foreign embassy.

Via della Conciliazione, the wide avenue along which visitors approach Saint Peter’s Basilica from Castel Sant’Angelo, was built on the orders of Mussolini as a symbol of reconciliation between the Holy See and the Italian state after the Lateran Treaty was ratified. 

Roughly 500 metres long, the vast colonnaded street designed by Marcello Piacentino was intended to link the Vatican to the heart of Rome. At the time it had the opposite effect symbolically, as many buildings were demolished and residents had to be displaced.

The Papal Palace sits at the top of the main street in
pretty Castel Gandolfo, which overlooks Lake Albano

Travel tip:

Under the 1929 Lateran Treaty, the Papal Palace and surrounding villas of Castel Gandolfo became the extraterritorial property of the Holy See. The site resumed its historical role as the papal summer residence, underwent major expansions, and hosted thousands of refugees during World War II. Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope still has his summer residence, overlooks Lake Albano from its wonderful position in the hills south of Rome. The Pope spends every summer in the Apostolic Palace. Although his villa lies within the town’s boundaries, it is one of the properties of the Holy See. The palace is not under Italian jurisdiction and is policed by the Swiss Guard. The whole area is part of the regional park of Castelli Romani, which has many places of historic and artistic interest to visit.

Castel Sant'Angelo, on the banks of the Tiber, was
used by the popes as a fortress, castle and prison

Travel tip:

Castel Sant’Angelo, the towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, on the banks of the Tiber, was originally commissioned by the Roman emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. There is a legend that the Archangel Michael appeared on top of the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague of 590, which is how the castle acquired its present name. It was later used by the popes as a fortress, castle and prison, and is now a museum. It was once the tallest building in Rome.  Hadrian also built the Pons Aelius – now Ponte Sant’Angelo – which provided a scenic approach to the mausoleum from the centre of Rome across the Tiber. Baroque statues of angels were later added, lining each side of the bridge. Pope Nicolas III commissioned a covered fortified corridor, the Passetto, to link the castle to the Vatican and Pope Clement VII was able to use it to escape from the Vatican during the siege of Rome by Charles V’s troops in 1527. The elevated passage, mounted on a wall, is approximately 800m (2,600 ft) long and still exists today, running alongside the Borgo Sant’Angelo and Via dei Corridori, the streets that are parallel with Via della Conciliazione.  

More reading:

The February signing of the Lateran Treaty 

Bernardino Nogara, the former engineer appointed to build papal wealth

The archbishop who tried to arrange a truce between Mussolini and the partisans

Also on this day:

1422: The birth of condottiero Federico da Montefeltro 

1687: The birth of castrato singer Gaetano Berenstadt

1936: The birth of TV presenter Pippo Baudo

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