Holy See: History

AD 349 The first basilica is built at the supposed tomb of Saint Peter.

1309 The Papal court is moved, leaving the area of the Vatican abandoned for over a century.

1492 Pope Sixtus IV constructs the Sistine Chapel.

1626

St. Peter's Basilica is reconsecrated after many years of construction.

1870 The Papal States are seized by Victor Emmanuel’s army during Italian unification.

1929 The Italian Government and the Holy See sign three agreements altogether known as the Lateran Treaty: a treaty recognizing the independence and sovereignty of the Holy See and creating the Vatican City State; a Concordat defining the relations between the government and the church within Italy; and a financial convention providing the Holy See with compensation for its losses in 1870.

1984 A revised Concordat, altering the terms of church-state relations, is signed.