The Apostolic Palace, an enormous complex near the center of Vatican City, has long been the official papal residence, representing the Catholic Church’s grandeur and power. Located to the northeast of St. Peter’s Basilica, the palace measures 1.7 million square feet with more than 1,000 rooms.
About Apostolic Palace
Originally built by Pope Sixtus V in 1589, the palace has been inhabited by the Pope for centuries. The third floor of the palace hosts the Pope’s private apartment, spreading over 3,000 square meters. The apartment has a chapel, offices, a dining room, and space for the Pope’s staff.
The Apostolic Palace has been the residence of Pope Pius X since 1903, and different popes have made adjustments to the area, with significant renovations taking place during the papacy of Pope Paul VI in 1964.
Aside from serving as a home, the Apostolic Palace is also the administrative headquarters of Vatican City. It contains a number of Church offices, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel, renowned for Michelangelo’s frescoes. It serves as both a residence and the headquarters of Church administration.
Pope Francis’s Humble Decision
Pope Francis, who ascended to the throne in 2013, deviated substantially from the tradition. Contrary to his predecessors, he did not stay in the opulent papal apartments but stayed at the more modest Domus Sanctae Marthae, a Vatican City guesthouse.
This choice reflected his modest style during his tenure as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, when he had also shunned the Bishop’s Palace for more humble accommodations. Pope Francis, who was famous for his plain living, even prepared his own meals.
Life at St. Martha’s House
St. Martha’s House, where Pope Francis resides, is the antithesis of the Apostolic Palace’s extravagance. Completed in 1996, the guesthouse is a five-story building that was initially intended to be used to accommodate cardinals during the conclave. Its utilitarian, minimalistic design provides a hotel-like environment, quite unlike the luxurious arrangement of accommodations normally seen with the Pope’s residence.
While at St. Martha’s House, Pope Francis occupied Suite 201, a 538-square-meter room with simple furnishings, such as a small living room, a place for prayer, a bed, a wardrobe, and a crucifix. The suite showed his papal simplicity.
Pope Francis also significantly minimized the number of personal attendants unlike his predecessors. Though his security was an ongoing concern, with the Swiss Guard constantly surrounding him, his way of life was much more humble. He shunned luxurious cars, using modest Fiat or Ford instead, and shunned elaborate banquets, dining instead with priests and officials in a common mess hall.
Legacy of Pope Francis
Pope Francis’s willingness to adopt simplicity has redefined the papacy’s image around the world and left a lasting legacy on Vatican customs. With cardinals already convening at St. Martha’s House to choose his successor, the future of this modest tradition is uncertain. Whether the next Pope follows in his footsteps or reverts to the extravagance of the Apostolic Palace remains to be seen. In any case, Pope Francis’s papacy has changed the meaning and assumptions of the Chair of St. Peter forever.
