Pope Francis Made A Bold Decision For His Grandiose Villa That Had To Be Addressed

The palace is situated within the town of Castel Gandolfo, which is widely considered to be among the most stunning places in Italy. The community stands close to the crater of an old volcano, which itself looms over the beautiful Lake Albano. Looking around this picturesque place, it’s not difficult to see why popes have long opted to spend time here.

And it wasn’t just leaders of the church who historically have enjoyed vacationing at Castel Gandolfo. As far back as ancient Roman times, the wealthy and powerful came to this location for their summer holidays. There are even ruins in the area today that point towards this long and fascinating history.

The Papal Palace itself traces back to the 17th century, when it was raised for Pope Urban VIII. Construction took place from 1624 to 1626 and was overseen by architect Carlo Maderno. The end result of this project has endured to the present day, as what we see nowadays largely resembles what was completed all those centuries ago.

Pope Alexander VII was the first to actually reside within the palace, though he was far from the last. The site’s connection to pontiffs has generally remained strong through the centuries since its beginnings. Even modern popes have spent time there, with John Paul II describing it as “Vatican number two.”

Even though the general layout of the palace remains similar to the original design, changes have occurred. The gardens of the estate, for one thing, were completed at the start of the 20th century, when Pius XI was pope. This was the pontiff in charge when Vatican City was first granted status as a state independent of Italy.

The town of Castel Gandolfo is situated fairly close to Vatican City, but it doesn’t fall under its jurisdiction. Having said that, the legal status of the palace is unusual. While it isn’t a part of the Vatican, some of its rules hold sway there. The place, then, is sort of in between the Vatican and Italy, legally speaking.

For many centuries, not much was known about the palace at Castel Gandolfo. At least, not if you were just a normal member of the public. But after Pope Francis ascended, that all changed. People can actually see what the Papal Palace is like now — and that’s all down to Francis and his philosophy.

Regular folk can show up at the site nowadays and go on a tour to learn about it all. They can wander around on their own, get someone to guide them, or listen to an audio track telling them everything they need to know. It’s quite a change from how things used to be.

The palace sits on an estate of about 135 acres. There’s loads to see, then, whether that’s inside the building itself or elsewhere in the grounds. The gardens are spectacular, there’s a farm, and there’s even an observatory. That last feature might come as a surprise to some people.

Right at the front of the site is a square called Piazza della Libertà, which is a name it acquired in 1870 — the year the modern-day Italy came into being as a country. Past this square, you’ll come to a series of chambers. These include a throne room, a space for the Swiss Guards, a courtroom, and a gallery filled with art.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating rooms in the whole palace is the master bedroom. Nowadays, it’s painted beige and has green curtains and a single bed. It’s not entirely modest, though, as the bed frame is coated with gold. This room is beside a chapel, which popes could easily access should the need arise.

The history of this bedroom is fascinating — and very surprising. It’s said that 40 or so babies were actually born inside this space, which isn’t exactly a fact you’d expect to hear. But there’s a very good reason for how such a situation arose, and it takes us back to World War II.

During that conflict, Pope Pius XII decided not to use the palace. Instead, he opened its doors to refugees affected by the fighting. Thousands of people ended up staying within the walls of the dwelling, including women carrying babies. And that’s why so many kids were born in the Pope’s bedroom!

Another surprise awaiting visitors to the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo is undoubtedly the observatory. One wouldn’t necessarily expect to find such a place at the summer home of the Pope, but it’s most certainly there. Viewed from the outside, you can recognize it from the silver domes at the top of the palace.

The Vatican Observatory, as it’s known, has been located at Castel Gandolfo for almost a hundred years now. It was first set up there during the 1930s, after light pollution interfered too much at its original, more central location in Rome. The observatory houses a massive telescope which was made in 1891.

During the summer of 2021 the director of the observatory showed a reporter from NPR around. Speaking of the telescope, Brother Guy Consolmagno explained, “It was one of about 18 identical telescopes that were set up around the world to photograph the sky, and every national observatory was given its own piece of sky to photograph.”

Outside the palace itself, the grounds have some surprises of their own. You can actually find ancient Roman ruins littered around here, including the remnants of a residence belonging to Emperor Domitian. Beyond that the gardens are beautiful in their own right, with perfectly manicured plants and grand fountains and sculptures.

You can even enjoy a tasty meal within the grandiose setting of these lovely, statue-filled gardens. There’s a working kitchen to be found on the site, where staff prepare some great dishes. Lots of the fresh ingredients are actually sourced from the palace grounds, which is a nice touch.

That neatly brings us to the farm on the site. There’s plenty of livestock here, including cows, chickens, sheep, and donkeys. From here we get plenty of dairy products, including milk, eggs, yogurt, and cheese. In terms of veg, there’s Pope Francis’ favorites of broccoli and cauliflower. And all of this is to say nothing of all the olive trees standing throughout the grounds.

Breaking the quaint nature of the farm and the gardens is a helicopter pad on the palace grounds. This has proven to be handy for modern popes, who can travel to the palace from the Vatican with incredible speed. The journey only takes something like 15 minutes in a chopper.

All in all, it’s pretty easy to see why popes historically loved coming to the Palace of Castel Gandolfo to vacation — it’s just full of luxury and delights. But that makes it all the more surprising to learn that Pope Francis refuses to holiday there. Instead, he’s opened it up to the public.

But why exactly has Pope Francis decided to stop coming to the palace for a break? Surely all the luxury and wonders of this extravagant setting make it a great spot to relax during the hot, Italian summer? Well, that was pretty much exactly Francis’ problem with the palace: it’s too nice.

Pope Francis has a reputation for having rather modest tastes — and the luxury palace doesn’t exactly fit with those sensibilities. He apparently came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be right for him to reside within such a place. Instead, he has opted to open the place up as a museum to allow regular people to pay a visit.

Francis isn’t the only pope who decided against holidaying at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo. A total of 33 popes had the opportunity to reside there throughout its history, but less than half actually opted to do so. Still, in terms of modern history, Francis is unique, as his immediate predecessors were all known to stay there.

Most recently, Benedict XVI stayed at the palace for two whole months in the wake of his shock decision to step down as pope. Following that, he was set to reside in the Vatican monastery, but his chambers weren’t ready right away. So, he went to the palace at Castel Gandolfo — a luxurious stopgap.

Benedict’s successor clearly has different ideas of appropriate spots for a pope to reside in. Francis’ thinking is seemingly well-intentioned, but not everyone is happy. The locals of Castel Gandolfo are losing out on tourism income, as lots of people used to visit whenever a pope was staying at the palace.

British newspaper the Daily Mirror spoke to the town’s mayor in 2016. Milvia Monachesi really hopes the pope who follows Francis will decide to stay at the palace once again. She said, “We fear it will be a tombstone for us if future popes follow his example... The fact that the palace is now a museum will make a reversal in the future difficult.”

When Pope Francis now goes on vacation, he resides at a place called Domus Santa Marta, which Daily Mirror describes as “a glorified Vatican bed-and-breakfast.” Who knows if future popes will follow Francis’ example? But what we do know is that many of the townspeople of Castel Gandolfo certainly hope not.

Still, there are some who think the change is a good thing. As they see it, these new circumstances will force the town to deal with the Pope’s absence and emerge stronger because of it. But, in truth, only time will tell how well the area will adapt to Francis’ decision. While Francis may have given up this palace, the Vatican still has its hands on a huge horde of spectacular treasures, though...

Religious relics are rumored to be among the Catholic Church’s incredible Vatican City-based archives, along with centuries-old documents that highlight turning points in the history of mankind. And the following 20 artifacts are among those alleged to have been stashed away – and perhaps for good reason, too.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni’s artistic influence was so monumental that he only needs to go by one name: Michelangelo. He painted and sculpted in ways that forever changed the creation of Western art. And as a consequence, many consider Michelangelo to be the greatest artist of all time as well as a shining example of a “Renaissance man” – or someone who’s extremely talented in multiple areas.

Among some of Michelangelo’s most famous works, of course, are his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which sits within the borders of Vatican City. And perhaps as a result of that commission, the artist seemed to have insider information about the conditions in the city-state. He therefore wrote a letter to the Pope to inform him that the Vatican’s on-site guards were about to quit, as they hadn’t received any money for three months. Even today, that message remains in the church’s vaults.

Back in the 16th century, theologian Martin Luther didn’t agree with the way in which the Catholic Church promised its followers that they could ascend to heaven. At the time, you see, Catholics were told to purchase plenary indulgences in order to reduce the punishments that they and their loved ones would receive for their misdeeds. And in 1517 Luther made his opinions on the matter known when he penned the 95 Theses – his disputation of everything that the church had, in his eyes, wrongly presented to its disciples.

By sharing the 95 Theses, Luther inadvertently kicked off the Protestant Reformation – even though he still considered himself a member of the Catholic Church. However, in a letter that is now encapsulated within the Vatican vaults, the then-Pope Leo X responded to the German’s complaints with excommunication. And this move in turn left Luther able to start his own religion.

When Christopher Columbus pitched his journey around the world, King John II of Portugal didn’t think that he had plotted his route properly. Nevertheless, the explorer – buoyed by support from Spain’s Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand – made it to the New World and back. Following that successful trip, though, John II sprung into action. In particular, the monarch not only claimed that Columbus had contravened a treaty, but that Portugal was also entitled to some of the land that the adventurer had discovered.

Making matters even more difficult, Spain similarly laid claim to a portion of Columbus’ findings. In order to solve what could have become a major conflict, then, Pope Alexander VI stepped in by putting out a papal bull – a decree issued by the Catholic Church’s highest-ranking member. And through the order, the pontiff neatly divvied up the discovered land between the European countries.

In 1917 three young cousins who worked as shepherds in Portugal claimed to have met the Virgin Mary on their countryside jaunts. And while legend has it that Mary entrusted the trio with three secrets, one of the clan, Lúcia Santos, ultimately revealed only two of these apparent messages in 1941. The third, she said, wasn’t ready to be shared.

Then, in 1943, a bishop demanded that Santos write down the last tidbit. And while the woman complied with this order, she nevertheless implored the church not to open the envelope in which she had sealed her words until 1960. Naturally, rumors have swirled ever since as to what the third secret could be. Some say, for instance, that it may have something to do with a nuclear holocaust or other impending disasters. Others, meanwhile, believe that Santos’ scribbles – which are contained in the Vatican vaults – reveal details about the apocalypse.

While still married to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII of England had a long-standing extramarital relationship with Mary Boleyn, who may even have birthed two of his children. In time, though, the ruler became enamored with Mary’s sister, Anne. And as Anne declined to engage in an illicit affair with Henry, he somehow had to come up with a way to end his marriage so that he could have the object of his affection.

So, Henry’s solution was to send a petition – signed by 85 religious men and aristocrats – to Pope Clement VII. This document implored the Catholic leader to annul the king’s marriage, although the religious leader ultimately wasn’t swayed. Still, while the Pope may have denied the request, he apparently held onto the letter, as it still sits in the Vatican vaults today.

Before he died in 1992, Father Pellegrino Ernetti had apparently seen a lot. Rather unusually, the monk claimed to have caught a glimpse of Roman senator Cicero delivering a speech in 63 B.C.; he also allegedly witnessed visions of Jesus’ Last Supper and had seen orations by Napoleon. And according to Ernetti, he had witnessed all of these pivotal points in history using a device called a Chronovisor, which reportedly allowed him to look back on the past as though he were watching TV.

Ernetti’s friend François Brune didn’t listen when people tried to discredit the Chronovisor, either. Instead, he claimed that both Pope Pius XII and Mussolini deemed the device to be a danger to mankind, with the result being that it was ultimately destroyed. Nevertheless, some wonder if the Chronovisor still lies within the secret Vatican collection.

Despite having once been Scotland’s sovereign, Mary Queen of Scots had fallen far by the time she sent a letter to the Vatican. In 1566 she had wed her half-cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; less than a year on from the union, however, he lay dead in the couple’s garden. Then, when the widowed queen wed Henry’s suspected killer, James Hepburn, the fourth Earl of Bothwell, the public rose up against the pair – forcing Mary to flee to England.

Yet Mary’s cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England didn’t take too kindly to her visitor. That was especially true when she found out that Mary had been plotting to kill her in 1586. As she awaited execution, then, the Scottish queen reached out to Pope Sixtus V and pleaded to the religious leader to intervene. And as history proves, he didn’t step in, leaving Mary to die by beheading on February 8, 1587.

During Galileo Galilei’s lifetime – which spanned both the 16th and 17th centuries – most people believed that the universe centered around Earth. The Bible seemed to confirm this theory, too, through passages claiming that our planet would never move. But, of course, the Italian-born astronomer thought differently. Instead, he suggested that Earth and the rest of the solar system actually orbited around the Sun.

Galileo’s findings ultimately landed him in the dock, where he had to defend his beliefs against those held by the Catholic Church. And while the scientist denied any wrongdoing, he nevertheless ended up on house arrest for the rest of his life, with the court also ruling that his teachings on heliocentrism could no longer be shared. Interestingly, though, the Vatican vaults do contain some notes taken at Galileo’s 1633 trial.

Catholics don’t seem to have strong opinions about the idea that life exists on other planets. In fact, many accept the notion, as they believe that God has already shown himself to be endlessly creative – and such ingenuity may not have been saved solely for Earth.

In fact, the Vatican may have further proof that the universe does indeed include aliens. Yes, some claim that the Catholic Church has hidden the skulls of otherworldly creatures. And, naturally, that type of evidence of extraterrestrial life would probably be more explosive than any UFO sighting.

Queen Christina reigned over Sweden from 1632 until she decided to step down in 1654. And there were a number of reasons why the monarch may have decided to leave her prestigious position. For one thing, her over-the-top spending nearly brought the country to financial ruin. It’s recorded, too, that Christina also decided to abdicate after choosing to drop her Lutheran faith and become a Catholic.

Then, after accepting that she would leave her royal duties behind, Christina revealed this outcome in a letter to the Pope himself. Subsequently, the former monarch relocated to Rome, and she remains one of very few women to be buried at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The message she sent to the Pope, meanwhile, is still in the Vatican collection nearly 400 years later.

The seventh Dalai Lama of Tibet acted as the country’s spiritual leader from 1720 to 1757. During part of that period, Pope Clement XII held the highest rank in the Catholic Church. And throughout his time in office, Clement XII earned himself a reputation for growing the papal purse. He ultimately gathered enough funds to spruce up the Basilica di San Giovanni and build Rome’s famous Trevi Fountain.

So, although the two men lived worlds away from each other, the Dalai Lama reached out to Clement XII when Catholics in Tibet needed safeguarding. Namely, the spiritual leader requested security measures for a group of Franciscan missionaries who had traveled to his country. And the letter that he sent is still secreted within the Vatican’s vaults to this day.

In 1776 the Bavarian Illuminati formed partly in an attempt to help relinquish the hold that religious institutions had over the lives of everyday people. Notably, the group’s members also hoped to fight any corruption by state officials. And as a consequence, when Bavarian leader Charles Theodore caught wind of the Illuminati’s aims, he chose to make the organization illegal. Yet some say that the group continues to operate today – and that it still masterminds the events that make headlines worldwide.

For many years, conspiracy theories have also linked the Illuminati to the Catholic Church. It’s been claimed, for instance, that the secret organization recruits every single one of the church’s top personnel. And rumors persist that the Vatican has records of what the Illuminati believe will happen in the future.

From 1119 until 1312, the Knights Templar served as the Catholic Church’s military wing. But although the Templars spent much of their existence in public favor, they finally lost this backing following their participation in the Crusades. It hadn’t helped, you see, that the church had failed to hold onto some of the Holy Land.

And things only went from bad to worse for the Templars when France’s King Philip IV began arresting members and burning them at the stake. So, Pope Clement V responded to the king’s pressure by disbanding the order. This period of history is documented, too, by the Chinon Parchment, which chronicles the trials against the Templars on charges such as heresy and blasphemous behavior during the Crusades. Interestingly, though, the paper was only rediscovered in 2001, as it had been hidden in a box along with more nondescript documents in the Vatican Apostolic Archive.

In the Christian faith, original sin is said to stem from Adam and Eve and their decision to eat the Garden of Eden’s forbidden fruit. And according to the Catholic Church, that choice has had a ripple effect; now, humankind has a propensity for sinning. In fact, if you believe in the Immaculate Conception, only one woman throughout history is blameless: the Virgin Mary.

And while Catholics have long accepted that Mary is without sin, it wasn’t until 1854 that Pope Pius IX penned the papal bull – which remains within the Vatican archive – confirming the teaching. Owing to this decree, then, Catholics commemorate what’s known as the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception each year on December 8.

Ancient philosophers have made record of the Essenes – a faction of Jews who apparently separated themselves from society at large. The Bible’s New Testament makes no mention of the group, however, and this has led some to believe that Essenes actually wrote the religious text. Indeed, many of their beliefs seem to actually align with the reported actions of Jesus himself. Apparently, the Essenes emphasized charity and goodwill as well as the significance of baptism.

Then, while sifting through the Vatican archive in 1923, bishop Edmond Bordeaux Szekely discovered an old document written in Aramaic – one that he claimed displayed the tenets of the Essenes. That said, no one else has reported such evidence. In fact, there’s not even any proof of Szekely’s visit to the vaults, and the manuscript’s existence is far from confirmed to this day.

After Brown University historian David Kertzer had the chance to explore the Vatican archive, he was able to confirm some of the information contained within. Based on what Kertzer read, he could corroborate the claim that Pius XI had asked Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to protect Catholic interests in the country. In exchange, the Pope had promised to turn a blind eye to Mussolini’s anti-Semitic campaigns.

Pope Pius XII then took over from his predecessor in 1939, and it’s possible that he may have had links to the leaders of Germany at the time. It’s rumored that the head of the Catholic Church had supported them, much like Pius XI had vouched for Mussolini. Kertzer wondered, too, if the Vatican had hidden away the evidence to preserve the religious institution's image. Even so, he noted that the staff there, as professionals in their field, seemingly treated history without bias.

It may seem as though the Catholic Church knows every detail about Jesus’ life, but that’s not entirely the case. For instance, there’s little record of what Christ did from his childhood up until his early 30s, when he became a more prominent religious figure. As such, then, some people believe that Jesus had a family of his own before his eventual crucifixion.

If Jesus had children, then his bloodline still may be traceable today. Some folks even believe that the Vatican has more specific details of Christ’s family life hidden away. And as any information of this sort would be explosive for the church, it makes sense that it would be securely locked up – if indeed it actually exists, of course.

As history shows, the American Civil War was principally the result of a geographical disagreement about slavery. While the country’s North was against the practice, the South wanted to continue it. And at the time the war began in April 1861, Abraham Lincoln led the Union with its abolitionist aims, while Jefferson Davis served as the Confederacy’s commander-in-chief.

As it turns out, though, both Lincoln and Davis wanted outside reassurance that they were doing the right thing. Consequently, both Civil War leaders wrote to Pope Pius IX requesting that he announce which side was in the right – the North or the South. And a response of sorts came as a result of the fact that the Pope never ultimately provided support to the Confederacy; instead, he pushed for emancipation alongside the Union.

The crucifixion of Jesus stands as one of the most essential parts of the Bible and, therefore, the Catholic faith. Christ’s death on the cross is seen to exemplify some of the religion’s most central tenets, such as atonement and salvation. Astonishingly, though, some believe that Jesus didn’t actually die in this manner – and that the Vatican has hidden the proof.

Archaeologist Michael Baigent, for one, suggested that Jesus and Pontius Pilate both faked the crucifixion. Killing the prophet wasn’t advisable for Pilate, you see, as Jesus encouraged his followers to pay their taxes. Instead, Baigent claimed that the governor helped simulate Christ’s death using a mixture of drugs before his body was removed from the tomb. The archaeologist felt that documentation of this plot existed, too, meaning it could be concealed within the Vatican collection.

The Fourth Crusade kicked off in 1202, when Christians from the West decided to move on Jerusalem. They couldn’t tackle the Muslim-ruled holy city right away, though; first, it was necessary to dismantle the Egyptian Ayyubid Sultanate, as it was the most powerful Islamic empire at the time. Yet the effort didn’t go as originally anticipated, and the Crusaders ended up taking down the Greek-held Constantinople instead.

Back in 1198, however, Pope Innocent III had issued the papal bull for a Fourth Crusade, demanding an offensive that would recapture the Holy Land from its Muslim leaders. Then, when the plan had ultimately gone off the rails, the Pope condemned the operation as a “work of hell,” as the siege of Constantinople had been so violent. His original letter allowing for the Crusade remains in the vault, though.