12 treasures of the Vatican that many people don’t know about (13 photos)

This is not only the smallest country in the world, it is also a real treasure trove!





The Vatican is one of the most interesting places to travel. This is the only country in the world that is under the protection of UNESCO. This small state is a real treasury, where things are stored that you might not even suspect.

Under the basilica there is a necropolis of ancient Roman mausoleums, which is buried under a 10-meter layer of earth



It was found during excavations in the 1930s.

“Laocoon and His Sons” is one of the Vatican sculptures, which was created in the 2nd century BC.





St. Peter's Basilica stands on the site of an ancient church that was built over the tomb of the Apostle Peter



Mosaics depicting the great athletes of the Ancient World



The oldest Bible in human history, created in the 4th century



The Vatican has the world's largest collection of Greco-Roman sculptures



The shelves in the Vatican library stretch for 85 kilometers



And the rarest documents and books in the history of mankind are stored here. Among them are manuscripts of Homer, Aristotle, Dante's Divine Comedy, letters of Henry VIII and Michelangelo.

There is a sculpture "Pieta" by Michelangelo and a painting "Pieta" by Van Gogh



Here is Nero's bathtub made of rare porphyry marble



This bath is two thousand years old, and the marble for it was brought from Egypt. Now this amount of stone is worth $1 billion.

Even the stairs here are real masterpieces



Cross of Justin II: believed to contain a piece of the cross on which Christ was crucified



And of course, the Sistine Chapel