Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Villa director reveals rich history behind Pope’s summer home

Villa director reveals rich history behind Pope’s summer home

Last updated on: August 8, 2012 at 8:05 am by CNA Daily News

Villa director reveals rich history behind Pope’s summer home 2012-08-08T08:05:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 8, 2012 / 02:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Saverio Petrillo, director of the Pontifical Villas at Castel Gandolfo, knows that the villas and farm at Pope Benedict's summer residence have been centuries in the making.

Petrillo, who has worked for the Pontifical Villas for 50 years, said that the Pontifical Villas are a complex of three historic properties which have “come together little by little to form the summer residence of the Holy Father.”

The villa complex and farms cover 55 hectares, an area larger than Vatican City.

Petrillo told CNA on Aug. 4 that Castel Gandolfo has served as a papal retreat since the seventeenth century when Pope Urban VIII continued the visits he had begun as a cardinal.

Fifteen of the last 31 Popes have continued that tradition, though some pontiffs did not visit because of personal taste, health, or historical reasons, as when the Popes between Pius IX and Pius XI did not leave the Vatican because of the political situation in Italy.

The biggest of the properties was once the Roman Emperor Domitian's personal villa. His residence was over five square miles in area and included a theater.

“It was a rather small theater that had a capacity for around 400 spectators, that is to say, the emperor and his closest friends,” Petrillo said.

Pope Pius XI erected a cross in the villas “to remember the triumph of the cross over its persecutors,” he continued. “Domitian, if you remember, was a ferocious persecutor of Christians and the Pope wished to give witness to the triumph of the cross.”

Every summer, Pope Benedict XVI visits the gardens for walks and sometimes prays the rosary there.

The villas' Belvedere Gardens are divided into three tiers. The first tier has floral gardens inspired by works in the basilicas of Rome, and the second tier has four mirroring labyrinths.

“A maze like these in an Italian garden represents man’s search for knowledge,” the villa director explained.

The third tier of the gardens is a citrus garden enclosed by cypresses, where lemon and orange trees grow.

“Down below we have more mirror pools and the hedges trimmed in such a way to remind the visitor of the Roman aqueducts,” Petrillo said.

The villas also contain the Emperor Domitian’s covered passageway known as the “crypto-portico.”

The portico was once nearly 1,000 feet long, but only about 400 feet still remain. Smoke stains on the portico walls date back to World War II, another major event for Castel Gandolfo.

“When the Allied troops landed at Anzio, the Holy Father welcomed around 10,000 people who found refuge here,” Petrillo said.

“In particular, it’s quite nice to remember, in that period 50 children were born and all were born in the Pope’s room which had been transformed into a delivery room.”

Petrillo added that the villas' farm is “particularly nice,” and supplies much of what Pope Benedict eats.

“It's where we raise milk cows, hens, have vegetable gardens and a lot of olive trees for a humble production of olive oil.”

Giuseppe Bellapadrona, Director of the Pontifical Farm, said Pope Pius XI wanted a small farm to produce food “in the most organic and healthy of ways.”

The farm includes chickens and a barn of 30 milking cows for dairy production. There are also 800-year-old olive trees whose olives are used to produce “quite delicate” olive oil.

Europe

Previous Post

August 8, 2012

Catholic Latinos to examine 'threatening' political landscape

Next Post

August 8, 2012 Archbishop Hart blasts Melbourne paper for highlighting sacrilegious liturgy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What year was the Council of Nicea?

Select your answer to see how you score.

1517 AD 500 AD 1054 AD 325 AD