What does the pope do during his vacation?

On June 17, the prefecture of the Pontifical House said in a press release that Pope Léon XIV would be resting in the pontifical villas of Castel Gandolfo, on the flanks of the Albains mountains, south of Rome. He will establish himself from July 6 to 20, then again from August 15 to 17.

Vacation calendar

In addition to the need for rest of the Pope, the slowdown in the usual rhythm of the Vatican also depends on the fact that his administration is also entitled to leave. As a result, all private hearings as well as Wednesday morning hearings are suspended until Wednesday, July 30.

During his stay in Castel Gandolfo, the pope will chair the Sunday mass in the local parishes and will remain faithful to the public recitation of the Angelus. Léon XIV will therefore celebrate the Assumption Day in his holiday residence.

A tradition interrupted by François

The new pontiff thus reconnects with a tradition to which his predecessor did not taste. François did not, in fact, went only once to Castel Gandolfo, in 2013, and never spent his holidays there, preferring to remain in his residence Sainte-Marthe, in the Vatican. The Argentinian pope, on the other hand, opened the gardens and then the apartments to the public.

History of a palace

The Palais de Castel Gandolfo was erected in the 13th century on the ruins of the summer residence of the Emperor Domitian (1st century), at the request of the Gandolfi family. In 1596, Pope Clément VIII acquired in reimbursement of a debt contracted by his owners. Thirty years later, Urbain VIII was restored and chose it as summer vacation. Over the centuries, successive residents scored their pope there: Pius XI built a farm and an astronomical observatory, Jean-Paul II, a swimming pool, an ecological center.

However, the palace remained closed to the capture of Rome (1870) until the signing of the Lateran agreements (1929), during the so -called “Roman question” period. During these sixty years, pontiffs consider themselves prisoners of the Vatican, the rest of their pontifical states having been annexed by the King of Italy.