The German Graveyard inside the walls of Vatican City.
In the place only German speakers are allowed to enter!
Not many people know about Campo Santo Teutonico in Vatican City, but I will tell you about it.
Where is it at?
Even though Campo Santo Teutonico is located right inside the walls of Vatican City and being next to the famous St Peter’s Basilica, it is not part of it. It is actually part of Italy.
Also you are just able to enter it, when being in the state of Vatican. Due to that, it feels a bit more like that it is part of the Vatican.
What is important to know?
Campo Santo Teutonico is a German cemetery in the borders of the Vatican. This cemetery, which has walls around the borders, is only accessible for German speakers.
The Italian word Teutonico means German. Which is important to know, because all people from the historical German cultural space are allowed there, for example German speaking Belgians, people from Austria Liechtenstein, the German part of Switzerland.
Who is lying in the graveyard?
Originally it was planned to be only for citizens from the Holy Roman Empire of German nations, who were doing a pilgrimage and didn’t return from it.
Now it is also possible to be buried there when being part of the Arch Brotherhood and it’s family members. The Arch Brotherhood with the name “Zur Schmerzhaften Mutter Gottes” which you can translate to “to the Sorrowful Mother of God”.
It is an Arch Brotherhood for people from the historical Germans, who live in or around Rome. To be part there, you need to be speaking German, be between 16 and 60 years old, live there and be part of the meetups and also go to church service.
Also some famous Germans are buried there, it is just important that they lived in Rome and died there.
How to enter?
The graveyard has opening hours, every day, besides Wednesday from 9-12 during the day. So that is quite simple, but now we get to the tricky part. In the South side of the St Peter’s Basilica. Basically when you have the Basilica in front of you, on the left side.
There are Swiss guards standing, you can’t just enter, you need to ask them in German for permission. Without asking in German, you are not allowed to enter this place. It is okay, if you are not a native speaker, but you need to speak the language.
After they agreed for you to enter, your bag will get scanned and you as well.
You now have access to the Campo Santo Teutonico in Vatican City.
What to expect?
Basically it is a graveyard. You will have a place, where almost nobody will be, because it is not known a lot. Even if you make it there and see the Swiss guards it is probably not likely for you to go there and ask about what they are doing there.
When you know about it, you need to be there on time, which is really important, otherwise you can’t make it in.
When you are at the graveyard, you have a church as well and much nature, also you are able to see the St Peter’s Basilica.
How was my experience?
While I was visiting Rome, I remembered about this place, so I had to go. Just to have a unique place inside a super touristic place, without people.
When I went there the first day, I was there too late, because I was expecting the place to be open the whole day. So before my flight, it was time to finally go there on time.
Visiting the Vatican again and going straight to the Swiss Guards. Talking in German and getting let in. After being done with the checking, I was able to walk freely in the area and went to the graveyard.
It was not a big place, or an exciting place, but I honestly felt really good there. It was finally a peaceful and quiet place in a very busy city. I didn’t understand why all these people were laying there, but with all the nature it felt great being there.
Around one hour I was at this little place and was reading the names. There were people from over 600 years ago and from the 2010’s.
Summary
Having a graveyard only accessible for German speakers, inside the walls of the Vatican but being part of Italy. It sounds weird and unique and it is exactly that!
It is free to enter, you just need to speak German. Even if you are not religious, it is still good to check it out, when speaking the language.
While reading more about this place, I understood a little better about the story behind it. It is quite a complex topic, but I guess that I was able to summarize it the best way possible.
I would love to hear your experiences about this place, or questions. Share it with me in the comments.
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