A war that flattened cities across Europe left one 44-hectare state, in the middle of an occupied capital, almost entirely untouched.
Neutral territory in an occupied city
Vatican City maintained official diplomatic neutrality throughout the war under Pope Pius XII, even as Rome around it came under German occupation from 1943 and, later, Allied bombing raids on its outskirts.
An “open city” arrangement
In 1943, Rome was declared an “open city” — a designation under which occupying and advancing forces agree not to defend or attack it militarily — an arrangement credited with sparing much of the historic center, including the Vatican, from the destruction seen elsewhere in Europe.
Shelter behind Vatican walls
Historical research increasingly documents refugees, including Jewish Romans, sheltered within Vatican properties and other Church buildings across the city during the German occupation, even as the Vatican's public wartime diplomacy remained cautious and largely behind the scenes.
Liberation
Allied forces liberated Rome in June 1944; the Vatican, having never been occupied or bombed despite the fighting around it, emerged from the war with its independence and territory intact.
