Geography
The Holy See is bordered by Florence to the north and by Naples to the south. The Tiber River is almost exclusively located in the Holy See providing the region with a quality waterway to use for travel and agriculture.
History
For hundreds of years, Catholics were not allowed to worship openly or own property on behalf of the Church. Land ownership was restricted to men. As a result, early Catholics had to practice their faith in rooms of homes by some well-off constituents. This all changed dramatically when Constantine I both legalized the religion and donated the Lateran Palace to the Church in approximately 312 AD. Other land donations followed soon thereafter.
As the Byzantine Empire took control of much of the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, the Pope, as the largest Italian landowner became the head of state for her own Duchy, the Duchy of Rome. The Pope, exercising temporal powers of her position, excommunicated the Byzantine Emperor, Leo III. The Pope was also able to diplomatically broker a peace and border agreement with the King of the Lombards and the Lombards made a sizable land donation to the Church as well as a result, further expanding the holdings of the Pope and the Catholic Church.
A number of years later, Charlemagne conquered and united most of western Europe. During his reign, the Pope proclaimed and crowned him Emperor. Charlemagne allowed the Pope to continue to act as sovereign of her own territory and together Catholicism was spread over most of Charlemagne’s empire.
After Charlemagne’s death, his empire was divided among his grandchildren and so began the squabbling over territorial boundaries. The Church fell into a brief decline with some conflicts arose with a Frankish emperor in Germany. Disputes over power continued until the Pope declared the Independence of the Papal State in 1177.
Economy/Industry
With a number of rivers in the region, the Holy See has a healthy and abundant agricultural system. Some of Italy’s best wines are produced in the Nera and Tiber flood plains. Shipbuilding has also become a dominant industry as the Pope continues to use temporal power to project force abroad. A large portion of the wealth held by the Holy See is generated from tithes and donations from members of the Catholic faith and treasures acquired from abroad.
Entertainment
The most common form of entertainment within the borders of the Holy See are morality plays. These plays became popular during the medieval era. These plays typically address social issues, justice, and good vs/ evil. They are well attended and with the wealth of the Holy See, they have become quite the display of costume.
Government
The Holy See is an Italian sovereignty that is under the direction of Her Holiness, the Pope Emanuela della Chiesa. The pope oversees all of the religious aspects of the church. There is also an Exarch, Lunetta della Chiesa, who oversees the governing of the region. While the Holy See has few official residents, it’s important to keep in mind that there are representatives of the Church all over Italy and abroad.
Who’s Who
- Emanuela della Chiesa, Emanuela II– Pope
- Francesca Castello– High Inquisitor
- Illaria Stregone– Cardinal
- Lunetta della Chiesa– Exarch; Bishop
- Concetta Muraro– Cardinal
- Savina Sala– Cardinal