Pope opens private summer residence to visitors

 

 

Bedroom – These rooms have witnessed history. This is the bedroom where two Popes, Pius XII and Paul VI, died, and where Pope John Paul II recovered from an assassination attemptPope Francis has once again bucked tradition by opening his exclusive papal vacation apartments for public viewing.

The Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, for centuries the summer residence and vacation retreat of the leader of the Catholic Church, is located 25 kilometers outside of Rome on Lake Albano.

Twenty never-before-seen rooms opened to the public on October 22, including a private library, study, chapel and simple bedroom.

Sanctuary for refugees

These rooms have witnessed history: During the Nazi occupation of World War II, Jewish women gave birth to their babies in the bedroom while they were being hidden by Pope Pius XII.

The bedchamber is also where two Popes, Pius XII and Paul VI, died.

Pope Francis has only visited the palace a handful of times since his election in 2013 and has never spent the night there.

While Francis is famous for eschewing luxury and not taking vacations, he's not the first pope to pass up the summer residence.

"Of the 33 pontiffs that could have used the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo, only 15 came, the rest did not," says Dr. Sandro Barbaglio, curator of the historical section of the Vatican Museum.