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On Monday, 5 July 2010, during his address for the inauguration of the new fountain in the Vatican Gardens dedicated to Saint Joseph, Benedict XVI said, “It is a work that increases the artistic patrimony of this enchanting green space in Vatican City, full of historical and artistic testimonies of various epochs. Indeed, not only the lawns, the flowers, plants and trees, but also the towers, pavilions, small temples, fountains, statues and other buildings make this garden into a fascinating unicum”.
As a symbolic gesture of friendship between the Vatican City State and the Republic of Azerbaijan, a pomegranate tree was planted in the Vatican Gardens. The occasion was the visit of H.E. Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of Azerbaijan.
During a ceremony on Monday morning, 3 March, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Coadjutor Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major blessed a wooden Lithuanian Cross in the Vatican Gardens.
A few thousand flames illuminated the evening of Saturday, May 31, in the Vatican Gardens. As per tradition at the end of the Marian month, hundreds of faithful participated in the recitation of the Rosary.
The Church and the people of Haiti have expressed their deep bond with the See of Peter by placing an image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of the Republic of Haiti, in the Vatican Gardens.
The close bond between the See of Peter and Argentina was renewed with the placement in the Vatican Gardens of a mosaic of Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of the South American nation. The solemn blessing and inauguration of the image took place on the morning of Tuesday, September 9, in the presence of Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, Leonardo Sandri, Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals and Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President Emeritus of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Monsignors Lucio Adrián Ruiz, Secretary of the Dicastery of Communications and Guillermo Javier Karcher, Official of the Secretariat of State, Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate, H.E. Luis Pablo María Beltramino, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to the Holy See, bishops, priests, religious men and women, and representatives of the Argentine community residing in Rome.
On Thursday morning, 5 December, a mosaic depicting Christ Pantocrator, made by young people with disabilities and their teachers, was officially inaugurated in the Vatican Gardens. The impressive mosaic was the result of a collaboration with the mosaics laboratory of the Centro di Riabilitazione Ada “Ceschin Pilone” (rehabilitation centre) of the Institute of the Trinitarian Fathers of Venosa-Bernalda. Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, presided over the inauguration ceremony.
"Cycling is as important a sport as any. So thank you for everything you do - you are truly exemplary! And I hope, as you well train your body, your spirit too will also be blessed and that you will be attentive always to the whole human being: body, mind, heart and spirit.
Sixty rose bushes were planted in the Rose Garden of the Vatican Gardens to commemorate the 190th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Colombia (1835–2025).
Their life and their work
In response to an invitation by the Holy Father, as of January 2024, the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of Santa Scolastica in Argentina have resumed their ministry of prayer, adoration, lauds and reparations at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, in the Vatican Gardens, to support the Holy Father in his daily care for the whole Church.
The floral emblem of Pope Leo XIV has been completed in the Vatican Gardens, located on the upward slope from the apse of St. Peter's Basilica, right in front of the Governorate building.
Hundreds of colored plants, like so many mosaic pieces, have made a beautiful work of floral art possible. Like the previous emblems, it will be admired every year by thousands of people from an exceptional observation point: the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
A new Marian image has been placed on the walls of the Bastione di Maestro in the Vatican Gardens: Our Lady of Coromoto, Patroness of Venezuela.
In the inaugural ceremony held on the morning of Monday, October 20 — the day after the canonization of the first two Venezuelan Saints, José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Rendiles Martínez — the mosaic depicting Mary enthroned with the Child was unveiled and blessed.
The traditional Way of the Cross in the Vatican Gardens for employees of the Governorate, will take place during Holy Week, on Tuesday morning, 15 April at 8:15 a.m. The Way of the Cross will begin in the square in front of the Governorate and proceed towards the evocative backdrop of the Lourdes Grotto. Each station will be animated by a representative of each Directorate and Central Office, led by their respective Chaplains. The Via Crucis is organized by the Events Planning Office.
It will be an opportunity to share a moment of prayer in preparation for Easter, in accordance with Pope Francis’ words in his message for Lent 2025:
“God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs”.
Tulips were planted in the Vatican Gardens on Tuesday morning, 22 October, in memory of Saint John Paul II, on the day of his liturgical memorial.
On the occasion of National Tree Day, Friday, 21 November, a Fraxinus ornus and a Fraxinus angustifolia—from which the traditional Madonie manna is obtained—were planted in the Vatican Gardens. Presiding over the ceremony was Archbishop Emilio Nappa, Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, who emphasized that planting new trees to keep creation alive and respect the environment is fully in line with the principles set out in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato si’. “It is even more so,” he said, “when the plants in question have a clear biblical reference.”
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