The Swiss Guard, the pope’s iconic bodyguards, look ceremonial but in the pageantry of the Renaissance-style uniform lies the ...

The richest man to ever live was so wealthy that the rulers of one of the largest empires in history came to him for help.

Due to a unique set of circumstances at the beginning of the 16th century, a teenage monarch inherited much of Europe, ...

The idea that the Vatican has God on speed-dial was one of the first things tossed off the balcony in St Peter’s Square by ...

The elevation of Cardinal Robert Prevost to Pope Leo XIV marks a historic first: he’s the first U.S.-born pontiff ever elected.

The region represents a cultural continental divide, creating a fascinating mix of the best aspects of French and Germanic ...

The secret vote that elected Pope Gregory X lasted from November 1268 to September 1271. It was the first example of a papal ...

Costumes, dancing and battles on the eve of ‘May the 4th’ — a high holy day for Star Wars fandom. Here comes those first ...

One of the world’s most famous religious buildings, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia was extraordinary when it was built in the sixth ...