Benedict XVI & the Porta di Santa Rosa

Piazza del Risorgimento

Porta di Santa Rosa

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On April 19th 2005, Cardinal Joseph Alois Ratzinger was elected pope, taking the name Benedict XVI. 

One of his first acts was to commission the Porta di Santa Rosa to provide access to the Vatican City for pedestrians and vehicles. It is located on the site of a gate that was opened in 1929, the year the Vatican City State was created, but subsequently closed up. 

The bronze panels are the work of Gino Giannetti and depict Pope Benedict XVI's coat of arms. The inscription reads: BENEDICTVS XVI PONT MAX ANNO DOMINI MMV PONT I (Benedict XVI, Pontifiex Maximus, the year of the Lord 2005, the first of his pontificate). 

The Porta di Santa Rosa is located in the stretch of wall that faces Piazza del Risorgimento. 

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