| English: Pontifical Anthem | |
|---|---|
Sheet music for the "Papal Anthem" | |
National anthem of the Vatican City | |
| Lyrics | Antonio Allegra (Italian version, 1949) Raffaello Lavagna (Latin version, 1991) |
| Music | Charles Gounod, 1869 |
| Adopted | 1949 |
| Preceded by | "Marcia trionfale" |
The "Pontifical Anthem" is the national anthem of the Vatican City, a tiny country located inside the city of Rome. It is also known as the "Papal Anthem".
This song comes from the 19th century. The song's music was composed in 1869 by a French composer named Charles Gounod. For a long time, this song did not have words; lyrics weren't written for it until 1949, when the Italian organist Antonio Allegra made words for it. In that same year, this song was adopted as the anthem of the Vatican City and the Holy See, now with the Italian lyrics. To preserve the region's Roman and Christian identity, words in the Latin language were made for it 1991, by Raffaello Lavagna.
| Words of the song in Italian | Translation of these words into English |
|---|---|
Roma immortale di Martiri e di Santi, |
O Rome immortal of Martyrs and Saints, |
| Words of the song in Latin | Meaning of these words in Italian | Meaning of these words in English |
|---|---|---|
Chorus: |
Coro: |
Chorus: |
| Words of the song in Latin | Meaning of these words in Italian | Meaning of these words in English |
|---|---|---|
O felix Roma, O felix Roma nobilis. |
O Roma felice - O felice nobile Roma. |
O happy Rome, O happy noble Rome. |