St. Martha's House (Rome)

Vatican City / Rome / Place Saint-Marthe

The Domus Sanctae Marthae(Latin for Saint Martha's House) is a building completed in 1996 adjacent to Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City built during the reign of Pope John Paul II. It functions as a guest house for those having business with the Holy See, but it is best known as the hotel residence of the College of Cardinals taking part in the papal conclaves to elect new Popes. Its amenities include furnished bedrooms, lavatories and studies for each prelate.
~The building replaced the St. Martha Hospice built in 1891 during a cholera epidemic for Pope Leo XIII that was dedicated to the sick in neighborhoods around the Vatican. During World War II the earlier structure was used by refugees, Jews, and ambassadors from countries that had broken diplomatic relations with Italy.On March 26, 2013, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis will not move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but will instead use Suite 201 of Domus Sanctae Marthae as his personal living space in lieu of the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace.
Pope Francis is the first pope in 110 years not to live in the papal apartments on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace. He will use the palace suite as a working office where he will receive dignitaries and take meetings, while saying morning mass and taking communal meals in Domus Sanctae Marthae.
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Coordinates:   41°54'2"N   12°27'12"E