Pope Leo moves into papal apartments in Apostolic Palace

Ten months after his election, Pope Leo XIV officially took up residence on March 14, 2026, in his apartments within the Apostolic Palace, where, with the exception of Francis, his predecessors have resided since the early 20th century. Extensive renovations were carried out in recent months on the top two floors of the Papal Palace, a place steeped in history where the pontiff is said to have set up a small “monastery.”

In a brief statement, the Holy See Press Office announced on Saturday that the Pope will move into the Apostolic Palace this afternoon “in the quarters previously occupied by his predecessors.” The Holy See specifies that he will live there with “his closest collaborators.”

While the presence of a papal residence in the Vatican dates back to the 12th century, the current Apostolic Palace was built in the 15th century, following the return of the popes from Avignon and the abandonment of the Lateran Palace, deemed unsanitary and unsafe. Nevertheless, this palace was long overshadowed as a papal residence by the Quirinal Palace, on the other bank of the Tiber — the current residence of the President of the Italian Republic.

In 1870, following Italian unification, Pius IX took refuge in the Vatican. It was not until the pontificate of Pius X that the current Apostolic Palace was occupied by the papal apartments in their present configuration. Located on the third floor — as well as on the fourth, where the apartments of the pontiff’s staff are traditionally situated — they are arranged around the pope’s bedroom, which is situated in the corner, overlooking both St. Peter’s Square and the center of Rome.

Access to the papal apartments, a series of about 10 rooms, is via a grand staircase on the St. Peter’s Square side (as well as by an elevator today). It opens onto an entrance hall, followed by the pope’s private library — where he usually receives his guests in the morning. Next come a small sitting room, the office of the papal secretaries, then the Pope’s office — at the window of which he appears on Sundays for the Angelus — and finally the bedroom. On the “Roman” side, various accounts mention the presence of a bathroom, another library, a parlor, a kitchen, a dining room, and the servants’ quarters. The pope’s private chapel, meanwhile, overlooks the palace’s inner courtyard.

Above the third floor, under the roof, are rooms partly occupied by the papal staff, as well as a terrace overlooking the inner courtyard. The former Prefect of the Papal Household, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, also mentioned the presence of a room equipped with a jacuzzi that was commissioned by Paul VI but has “never been used.”

The last pope to have resided in the private section of the apartments was Benedict XVI. Archbishop Gänswein, who served as his secretary, described in a book published in 2023 the dilapidated state of the premises when Benedict XVI moved in in 2005: he lamented an outdated electrical system and a roof that leaked in certain places. At the time, two and a half months of renovations had already been necessary to make the residence habitable for the Pope.

Seven years later, Francis surprised everyone by deciding not to move into the Apostolic Palace. He explained on numerous occasions that he did not feel at ease so separated from people. He thus chose to live in a suite at the Santa Marta residence, a hotel located across from St. Peter’s Basilica. Although he came to work every morning at the Apostolic Palace, it was Santa Marta — where he died on December 21 — that became a nerve center of the Holy See for 12 years.

Some saw Francis' choice as a break with a “royal” conception of the papacy, considering that he had chosen a more humble living environment. This interpretation was, however, challenged not only by Francis but also by Archbishop Gänswein, who assured that it was “not at all a question of economics," but rather a matter of personal choice. He further explained that maintenance of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace had continued to be carried out, and was performed by companies “that prefer to remain anonymous.”

As a sign of continuity, the apostolic apartments were sealed during the Sede Vacante period even though they had been unused. Then three days after his election, Leo XIV officially removed the seals and at that time, indicated that he would likely live there.

However, further renovation was necessary as, again, the 15th-century rooms needed a more thorough update. For Leo, this was a moment of "again," as he had already had a similar experience shortly before his election. As Cardinal Prevost, in charge of the Dicastery of Bishops, he had in fact been assigned an apartment in very poor condition in a Holy See building located outside the Vatican, right in front of the Porta Sant’Anna, I.Media learned. Just a few months before the conclave, he had managed to find another apartment in the Palace of the Holy Office, the seat of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He has stayed in that apartment for the past 10 months, waiting for the renovations at the Apostolic Palace to be completed. Although situated behind the Leonine Walls, the Palace of the Holy Office lies just outside the Vatican’s official borders; the Pope therefore has resided on Italian territory during that period.

The work carried out at the Apostolic Palace was conducted with due consideration for the security measures essential to protecting the Pope’s residence. According to a Vatican source, the renovation was carried out partly by Vatican employees and partly by a private contractor. The workers were under the constant supervision of Swiss Guards throughout the project.

The renovation was slowed down by the fact that part of the apartments was still being used by the Pope for his morning audiences. He had to suspend them temporarily to allow for the work, which was then completed by early February.

The daily newspaper La Repubblica reported early on that Pope Leo planned to set up his bedroom on “a separate floor, largely hidden from view from the outside, except for small windows that protrude above the cornices,” rather than in the corner of the third floor. When questioned by I.Media, the Holy See did not dispute the report.

If the information from La Repubblica is accurate, the Pope’s room would overlook the palace’s inner courtyard. He would also have access to a small chapel, a kitchen, and a gym. I.Media has also learned that his private apartments would give him access to a small “cloister” located on the building’s roof and not visible from the outside.

This new arrangement would be more in keeping with his religious background, which often saw him residing within a monastery. However, he will not live in community with Augustinian friars as some media outlets had reported, but only with his two secretaries, the Peruvian Edgard Rimaycuna Inga and the Italian Marco Billeri.