thumb|right|The pope's window, from which he delivers the [[Angelus]]
The papal apartments is the non-official designation for the collection of apartments, which are private, state, and religious, that wrap around a courtyard (the Courtyard of Sixtus V, ') on two sides of the third (top) floor of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.
Since the 17th century, the papal apartments have been the official residence of the pope in his religious capacity (as supreme pontiff). Prior to 1870, the pope's official residence in his temporal capacity (as sovereign of the Papal States) was the Quirinal Palace, which is now the official residence of the president of the Italian Republic. The papal apartments are referred to in Italian<nowiki> by several terms, including</nowiki> ' and '. Since then, successive Popes, with the exception of Pope Francis, lived at the Papal Apartments. Francis declined to use the Papal Apartments, instead living at Domus Sanctae Marthae; he would continue to appear at the study window for the Angelus/Regina Caeli, and would use the library for receiving guests.
Pope Leo XIV announced he would follow the tradition of many predecessors and take up residence in the papal apartments. On March 14, 2026, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo, together with his closest collaborators, officially moved in to the papal apartments, 10 months after he assumed the Papacy and months of internal and external repairs at the apartments.
Three of the six previous popes, John XXIII, John Paul I, and John Paul II, died in the papal apartments; the fourth, Paul VI, died at Castel Gandolfo; the fifth, Benedict XVI, died at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, his home after his resignation in 2013; and the sixth, Francis, died at Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lived throughout his pontificate. The Apostolic Constitution prohibits anyone living at the papal apartments during the Vacancy of the Apostolic See (at the death or resignation of the Pope). The Cardinal Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is responsible for the sealing of the papal apartments during the ; the seals will later be broken by the new Pope after his election.
Renovations
The papal apartments are customarily renovated according to each new pope's preferences.
Prior to the renovation in 2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the papal apartments had reportedly been in disrepair, with "outmoded furnishings and lack of lighting" and large drums placed in the false ceiling to catch water leaks. The 2005 renovation, carried out over three months while Benedict was in summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, included the building of a new library to accommodate Benedict's 20,000 books (placed in exactly the same order as in his previous residence), upgrading the electrical wiring (125-volt electrical outlets, phased out in Italy years prior, were replaced with 220-volt outlets) and plumbing (new pipes were installed to replace those "encrusted with rust and lime").