The "Pontifical Hymn" (), also known as the "Pontifical Anthem and March" (; ), is the anthem played to mark the presence of the Pope or one of his representatives, such as a nuncio, and on other solemn occasions. It was first performed that day at four o'clock in the afternoon with seven pontifical bands and a chorus of over one thousand soldiers.

On 16 October 1949, Pope Pius XII declared it the papal anthem, replacing Viktorin Hallmayer's "Marcia trionfale" (1857), which, being still the papal anthem when the Vatican City State was founded in 1929, had been treated also as the new state's anthem. Gounod's "Marche Pontificale" was first performed in this new role during a ceremony on Christmas Eve of 1949, one day before the opening of the Holy Year 1950. The old state anthem too was played for a last time, almost as a token of respect. for Gounod's music. Other lyrics have been composed for the music in various languages and by different authors.

Lyrics

Italian lyrics by Allegra (1949)

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!Italian original</poem>

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See also

  • Index of Vatican City-related articles

Notes

References

Further reading

  • PDF, info here
  • Official site of Vatican City State
  • Streaming audio, lyrics and information about the Pontifical Anthem (archive link)