Papal Enclave

A Papal Enclave refers to a territory within Italy that was historically controlled directly by the Pope, making it an independent or semi-independent entity inside another country. In the Middle Ages and later, certain papal territories like the Papal States served as direct religious and political authority for the Pope. Today, the term is less common, but it highlights the historical political sovereignty of the Holy See and the Pope over specific areas, separate from the surrounding nation-states.