The Swiss Guard has been with the Pope for over 500 years and during this time has become an indispensable element of Vatican. Already at the beginning of the 16th century the Swiss were known for their bravery, loyalty and they were often enlisting as mercenaries. When Pope Julius II decided to regain the territory of the Papal States, he asked the Swiss for support. At the Pope's request a troop of people who wanted to serve him was organized. They entered Rome on 21st January 1506 under the command of Kaspar von Silen and a day later on January 22 they made a vow of loyalty to the Pope. Since then, the Swiss Guardsmen have served uninterruptedly the popes.
In memory of this event on January 22 is
remembered the formation of this army. On the other hand, on 6th May
the Swiss Guard has its own celebration in memory of the only one battle fought
by the guards - in 1527 during the so-called Sacco di Roma (when the armies of
Emperor Charles V invaded and sacked Rome) the majority of guardsmen died
but the Pope Clement
VII managed to save himself. On this day new recruits are accepted into the Swiss Guard.
There are around 135 guardsmen who live in
the Vatican in barracks in the northeastern part of the country. They are
divided proportionally into three teams according to the Swiss language
division - two German and one French, which also includes few guardsmen from
the Italian-speaking region. Since 1976 the Pope has been the immediate
superior of the Swiss Guard.
The commander of the Swiss Guard remains
in office for 5 years or more if the Pope wishes so. During the ceremony, he
is always close to the Pope on his right side (on the left is always the commander
of the Vatican Gendarmerie) but he never accompanies him on his abroad visits
(there the commander of the Gendarmerie commands). It is also worth noting that
there is a kind of competition between the Swiss Guard and the Corps of Gendarmerie
of Vatican City.
UNIFORMS
It is incorrectly believed that the
guardsmen outfit was designed by Michelangelo – indeed, its pattern comes from
the Renaissance but its present form is just over 100 years old. In 1914, after
many changes in the appearance of the uniform, it was decided to return to the
original cut from the 16th century. The colors of the uniform - blue and yellow
- refer to the colors of the family of Pope Julian II and the color red to
another pope, Clement de' Medici. However, this multicolored outfit is only worn
during the most important ceremonies and during the day they wear a navy blue
renaissance clothing because it is more practical. In addition, each outfit is
made to measure and by one tailor. Only one uniform takes 39 hours of sewing!
HOW TO BECOME A GUARDSMEN?
The requirements that a candidate must meet are clearly defined - he must be a Swiss citizen, be at least 19 years old, not married, be a Catholic and performed a mandatory military service. The condition for recruitment is a Swiss passport, not Swiss roots, and in the guard there are also some Italians, descendants of immigrants who moved to Switzerland. After the acceptance the recruit goes to a second interview and participates in a two-month training in the Vatican City. A basic service lasts 2 years. However, if they decide to stay, they can be in the army for a maximum of 20 years – it means that they retire at the age of 45 at the most.
This year, there will be no celebration
of the anniversary of foundation of the Swiss Guard. There will be no march of
soldiers through St. Peter's Square and celebrations will be limited to a mass
for the guardsmen and their families living in the Vatican City.
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