THE
POPE AND SWISS GUARD
Overture: The Pontifical Swiss Guard or the world’s
smallest army as often called is one of the most attractive sights one could
find while visiting the ancient city of Vatican for the first time. While some
posed for a photograph in the front of these men who are on guard at the gates
of Vatican, others looked with awe the great and gigantic men whose statures
threaten even the devil. Their responsibility goes beyond mounting sentry at
the Vatican City’s gate, its environs and the Pontifical Villa of Castel
Gandolfo, but also focus on personal security of the Holy Father.
In our series this week on “The ARCHIVE” we mount our camera facing the ancient city of Rome,
the Vatican City or the Papal State. Where we will take a cursory look into her
security service - the Pontifical Swiss Guard. They serve the Holy Father
exclusively as personal protectors, and all of Swiss origin. One may be
prompted to ask, why all Swiss? The answer is not far-fetched as we journey
together around the walls of this city which serves as the headquarters of the
worldwide Catholic Church.
The
Historical Lane: The uniqueness of the
Swiss Mercenaries cannot be over emphasized right from antiquity. That is why
Tacitus one of the leading great historians once said, "The Helvetians are
a people of warriors, famous for the valour of their soldiers." So are the
Swiss guard in all ramifications, to the extent of making a remarkable impact
in the history of European politics. Due to their outstanding roles played
during this epoch in history, that the evening of January 22, 1506 saw them
within the Vatican City on invitation by Pope Julius II, with Captain Kasparvon
Silenen, of Canton Uri leading the troop through the Porta del Popolo and
entered for the first time the Vatican. They were blessed by Pope Julius II,
with the prelate Johann Burchard of Strasbourg, Master of Pontifical
Ceremonies at that time, and author of a famous chronicle, noted the event in
his diary.
According to record, it was Pope Sixtus IV who
made a previous alliance in 1497 with the Confederates, which for saw the
possibility of recruiting mercenaries, and he had barracks built for them near
where there is, still today, the small Church of St. Pellegrino, in Via
Pellegrino in Vatican City. Later, renewing the old pact, Innocent VIII
(1484-1492) also desired to make use of them against the Duke of Milan. And
Alexander VI also engaged Confederate soldiers during the time of the alliance
between the Borgia family and the King of France. While the Borgias were so
powerful the so called Italian Wars began in which the Swiss soldiers were
always present, in the front line, at times for France, and at others to
support the Holy See or the Holy Roman Empire ruled by a German sovereign. When
the Swiss mercenaries heard that Charles VIII, King of France, was planning a
great expedition against Naples, they flocked to enlist. Towards the end of the
year 1494, thousands of them were in Rome, passing through with the French
army, which in February of the following year, occupied Naples. Among the
participants in that expedition against Naples, there was also Cardinal
Giuliano della Rovere, future Pope Julius II, who under Pope Alexander VI had
left Italy and gone to France. He was well acquainted with the Swiss, because
some twenty years earlier he had been granted as one of many benefices, the
Bishopric of Lausanne. A few months later however, Charles VIII was forced to
abandon Naples in all haste and he barely succeeded in forcing a blockade and
escaping to France. In fact, Pope Alexander VI had connected Milan, Venice, the
Germanic Empire and Ferdinand the Catholic to form a barrier against the
French. With the full knowledge of this Guards, that the Holy Father Pope Julius
II invited them into the Vatican City, and they arrived that fateful day January
22, 1506. Since then, the Pontifical Swiss Guard as we come to know now has
serve the various Popes across centuries.
The
Pontifical Swiss Guard: Is also referred to as
Papal Swiss Guard, or just Swiss Guard; Pontificia
Cohors Helvetica or Cohors Pedestris Helvetiorum a Sacra Custodia Pontificis in Latin; In Italian they are known as Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; while in German
it is Päpstliche Schweizergarde; and
Garde suisse pontificale in French.
They serve de facto military of
Vatican City. These men undergone military training in the Swiss army, and has their barracks
close to the papal apartment. The guards, who
are independent of the Swiss armed forces, are employed by the Holy Father –
the Pope, to whom they swear loyalty in a ceremony at Belvedere Court. As is
common with any elite military corps, competition is intense for inclusion in
the Swiss Guards. New recruits must be unmarried Roman Catholic males with Swiss
citizenship, between 19 and 30 years of age, and at least 5 feet 8 inches (1.74
metres) tall; they must have a professional diploma or high school degree and
must complete basic training with the Swiss military. (Historically, new
recruits also had to prove they were free of physical deformities, and
commanding officers were traditionally of noble lineage.) The guards normally
wear blue doublets and blue berets, but on ceremonial occasions they don the
colourful Renaissance-era uniforms for which they are famous. They are among
the oldest uniforms in continuous use. The tunics are striped in the colours of
the Medici
family: red, dark blue, and yellow. White
ruffs and high plumed helmets (with ostrich feathers coloured to reflect
different ranks) are also worn, as, on occasion, is armour. While in
traditional dress, the guards carry pikes and swords, but they are also trained
in the use of modern weaponry and counterterrorism techniques. The tailors of the
Swiss Guard work inside the Vatican barracks. There the uniform for each
guardsman is tailor-made individually. The total set of Renaissance style
clothing weighs 8 pounds (3.6 kg), and may be the heaviest and most complicated
uniform in use by any standing army today. A single uniform requires 154 pieces
and takes nearly 32 hours and 3 to fittings to
complete. (cf. "The Pontifical Swiss Guard – Uniforms". The Vatican.
Retrieved August 19, 2017.)
While both Michelangelo and a
painting of the Pontifical Swiss Guard bearing Pope Julius II on a litter (by
Raphael) are often cited as inspiration for the Pontifical Swiss Guard uniform,
the actual uniforms worn by those soldiers included a flaring skirt; a common
feature in male clothing during the Renaissance. A clear expression of the
modern Pontifical Swiss Guard uniform can be seen in a 1577 fresco by Jacopo
Coppi of the Empress Eudoxia conversing with Pope Sixtus III. It shows the
precursor of today's recognizable three-colored uniform with boot covers, white
gloves, a high or ruff collar, and either a black beret or a black Comb morion
(silver for high occasions). Sergeants wear a black top with crimson leggings,
while other officers wear an all-crimson uniform. The colours blue and yellow
were in use from the 16th century, said to be chosen to represent the Della
Rovere coat of arms of Julius II, with the colour red added to represent the
Medici coat of arms of Leo X. (cf. "The Swiss Guard - The Uniform of the
Swiss Guards". vatican.va. Retrieved August 19, 2017.)
At
the moment the Swiss Guards’ residential quarters is located at the eastern
edge of the city, north of St. Peter's Square and beside the Vatican
palace. Their chapel is that of Saints
Martino and Sebastiano, and the Campo Santo Teutonico, near St.
Peter's Basilica, is designated their cemetery.
Swiss mercenaries were long renowned as the best soldiers in the world. Further
reorganizations of this Guards were made in 1959 and 1976, and in 1979 their
number was fixed at 100 (a commandant, 3 other high officers, a chaplain, 23
lesser officers, 2 drummers, and 70 pikemen). In 1981 Swiss Guards helped protect John Paul II during an assassination
attempt in St. Peter's Square. In fact, the plainclothes guardsman who rushed
to the pope's aid became a hero and was named commandant of the Swiss Guards in
1998. Within hours of his promotion, however, he and his wife were shot and
killed by a disgruntled lower-ranking guard, who then committed suicide; these were
the first murders known to have taken place in Vatican City since the mid-19th
century. (cf. "Swiss
Guards." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate
Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014.)
Conclusion: Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss
Catholic who later became a Protestant reformer once said, "The Swiss see
the sad situation of the Church of God, Mother of Christianity, and realize how
grave and dangerous it is that any tyrant, avid for wealth, can assault with
impunity, the common Mother of Christianity." This observation summarizes
the pains and gory states the Holy Mother Church went through. And this formed
the foundation of their invitation to the Vatican City. With their service and commitment,
the Holy Father, Pope Julius II granted them the title “Defenders of the
Church’s freedom.” They hold their swearing-in ceremony May 6 each year to mark
the day in 1527 when 147 members of their corps gave their lives in a desperate
rear-guard action that allowed Pope Clement VII to reach the safety Castel
Sant’Angelo while the soldiers of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V sacked the
eternal city – Rome. The pontifical Swiss Guards being foot guards with a close
protection of the Holy Father as their primary role has a capacity of 100 men.
Ss. Ignatius of Antioch, Martin of Tours, Sebastian and Nicholas of Flue are
their patron saints. Acriter et Fidelter (Fiercely
and Faithfully) remains their motto. So far they have recorded a total of three
major war engagements: War of Urbino in 1517, Sack of Rome in 1527 and Battle
of Lepanto in 1571. The Pontifical Swiss Guard at present has Pope Francis I as
the Ceremonial Chief, Christopher Graf – the Commander and Philippe Morard as
the Vice Commander.
