About Me
As people in Rome say of us, "While popes pass on, the Swiss Guard remains". This year (2006) we commemorate the 5th centenary of our service to the Holy See. 500 years of almost uninterrupted service to 42 successive pontiffs. My commitment is to faithfully, loyally and honourably serve the Supreme Pontiff and his legitimate successors, and also dedicate myself to them with all my strength, sacrificing if necessary also my life to defend them.
In 1505 Pope Julius II asked the Swiss Federal Tagsatzung to provide him with a constant corps of 200 Swiss mercenaries for his protection. At that time, Swiss mercenaries are renowned for their courage and their loyalty.
January 22nd, 1506, is the official date of birth of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, because on that day, a group of one hundred and fifty Swiss soldiers commanded by Captain Kasparvon Silenen, of Canton Uri, passed through the Porta del Popolo and entered for the first time the Vatican, where they were blessed by Pope Julius II, and thus started the long series of generous and strong young men who wanted to come to defend the Cathedral of Peter. Since then we have maintained a reputation for discipline and steadiness.
There is a date in the history of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican, that is closely linked with the history of the Church herself, because it was a day marked by the blood of 147 of her sons: May 6th, 1527, the Sack of Rome. Almost the entire guard was massacred by troops of the Holy Roman emperor Charles V on the steps of St Peter's Basilica. Of 189 guards on duty only 42 survived, but their bravery ensured that Clement VII escaped to safety, down the "passeto", a secret corridor which still links the Vatican to Castel Sant' Angelo.
The weapons we carry were first introduced by the early Swiss armies in the 14th Century. It is an axe, known as the halberd, mounted on a long shaft with a spike at the end. We have also, especially since 1981, had extended training in unarmed combat and with issue SIG P 75 pistols and Heckler & Koch submachine-guns. Naturally, we continue to receive instruction in using the sword and halberd.We are usually seen in our traditional yellow, blue and red uniforms - the colors of the Medici- set off nicely by the white of the collar and gloves. It is commonly thought that the uniform was designed by Michelangelo, but it would seem rather that he had nothing to do with it. Our every-day uniform is completely blue. When traveling with the pope, the uniforms and the halberd are left behind and we don civilian clothes as part of the Pope's security detail. The force is specifically limited to one hundred soldiers and currently consists of four officers, 23 NCOs, 70 halberdiers, two drummers, and a chaplain, all with an equivalent Italian army rank.
