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 Pontifical Swiss Guards, 450th Anniversary Scott 203-208 (1956) 
 Europa 1997, Tales and Legends Pontifical Swiss Guards, Scott 1038-1039 
 Pontifical Swiss Guards, 500th Anniversary Scott 1315-1316 (2005) Today is the anniversary for welcoming the first group of the Swiss Guards into Vatican City on the 22nd of January, 1506 by Pope Julius II. The group consisted of 150 guards. Ever since, the Swiss Guards have served as the Vatican military force known as the Pontifical Swiss Guard, whose duty is to protect the Pope and its area of operation is in the Vatican. Why ‘Swiss’ Guards? Ever since the 15th century, Swiss Guards are known to be the bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts. They were highly involved in many military campaigns. It became a tradition to recruit Swiss mercenaries as special military units. The Swiss soldiers were famous for their military professionalism. The Swiss mercenaries were said to have assisted Pope Julius II. During their long history of existence, the Guards were part of several important situations when the safety of the Pope was endangered. A modern event that shows the courage and extraordinary loyalty of this military organization took place during the Second World War when the leader of the Nazi forces, Adolf Hitler, marched to Rome. On that occasion, this small force took a defensive position in order to defend the Vatican. However, Hitler gave up the occupation of the city. Another very significant situation in which members of this formation showed extraordinary courage was in 1981, when a group attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II. A brave man who saved the life of Pope was promoted to the commandant of the guards, but after only a few hours, he was killed by another guard who later committed suicide. The Pontifical Swiss Guard is one of the oldest, most famous, and certainly the smallest military formations in the world. This group has varied in numbers over the years from 100 to150 men (currently 135) who have served the Pope for over 5 centuries. They must meet certain criteria in order to become members of this elite group. The basic criteria is that they must be citizens of Switzerland. This is part of a tradition that is strictly respected in the Vatican. A man must be between 19 and 30 years of age, whose height is at least 5ft 8in. He must not be married. He must have a high school degree or a professional diploma. Another requirement for candidates is that they have to undergo basic training with the Swiss military, but are not members of the Swiss Army. They are completely separate from the Swiss forces and serve the Roman Catholic Church. All candidates must take an oath at a solemn ceremony held at the Belvedere Court. The Pontifical Swiss Guard must serve a minimum of 26 months. Salary is approximately $1,825 US per month with periodic increases. The Guards work 6 days straight with 3 days off, although always available for duty. In addition, they receive 30 days paid leave per year, free housing, and free schools for their children at the Swiss school in Rome. The Swiss guards are able to marry only after serving the Pope for a minimum 5 years, be committed to another 3 years, and must be a minimum 25 years old. The uniforms worn by the Swiss Guards were designed centuries ago. The colors on the striped tunic are yellow, red and dark blue. In addition to these uniforms, part of their equipment is a high plumed helmet as well as a white ruff. As far as armament is concerned, the guards can often be seen with traditional weapons such as pikes and swords, but all members are trained to use modern weapons as needed. REFERENCES: |
