Papal Swiss Guard
|
Papal Swiss Guard |
|
|---|---|
 Flag of the Pontifical Swiss Guard under Pope Francis and Colonel Christoph Graf |
|
| Lineup | January 22, 1506 |
| Country |
 Vatican city
|
| Branch of service | military-led corps |
| structure | three squadrons |
| Strength | 135 |
| Quarters | Vatican City, St. Anna entrance |
| Origin of the soldiers |
 Switzerland
|
| Patron saint |
Niklaus von Flüe Martin von Tours St. Sebastian |
| motto | Acriter et Fideliter Brave and Faithful |
| Colours | Yellow, red and blue |
| Anniversaries | May 6th |
| Butcher | Sacco di Roma |
| guide | |
| commander | Colonel Christoph Graf |
| Vice Commander | Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Morard |
| Chaplain | Thomas Widmer |
The Pontifical Swiss Guard ( Italian Guardia Svizzera Pontificia (GSP) , Latin Pontificia Cohors Helvetica , also Cohors Pedestris Helvetiorum a Sacra Custodia Pontificis ) is a military corps in arms. She secures the Apostolic Palace , the entrances to the Vatican City as well as the entrances to the Pope's summer residence in the town of Castel Gandolfo , performs order and honorary services and is responsible for the personal security of the Holy Father. The official languages ( command languages ) are German, French and Italian. The corps was founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II and is thus the oldest still existing military corps in the world.
story
In 1505, Pope Julius II applied to the Diet , the assembly of delegates from the Swiss Confederation , for a contingent of Swiss travelers to protect the Vatican. The Swiss cleric Buonaser Peter von Hertenstein acted as mediator and Jakob and Ulrich Fugger from Augsburg paid the first 150 guardsmen.
The founding day of the First Guard is January 22nd, 1506, when those Reisläufer arrived in Rome under the leadership of their captain Kaspar von Silenen and Peter von Hertenstein. Her job was to serve the Pope as body and palace guard .
During the sack of Rome ( Sacco di Roma ) on May 6, 1527, 147 of 189 men died; also the commander Kaspar Röist came during the retreat of Pope Clement VII. in the Castel Sant'Angelo killed. The 6th of May is therefore the Swiss Guard's day of remembrance , on which the new guardsmen are sworn in every year .
One month after the Sacco di Roma , the Pope surrendered and the guard was replaced by 200 German Protestant mercenaries Custodia Peditum Germanorum . 12 Swiss people joined this new guard.
Under Pope Paul III. the second Swiss Guard was reorganized in 1548 under Jost von Meggen and in 1552 reached a strength of 200 men.
As a result of the French Revolution , the Vatican was occupied by French troops on February 16, 1798. Pope Pius VI had to leave Rome and the second guard was disbanded.
In 1800, Karl Leodegar Pfyffer von Altishofen set up the third Swiss Guard under Pius VII .
In the Lateran Treaty of February 11, 1929 with the Kingdom of Italy , the Holy See received the right of self-government as a state of the Vatican City . Since Swiss military service abroad has been banned since 1848, the Swiss Federal Council confirmed the Parliament's position on February 15, 1929: “The papal guard cannot be regarded as a foreign, armed unit in accordance with Article 94 of military criminal law; since this troop is a simple security guard, anyone can, as before, enter their service without obtaining the consent of the entire Federal Council. "
When it was founded, Schweizer or Schweitzer was a general term for a mercenary. The King of France maintained the unity of the Cent-suisses and under Maria Theresia a contingent of up to 450 Swiss Guards served in the Hofburg in Vienna from 1748 to 1767 , as the Schweizerhof and the Swiss Gate are a reminder.
Since 1970, when Pope Paul VI. When the Nobel Guard and Palating Guard dissolved and the Vatican Gendarmerie assigned classic police duties, the Swiss Guard is the last of the four papal guards and the only military formation of the Holy See, but not an army.
In April 2018, Pope Francis increased the nominal strength of the Swiss Guard from 110 to 135 men. In December 2018, 14 men were promoted to NCOs. The number of guardsmen who are supposed to accompany the Pope on his travels was increased to 40 men including 6 officers. At the time of this decision, the Swiss Guard had 113 members.
Swiss Guard today
Regulations
The organization and tasks of the Swiss Guard are determined by a set of rules issued by the Papal State Secretariat on behalf of the Pope. The current personnel, disciplinary and administrative regulations of the Pontifical Swiss Guard were issued on January 22nd, 2006 - on the 500th anniversary of the Guard's founding. It replaces the 1976 regulations.
tasks
The guards, often wrongly described as the "smallest army in the world", are responsible for the security of the Holy Father. It operates personal protection , object protection, security service and security service , also it makes honor services at hearings , visits , fairs and sentinels . According to the Regulations (Article 1), the main task of the Guard is to "constantly watch over the safety of the Holy Father and his residence". Further obligations based on this provision are:
- to accompany the Holy Father on his travels
- to guard the entrances to Vatican City
- to protect the college of cardinals during the sedis vacancy and
- to perform other security and honorary services as listed in the regulations
Guardsmen in the Vatican have been able to acquire a federally recognized diploma as an FSB specialist in security and guarding since 2001 , for which they spend around three years' service.
Duration
Since a reorganization in 2018, the Swiss Guard has had 135 men, who are made up as follows:
Officers
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NCOs
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Halberdiers
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The Pontifical Swiss Guard has the status of a regiment , although it only has the strength of a company . The guardsmen are divided into three squadrons , each with three groups , whereby in the first squadron mostly German-speaking, in the second squadron mostly French and Italian-speaking and in the third squadron the members of the Guard are divided.
Guardsmen
The recruits of the Swiss Guard have to meet a number of admission requirements: They must be Catholic male Swiss, between 19 and 30 years old, at least 1.74 m tall and athletic. In addition, they must be of impeccable repute, have completed secondary school or an apprenticeship as well as the Swiss Army recruiting school. As halberdiers and vice corporals, they are not allowed to be married ; if they marry they are offered an apartment, but the number is limited. After serving for at least 26 months, they can retire from service without losing their Vatican citizenship . Since 1825, the Swiss canton of Valais has provided the most guardsmen with 693; 80 guardsmen came from the Upper Valais town of Naters alone.
uniform
A basic distinction is made between the colorful gala uniform ( in the Renaissance style) and the simple, gray-blue little uniform (piccola tenuta) .
Gala uniforms
- for the officers made of red velvet with light green silk puffs
- for the field woman and the sergeants: black doublet, red puffed sleeves with black stripes, red trousers with wine-red stripes
- for the other guardsmen (including music banda ): doublet in the colors yellow, red and blue (colors of the arms of the Medici family ) with red puffed sleeves with blue and yellow stripes, red puff pants with blue and yellow stripes. The lower non-commissioned officers (vice corporal, corporal) can be recognized by two red strips of fabric below the knees of the puff pants.
- for the tambours (only on the occasion of the swearing-in): Uniform in the colors blue, black and yellow (colors of the coat of arms of the Pfyffer von Altishofen family ).
For the mezza-gala , all ranks wear white gloves, as well as a night-blue beret , with angles of rank sewn on the left side of the head, with an upturned point (vice-corporal: a wide cloth corner in blue; corporal: also, in orange; sergeant: narrow metal braid angle in old gold; Feldweibel: two braids on top of each other). On Sundays, a blackened metal helmet ( morion ) with a colored helmet ornament is worn instead of a beret : the guard commander and field woman wear the helmet with a white ostrich feather, officers have a purple plume, all others (including musicians) red, drummers and whistlers meanwhile black-yellow. At the beginning of 2018 it was announced that the metal Morions will be replaced by those made of scratch-resistant plastic, which are manufactured using 3D printing . The first of these helmets were delivered on January 22, 2019.
On the occasion of high (church) holidays, such as Easter or the swearing-in on May 6th, the gran-gala is put on, with a bare helmet, breastplate ( armor ) and bracers (matted for officers and also covering the forearms). The designs for the field woman and, even more, for the officers are richly decorated.
Contrary to popular belief, the uniform was not designed by Michelangelo . Rather, it is correct that the current uniform was developed in 1914 by the then commandant Jules Repond from the uniform used up until then, based on the style of uniforms of the 16th century.
Exerzieruniform (Tenue blue)
The Exerzieruniform consists in different versions for officers and other degrees. It is worn during exercises, night duty and at the Vatican side entrance Sant'Anna , except on Easter Sunday and December 25th. The headgear is the night blue beret with the degree badge.
The drill uniform of the lower ranks consists of a pocketless doublet with a white turn-down collar and fluffy upper sleeves, plus a narrow brown belt with a pin buckle, blue knee socks and black lace-up shoes that reach over the ankles. The cut for officers is far more modern: jacket with two chest and side pockets with attached flaps, blue turn-down collar with large red collar tabs, central gold cord and a gold button at the shoulder seam level (similar to the collar tabs of British generals). Shoulder boards with stars of rank edged with red piping. Wide brown belt with a pin buckle. Straight-cut pants that can be tucked into knee-high black riding boots .
Commander Jules Repond also introduced a dark cloak based on the old model so that the guardsmen would be warm and protected at night and in bad weather. The cape is the midnight blue color of the beret and has three blue tassels on each side.
There are also guardsmen with special training or special assignments, as well as all of the higher cadres who do their service in civilian clothes.
Rank badge
| Rank | NATO rank code |
shoulder flap |
beret |
Morion (helmet) |
rod weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Colonel
White feather |
OF-5 |  |
 |
 |
No |
|
Lieutenant colonel
claret feather |
OF-4 |  |
 |
 |
|
|
major
claret feather |
OF-3 |  |
 |
|
|
|
Captain
claret feather |
OF-2 |  |
 |
|
|
| Chevron | |||||
|
Feldweibel
White feather |
OR-7 |  |
 |
|
No |
|
Constable
red feather |
OR-5 |  |
 |
 |
|
|
corporal
red feather |
OR-4 |  |
 |
|
 |
| Vice-Corporal
red feather |
OR-3 |  |
 |
|
 |
| halberdier
red feather |
OR-1 |  |
without | |
 |
| Reel
piper yellow-black F. |
 |
No | |||
Armament
The sword is part of the traditional armament for all ranks : in a simple version, with a plain, S-shaped curved crossguard for ranks up to and including field women or with elaborate basket vessels, in the style of early Baroque rapiers , for the officers. The simple ranks are led by the halberd, vice-corporals and corporals, the partisans with red tassels (with the vice-corporal with a wide central blade and straight side blades, with the corporal with a narrow central blade and crescent-shaped curved side blades). The ranks from sergeant upwards do not carry polearms, but on certain occasions they have a black command staff with an ivory-colored knob and tip. The troop flag carried by the Feldweibel (alternatively: Wachtmeister) always escort two (vice) corporals armed with flambees .
In addition, the Swiss Guard also has modern equipment at their disposal to perform guard duties in the Vatican. Among others, the Glock 19 and the Glock 26 as a successor of the old gun 75 , the assault rifle 90 of the Swiss manufacturer SIG and the H & K -Maschinenpistolen MP5 . In addition, the pepper spray (RSG2000) or the Taser (TaserX2) can be used if necessary .
Since the Papacy Act in 1981, personal protection for the Pope has been considerably tightened. More details on the current weapon inventory will not be disclosed.
Historically, the Swiss Guard used some special types of ammunition , such as the 12.7 mm Remington Papal . The following cartridge names with particular reference to the Swiss Guard became known:
- 12.6 × 45 R Papal Remington
- .50-70 Papal Remington
- 12.7 mm Remington Papal
- 12.7 mm Remington Pontificio
- 12.7 × 45 R Papal Remington
- 12.7 × 45 R Remington Pontificio
- 12.8 mm pontifico
- 12.8 × 45 R Papal Remington
- 12.8 × 45 R Papal Remington Vatican Guards
- 12.8 × 45 R Vatican
- 12.8 × 45 Remington Vatican
Armeria
The Armeria is the equipment point of the Swiss Guard. It is located in the Swiss Guard quarter next to the court of honor. The armeria houses the equipment of the Swiss Guard such as halberds and uniforms for daily use as well as armor for the swearing-in.
In addition to the weapons, uniforms, armor and helmets that are still in use today, the Armeria also houses a Swiss Guard weapons collection. Most of the weapons are no longer in use. It also contains donations from other honor guards. The flaming swords carried by the flag escort during the swearing-in ceremony are in the weapons collection.
pay
In addition to free board and lodging, Swiss guards receive a tax-free pay of 15,600 euros per year; Overtime is paid separately (as of 2014).
Guard flag
The regulations (Article 3) describe the guard flag as follows: “The flag of the Swiss Guard is divided into four fields by a white cross, the first of which shows the coat of arms of the incumbent Pope and the fourth that of Pope Julius II, the founder pope, both on a red background; the second and third fields show the colors of the corps, namely blue, red and yellow. At the intersection of the arms of the cross is the commandant's coat of arms. "
Patron saint and church
The regulations (Article 2) name Saints Martin of Tours (November 11th), Sebastian (January 20th) and Niklaus von Flüe (September 25th) as the patron saint of the Swiss Guard . The Church of the Guard, Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri , is dedicated to Martin and Sebastian, as Niklaus von Flüe was canonized only in 1947.
In Campo Santo Teutonico , the German-speaking exclave in the Vatican, the so-called Swiss Chapel is located in the church of S. Maria della Pieta in the left aisle. It originally served as a place of worship for the Pontifical Swiss Guard and as the burial place of the captains and their families, of which numerous grave slabs in the ground bear witness.
Swearing in
The swearing-in of the new recruits takes place annually on May 6th (the anniversary of the sacking of Rome ) in the Damasushof ( Italian : Cortile di San Damaso ); on May 6, 2006, the 500th anniversary of the Swiss Guard, for the first time on St. Peter's Square, watched by many spectators all over the world. The chaplain of the guard reads the following oath to the recruits to be sworn in in up to four languages (oath formula according to the new regulations of January 22, 2006):
“I swear to serve the ruling Pope [name of the Pope] and his rightful successors faithfully, honestly, and honorably , and to work for them with all my might, ready, if it should be required, to give myself my life for them. I make the same commitment to the College of Cardinals during the vacancy of the Apostolic See . I also promise the commanding officer and my other superiors respect, loyalty and obedience. I swear to observe everything that the honor of my class demands of me. "
“Giuro di servire fedelmente, lealmente e onorevolmente il Sommo Pontefice […] ei suoi legittimi successori, come pure di dedicarmi a loro con tutte le forze, sacrificando, ove occorra, anche la vita per la loro difesa. Assumo del pari questi impegni riguardo al Sacro Collegio dei Cardinali per la durata della Sede vacante. Prometto inoltre al Capitano Comandante e agli altri miei Superiori rispetto, fedeltà e ubbidienza. Lo giuro. Che Iddio ei nostri Santi Patroni mi assistano. "
“Je jure de servir avec fidélité, loyauté et honneur le Souverain Pontife […] et ses légitimes successeurs, ainsi que de me consacrer à eux de toutes mes forces, offrant, si cela est nécessaire, ma vie pour leur défense. J'assume également ces engagements à l'égard du Sacré Collège des cardinaux pendant la vacance du Siège apostolique. Je promets en outre au commandant et aux autres supérieurs respect, fidélité et obéissance. Je jure d'observer tout ce que l'honneur exige de mon état. »
After that, the recruits go individually to the flag of the Guard, prior to, with the left hand, the horizontally held flagpole of the Guard flag and swear, raising his right hand in which three fingers are spread (which, among other Trinity and Rütlischwur symbolizes), according to each in their own language ( German , French , Italian , Romansh ):
"I, [rank and name of the guardsman] , swear to conscientiously and faithfully keep everything that has just been read to me, so help me God and his saints."
“Io, […] , giuro di osservare fedelmente, lealmente e onorevolmente tutto ciò che in this momento mi è stato letto. Che Dio ei suoi santi patroni mi assistano. "
«Moi, […] , je jure d'observer loyalement et de bonne foi tout ce qui vient de m'être lu. Aussi vrai que Dieu et nos Saints Patrons m'assistent. »
museum
In 2006, for the 500th anniversary, a museum about the Swiss Guard was set up in the no longer needed fortress of Naters in the canton of Valais .
Assassinations on the commanders
On April 8, 1959, an attack on the then commandant Robert Nünlist was carried out by a guardsman (other sources speak of a guardsman who had previously been dismissed by the commandant). Nünlist was seriously injured by two shots; however, returned to his service on June 9, 1959.
On May 4, 1998, Colonel Alois Estermann , the commander of the Swiss Guard, and his wife Gladys Meza Romero were murdered in the commandant's apartment in the Vatican. The perpetrator is said to have been the Swiss Guard (vice corporal) Cédric Tornay , who then committed suicide.
See also: Alois Estermann's murder
List of commanders
See: List of Commanders
Literature and television documentaries
- Gaston Castella: Such is the loyalty of this people. The Swiss in the service of the Vatican. Fraumünster, Zurich 1942.
- Remo Ankli: The Swiss Guard in the years before the Sacco di Roma (1518–1527). An analysis of the letters from Guard Captain Kaspar Röist to the council in Zurich. In: Swiss journal for religious and cultural history . 99, 2005, pp. 251-266.
- Ulrich Nersinger: Soldiers of the Pope. A little history of the papal guards. Nobel Guard, Swiss Guard, Palating Guard and Gendarmerie. 2nd, extended edition, Canisius, Ruppichteroth 1999, ISBN 3-934692-01-X .
- The Papal Swiss Guard. Contemporary engravings and watercolors from the 16th to the 20th century from the private collection of Captain Roman Fringeli. Regensburg 2006.
- Paul M. War, Reto Stampfli: The Swiss Guard in Rome. Original edition 1960. New edition 2006. Orell Füssli Verlag.
- Robert Walpen: The Papal Swiss Guard . Acriter et Fideliter - brave and loyal. Schöningh, Paderborn 2005, ISBN 3-506-72961-6 .
- Ulrich Nersinger, Gero P. Weishaupt: Pontificia Cohors Helvetica (1506-2005). History of the Swiss Guard. Latin. nova & vetera, 2005.
- Vincenz Oertle: From “Remington” to Assault Rifle 90. The firearms of the Pontifical Swiss Guard . History and inventory. Thesis, Zurich, 2001.
- Antonio Serrano: The Swiss Guard of the Popes. 3. Edition. Bayerland, 2005.
- Robert Durrer : The Swiss Guard in Rome and The Swiss in Papal Service. 1st chapter. Räber & Cie., Lucerne 1927.
- Glauco Benigni: The Pope's Guardian Angels. St. Benno-Verlag, Leipzig 2005.
- Walter Schaufelberger: Meeting with the Pontifical Swiss Guard. 2nd Edition. Tipografia Vatikana, 2000.
- Felice Zenoni: The Pope's soldiers - 500 years of the Swiss Guard. 85 min. Documentation (DVD). Mesch & Ugge Filmproduktion, ISBN 3-8312-9410-0 .
- Centro d'informazione e reclutamento Ingeborg and Toni Wyss-Hurni: Guardia Svizzera Pontificia. 35 min. Documentation (DVD).
- Michael Haubel: The Papal Swiss Guard . In: Austrian military magazine. 3/2007, pp. 311-316.
- Urban Fink, Hervé de Weck , Christian Schweizer (eds.): Shepherd's staff and halberd. The Pontifical Swiss Guard in Rome 1506–2006 (= Edition NZN at TVZ ). Edited on behalf of the Swiss Association for Military History and Science, the Organizing Committee “500 Years of the Swiss Guard” and the Federal Military Library. Theological Publishing House, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-290-20033-7 .
See also
Web links
- Swiss Guard website (in German)
- Swiss Guard (Holy See)
- Former Swiss Guards
- Guard museum in Naters, Switzerland
- Roland Beck-von Büren : Papal Swiss Guard. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Swiss troops in the Vatican service
Individual evidence
- ↑ 1929 Lateran Treaties. In: Website of the Pontifical Swiss Guard
- ↑ Meyers Enzyklopädisches Lexikon, 1977 Vol. 21, p. 434
- ^ Vatican: Swiss Guard is reorganizing. Vatican News of December 4, 2018, accessed December 10, 2018
- ↑ Expert for security and guarding with federal Certificate (FSB). In: Website of the Association of Swiss Security Service Companies VSSU (requirements for a federal certificate)
- ↑ "Vatican: Swiss Guard is repositioning itself" , Vatican News , December 4, 2018
- ↑ About us: Management cadre on schweizergarde.ch accessed on October 1, 2019
- ↑ Photo series: New helmets for the Swiss Guard from the 3-D printer. In: www.nzz.ch. June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018 .
- ↑ The Pope relies on plastic. In: swissinfo.ch. January 19, 2019, accessed January 20, 2019 .
- ^ Allison Barrie: Stripes and Solids: Protecting the Pope. In: Fox News . April 17, 2008
- ↑ Swiss Guard cartridge. ( Memento from July 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: Website of the Cartridge Collectors Association e. V., accessed February 26, 2009
- ↑ The Church and Ammunition. 12.7 mm Remington Papal (Pontifical, Pope). In: Website of the cartridge collectors association e. V., accessed on January 10, 2014
- ↑ Sinonimi di di calibri munizioni. In: Enciclopedia delle armi (historical cartridges of the Swiss Guard, Italian), accessed on February 26, 2009
- ↑ 12.7 mm Remington Pontifical. (French), accessed on February 26, 2009
- ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sacking-of-rome-pope-removes-head-of-vaticans-swiss-guards-for-being-too-strict-9904201.html
- ^ "Twelve of the new guardsmen swore the traditional oath on the guard flag in German, five in Italian, four in French and two in Romansh. They joined the Swiss Guard between June 2018 and January 2019." https://www.vaticannews.va/de/vatikan/news/2019-05/schweizergarde-vereidigung-23-gardisten-eid-ableger-gardekaplan.html
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