The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-07-30
SWISS GUARDS OF VATICAN.
Personal Attendants of The Pope for
More Than Four Hundred Years.

The Catholic Encyclopedia.
The special military guardians OF
the palace are the Swiss Guards The
commander has the rank of a colonel
of the regular troops and is address
ed by this title.
The corps has it's special chaplain
and chapel, SS. Martino Sebastiano,
built by Plus V in 1868. Every can
didate for the Guards must be a ma
tive Swiss. a Catholic, of legitimate
birth, unmarried, under 25 years of
age, at least feet s inches in height,
healthy and free from bodily disfgure-
ment. After Is years service each
member of the Guards is entitled to
pension for life, amounting to one
half Of his pay, and after 80 years
service to full pay.
The Guards are responsible for the
guarding of the sacred person of the
Pope and the protection Of the Apos-
tolic Palaces, all exits from the palaces
to the city and the entrance doors to
the Papal apartments being intrust-
ed to their charge. They have also to
take up their position in all pontifical
functions in the Papal chapels and
IN all other religious functions, both
within and without the Apostolic
Palaces at which the Pope assists.
The religious privileges of the
Guards are very extensive. In all
public professions the Swiss Guards
take their place Immediately be nind
the Noble Guard. AS guards they are
subject to the prefect of the Apostolic
Palaces and were not in earlier times,
like the regular troops, to the Minis
try of War. When the Pope occupies
the sedia gestatoria, he is surround
ed by six Of the Swiss Guards, who
carry the large swords known as
1double- e-handed." The commander
Of the Guards is an ex officio privy
chamberlain, and has the entry into
the Anticamera Segreta; the lieuten-
ant and the sub-lieuterant are ex
officio honorary chamberlains, and
have the entry only to the throne
room, which lies before the Anti
camera Segreta. The Swiss Guards
are fully armed and have to submit
to a strict course OF exercise and
gymnastics. Football is zealously
cultivated by them in the Cortile del
Belvedere, and their trumpet corps
Is splendidly organized. On solemn
occasions. such as special functions
in the German cemetery. near st.
Peters Campo SantO Tuetonico), :,
which is also the burial place for
the Guards, the trumpet corps ap-
pears in public.
Even in the fifteenth century the
Popes possessed bodyguard of the
Catholic Swiss. In 1905, at the in
stance OF the Swiss Cardinal Schin-
ner. a treaty was made by julius III
with the two cantOns of Zurich and
Lucerne, in accordance with which
these cantons had to supply constant
ly ESQ men as a bodyguard to
the Pope. Since this date there has
always been about the Pope a corps
of Swiss Guards.
AT present the Guards possess
strength of exactly 100 men (this has
been reduced to S0), including the
six officers. who suffice not only for
the complete discharge of the various
duties of the corps, but also for the
maintenance of a watch over the Pope
during the night. Their old pictur-
esque uniform Of black, red and yell
low. in sixteenth century style, is still
retained. A black hat with red strings
has recently replaced the very ugly
helmet. While exercising. on night
watch or in the barracks, the men
wear Il tecl-blue undress uniform
consisting of wider tunic, knee
breeches, dark blue stockings and
buckled shoes. On especially solemn
occasions both men and officers ap-
appear in military uniforms, with
weapons and helmets.
The barracks of the Guards lie at
the foot Of the palace Of SiXtus V. A
portion of the building was erected
in 1892, during the reign of Alcxan-
der VI. The cantccn of the Guards
furnishes thpm with thoir b,nrJ