Swiss Guard
E57882
The Swiss Guard is a small, elite corps of Swiss soldiers responsible for the personal security of the Pope and the protection of the Vatican.
Observed surface forms (4)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Pontifical Swiss Guard | 5 |
| Gardes suisses | 1 |
| Swiss Guards | 1 |
| Swiss Guards of the king | 1 |
Statements (59)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
bodyguard unit
ⓘ
ceremonial guard ⓘ military unit ⓘ |
| authorizedStrength | about 135 soldiers ⓘ |
| battleHonour | Sack of Rome (1527) ⓘ |
| casualtiesInEvent | Sack of Rome (1527): 147 of 189 guards killed ⓘ |
| ceremonialDuty |
guarding the Bronze Door of the Apostolic Palace
ⓘ
honour guard for visiting heads of state ⓘ participation in papal liturgies ⓘ |
| citizenshipRequirement | Swiss citizen ⓘ |
| commandLanguage | German ⓘ |
| component |
halberdiers
ⓘ
non-commissioned officers ⓘ officers ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Switzerland ⓘ |
| dateFounded | 1506-01-22 ⓘ |
| educationRequirement |
completed Swiss military training
ⓘ
completed basic schooling or apprenticeship ⓘ |
| employer |
Holy See
ⓘ
Pope ⓘ |
| foundedBy | Pope Julius II ⓘ |
| garrison | Vatican City ⓘ |
| genderRequirement | male ⓘ |
| hasCommanderTitle | Commander of the Swiss Guard ⓘ |
| hasDeputyCommanderTitle | Vice-Commander of the Swiss Guard ⓘ |
| hasMotto | Acriter et Fideliter ⓘ |
| hasPredecessor | Swiss mercenary tradition ⓘ |
| languageRequirement | knowledge of German ⓘ |
| locationOfOathCeremony |
Apostolic Palace
ⓘ
surface form:
San Damaso Courtyard, Vatican City
|
| maritalStatusRequirement | unmarried at time of entry (with later marriage allowed under conditions) ⓘ |
| maximumAgeRequirement | 30 years (approximate upper limit for recruitment) ⓘ |
| minimumAgeRequirement | 19 years ⓘ |
| minimumHeightRequirement | 174 cm ⓘ |
| modernUniformDesigner | Jules Repond ⓘ |
| modernUniformIntroduced | 1914 ⓘ |
| mottoLanguage | Latin ⓘ |
| mottoMeaning | Fiercely and Faithfully ⓘ |
| notableEvent | Sack of Rome (1527) ⓘ |
| oathCeremonyCommemoration | Sack of Rome (1527) ⓘ |
| oathCeremonyDate | 6 May (annual oath ceremony) ⓘ |
| peacetimeFunction |
access control to Vatican City
ⓘ
security at papal audiences ⓘ security during papal trips within Vatican territory ⓘ |
| primaryRole |
defense of the Vatican City State
ⓘ
protection of the Pope ⓘ security of the Apostolic Palace ⓘ |
| religionRequirement | Roman Catholic ⓘ |
| reportsTo |
Pope
ⓘ
Secretariat of State of the Holy See ⓘ |
| uniformAttributionTradition | designed by Michelangelo (traditional but historically doubtful) ⓘ |
| uniformColor |
blue
ⓘ
orange ⓘ red ⓘ yellow ⓘ |
| uniformHeadgear | morion helmet (ceremonial) ⓘ |
| uniformType | Renaissance-style ceremonial uniform ⓘ |
| weapon |
firearms (for security duties)
ⓘ
halberd (ceremonial) ⓘ sword (ceremonial) ⓘ |
Referenced by (10)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Swiss Guards of the king
this entity surface form:
Pontifical Swiss Guard
this entity surface form:
Pontifical Swiss Guard
this entity surface form:
Swiss Guards
this entity surface form:
Gardes suisses
this entity surface form:
Pontifical Swiss Guard
this entity surface form:
Pontifical Swiss Guard
this entity surface form:
Pontifical Swiss Guard