Vatican Swiss Guard by shutterbugs
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
At the beginning of the 16th century the Vatican began to employ Swiss mercenaries, who had a reputation for faithful and disinterested service. During the Sack of Rome in 1527, when Charles V of Spain devastated the city with his army of "lanzichelecchi", it was only the quick reaction of the Swiss Guards which enabled Pope Clement VII to take refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo. 147 Swiss soldiers died in the fighting. The invaders occupied the Vatican buildings, causing untold damage: they used ancient manuscripts as bedding for their horses, lit fires on the marble floors and scratched graffiti on the frescoes.
The Cohors Helvetica currently numbers 107: the commander, five officers (including a chaplain) and 101 soldiers, all of Swiss birth. Until about 30 years ago, only citizens of the German-speaking cantons were eligible for admission to the company, but in recent years there has been a dearth of candidates and now French- and Italian-speaking nationals can also enrol. They must be Roman Catholics, unmarried, between 18 and 25 years of age, and they must also be good-looking. Officially they are supposed to be over 1.74 meters tall, but nowadays this regulation is not enforced too strictly. Their pay is not very high - the equivalent of just over 1,000 U.S. dollars per month, paid in Swiss francs - but they are given full board and lodging.
Every year on May 6, anniversary of the Sack of Rome, the Swiss Guards renew their vows of allegiance in the Courtyard of San Damaso inside the Vatican. In a colorful ceremony, new recruits kneel down, raise three fingers of their right hand to symbolize the Trinity and swear to serve the Pope "to the death".
Comments (22)
schonee
WOW great shot!!! Beautiful colors
flora-crassella
...tolle Aufnahme! Der Kontrast zwischen den sanften Farben der Mauern und der bunten Kleidung des Gardisten - sehr, sehr schön!!!
debz
Fantastic shot! Very clear image!
Doriutz
Beautisul shot and colors. Very clear :)
carlx
Excellent capture!!!
Fidelity2
Your image is very nice.
durleybeachbum
Fascinating info! And a super pic.
drag
Wonderful colors, lighting and depth.
Hedepo
An excellent capture, so diffferent from the regular pictures taken on more or less the same spot!! Excellent!! Henk
SapUS59
a superb capture, the colorful uniform add extra interest to this, excellent work !!
MrsRatbag
Wonderful POV in this capture - great work!
emmecielle
Wonderful shot! :)
KarmaSong
Superb photograph, amazing clarity and excellent pov. I read your narrative with much interest. Wonderful work!
danob
Superb and great write up
DaiKepler
Wonderful image and great information!
micturn
Nice, great clarity and POV
dbrv6
wonderful shot - color - crispness
mark.spooner
Good work.
skyla824
outstanding work.. color ,geometric lines, lighting. awesome
Garlor
good history and a good pic, I would consider a tighter crop, remove a bit of the door on the right and the top part of the first hanging light still showing the full length of the second light . This brings an even greater attention to the guard.
RobyHermida
Wonderful shot! :)
FriedaFelicia
Excellent in every way! Fine composition and very crisp and cleat shot! Great stuff.