Vatican exhibition traces 500 years of Swiss Guard history.
(March 09, 2006) : A remarkable exhibition titled "The Pontifical Swiss Guard, 500
years of history, art and life" will be opened on March 29th in the colonnade on the
left wing of St. Peter's Square, to mark the 500th anniversary celebrations
of the Swiss Guard. The exhibition will commemorate the five centuries of life of
the world's oldest active military force. It will present a series of documents and
objects from other museums and institutions reconstructing the history of the corps
founded by Pope Julius II. In 1505 Pope Julius II sent a Bull to the Swiss Confederation
entrusting Papal prelate Peter von Hertenstein to recruit 200 Swiss soldiers and lead
them to Rome to guard the person of the Pope and the pontifical palaces. The soldiers,
after crossing the Alps, reached Rome on January 22, 1506 and marched to St. Peter's
Square, where they were solemnly blessed by the Pope. The Bull itself forms part of
the exhibition, as do the flags that the Holy Father gave to Switzerland in gratitude
for the arrival of the soldiers. The centerpiece of the exhibit recalls the defense
of Pope Clement VII during the sack of Rome in 1527. The Swiss Guard took a defensive
stand that allowed the Pontiff to escape from the Vatican through the passetto, a
secret passage, that still links the apostolic palace to the Castel Sant' Angelo,
where he took refuge. 147 members of the Swiss Guard were killed and only 42 of them
survived that battle. The exhibition also includes a series of portraits, Swiss Guard’s
uniforms, arms and equipment. The Exhibition will be open from March 29 to July 30,
2006.