Am grateful to the Pontifical Swiss Guard for the opportunity to visit their historic armoury at the Vatican. Here is the historic uniforms, body armour & helmets of the Swiss Guard over recent centuries as they have guarded the Popes against enemies, local and foreign.

The Pope has been guarded by the Swiss for over 500 years due to the Pope's position in an historically divided and wartorn Italy and, as well, because no Pope could ever be sure of the loyalty of the surrounding popylations. Hence the Swiss have always supplied the Papal guard.

The Pope's Swiss Guard is composed of Swiss volunteers who are Catholic and who have completed their compulsory military service. They are recruited after military service from pools of Swiss volunteers. Each Guard has individually fitted ceremonial armour hand-crafted in Austria

The armour and helmet of the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel of the Swiss Guard. They have embossed on them the individual coats of arms of the Swiss officer and of the Pope that he serves (ie Pope Francis)

In front is the parade body armour of the Major of the Swiss Guard (who, like all O-4s, is the real worker of the officer corps.) Behind is the Major's ceremonial uniform worn for the many official functions and receptions at which the Swiss Guard always accompany the Pope

The main ceremonial weapon of the Swiss Guard is the broad sword. However, as Swiss Guards, the Swiss are the heirs to the Landsknecht, who wielded these enormous two handed swords to great effect in Renaissance and early modern European warfare. They are still borne ceremonially

These maces and axes were used by the Swiss Guard in protecting the Pope in the 16th and 17th century. They are very heavy and very sharp, even now.

The various Officers' & Sergeants swords used over the centuries by the Swiss Guard to protect the Papacy. Many were used in the various wars embroiling Rome in the period from the Renaissance to the Italian unification wars in the 19th century. All made in Austria or Germany

The remains of the Papal standard from the wars of Italian unification and the battles against the various Garibaldi movements that assailed the Papal States.

German helmet & MP40 of a Wehrmacht deserter who fled to the Vatican in German-occupied Rome. He was given refuge & joined the large number of British escapees were also living in the Vatican. Story is they all played cards together in a Bishop's apartment & became good friends

The Swiss Guards' uniforms have gone through various iterations and phases, including a Prussian and British phase in helmets as here, before the more recent reversion to the Renaissance forms. If needs be, the axes and maces are on standby....

The more modern pistols and rifles in the armoury are not for imaging but here are historic muskets and rifles going back to the 18th century. The Swiss Guard has its own armourers and practices its marksmanship regularly at a local range, in preparation for any eventuality.

Finally, the armour of one Colonel of the Swiss Guard, who was a member of the Pfyffer von Altishofen family. This family has provided 11 Colonels of the Swiss Guard between 1652 and 1982. The Swiss Guards are often from Swiss families that have guarded the Papacy for centuries.