The Pope's personal Army

The Swiss Guard is the smallest Army in the world responsible for the security of the Pope. They serve as personal escorts and guards for the Vatican and the Papal Villa. Soldiers, hired by the Roman Catholic Church under the Pope's direction, to whom they are sworn in at a ceremony in the Belvedere Courtyard. As is usually the case with any elite military corps, the competition for inclusion in the Swiss Guard is very high.

Recruits must be unmarried Catholic men with Swiss citizenship, between the ages of 19 and 30, and at least 1.75 meters tall. They must have a professional diploma or higher education and have completed basic training in the Swiss Armed Forces. If you've watched a couple of movies about the Vatican, you probably know that these guards' uniform is not quite ordinary. It usually includes blue doublets and blue berets, but they don the colorful Renaissance uniforms they are famous for at ceremonies.