Top photo caption: Pope Leo XIV attends the swearing-in ceremony of 27 new Swiss Guards in the Vatican’s San Damaso Courtyard Oct. 4, 2025. CNS photo/Vatican Media
By Vatican News, OSV News
Vatican News — The Pontifical Swiss Guard is preparing a commemorative year to mark the 500th anniversary of the Sack of Rome, in which 147 Swiss Guards lost their lives protecting the Pope.
On May 6, 1527, the guard fought bravely to defend St. Peter’s Basilica and Pope Clement VII, escorting him to safety in Castel Sant’Angelo, as the city of Rome was laid to waste.
Col. Christoph Graf, commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, describes the 1527 Sack of Rome as “one of the most defining events” in the history of the military force.
The Swiss Guard will be commemorating the 500th anniversary throughout 2027, beginning with a history conference in Brig, Switzerland, on Jan. 23. A publication will be released examining the political, military and religious circumstances surrounding the events of the period and their consequences.
The commemorative year aims not only to remember a defining history event, but to honor the values that have shaped the Swiss Guard for centuries. It also aims to deepen understanding of the Swiss Guard’s mission today, encourage young Swiss men to serve at the Vatican, and highlight Switzerland’s enduring connection to the institution and its rich tradition.
In April, the Pontifical Swiss Guard will participate in the Sechseläuten, Zurich’s Spring Festival, at the invitation of the Central Committee of Zurich’s guilds, who recognize that the guard commander who was killed during the Sack of Rome, Kaspar Röist, was from Zurich.
The culmination will be the commemorations held at the Vatican May 5-7. The program will include vespers and the unveiling of a new commemorative plaque honoring the fallen guards; Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica; the swearing-in of the new guards in St. Peter’s Square; a light-art projection by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter; and more events involving representatives of the Church, political life, civil society and the wider Swiss Guard family.
In September, former guard members will join in a national pilgrimage to Einsiedeln, Switzerland.
“The commemorative year recalls the willingness to sacrifice and marks the loyalty of our predecessors,” Graf said. “At the same time, we want to show that the values of that time are still present today and shape the mission of our guardsmen in the service to the Pope.”
A version of this story was originally published by Vatican News and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
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