Hello Traveler,

I do not know if you have been to the Vatican lately or are heading there but chances are that you will be or have been accosted by numerous tour-guides trying to sell their knowledge and story telling ability for a few Euros.  This business model has been around for a some years and has allowed many a traveler to make a Euro or two by guiding tourists through the Vatican, which in itself may not that be all that bad but these guides who a week or two earlier may not have known the difference between a priest and nun, usually just regurgitate what they heard from another guide who has since burned out after a month and moved on to something else.  Of course, misinformation is not only on these tour-guides but due to the enormous amount of people they put through on their “free” tours their misinformation spreads faster than a giggle at a slumber party so in the spirit of keeping them and other tour-guides honest let’s either confirm or bust this myth.

Tour Myth:  Michelangelo Buonarotti, of Sistine Chapel, David and Moses fame who at one time was the main architect of St. Peter’s Basilica designed the Swiss Guards’ uniform.  Click through to find out the answer.

This is a tough tour myth to debunk because it is so believable.  It does seem plausible that the Pope would want his guards snazzily dressed in a manner suitable to be around the Vicar of Christ and that he would entrust the project to his favorite artist, Michelangelo.  I first heard this myth on my first visit to Rome in 1987 and my tour-guide did not hustle us into a free tour and he was the type of person to fact-check plus he had even studied Latin in Rome under the famed Reggie Foster.  Nevertheless, he told us the same story about the Swiss Guards starting at their being hired by Julius II in 1506, massacred in 1527, must be Swiss, Catholic and oh…their colorful uniforms were designed by Michelangelo, which was the one nugget that our whole tour group really latched onto.  Later at dinner I remember a conversation among some of the senior members of my group about how fantastic Michelangelo must have been to do all that he did AND he designed those colorful uniforms, “even if they do make those boys look like court jesters.”

My theory of this myth’s genesis: Branding, plain and simple.  Michelangelo is a big name and anything becomes more interesting and valuable if it is associated with him.  So, perhaps without tourists believing that he designed the uniforms the Swiss Guards would be thought of as dressed silly and out of date for no reason.

Commandant Jules Repond designed the modern Swiss Guard uniform

The real story: The modern Swiss Guard uniform was designed in 1914 by Commandant Jules Repond, who the Vatican’s website states was “exceptionally gifted with fine taste in colors and shapes.”  As any good designer,  Jules studied past fashions and was inspired by some of Rapheal’s frescoes.  Therefore, it seems that the “inspiration” for the uniform actually came from Michelangelo’s rival Raphael.  This is not to say that Raphael designed the uniforms either, which is commonly said about the blue uniform.  Furthermore, I have not been able to find any direct source that links Michelangelo with these uniforms.  And since Michelangelo’s life was pretty well documented and he kept extensive notes it is likely that some evidence would be easily found.  Even the Vatican’s official website states that, “it would seem rather that he [Michelangelo] had nothing to do with it [the uniforms].”  Therefore, I declare this myth busted and false.  Sorry Michelangelo but you will just have to hope that your David and Creation of Adam will keep you relevant.

Some facts about the Swiss Guard uniform:

• It is made up of around 154 pieces of fabric and take about 30 hours to assemble
• The uniform weighs 8 lbs ( 3.57 kilos)
• The official Swiss Guards’ tailor is named Ety Cicioni and when he was given the job in 1997 there was no pattern for the uniform so he and his wife had to reverse engineer the 154 pieces
• There are a number of uniforms but the colorful ones that get the most attention are the ceremonial uniforms which carry on the Medici colors.  Usually these guards can be seen –facing St. Peter’s Basilica– to the right guarding the entrance to some administrative offices and to the left (all the way to the Basilica near the post office) guarding an entrance to where the tour of the underground of St. Peter’s originates.  The other blue and more sober uniforms can usually be seen heading either to or from the Basilica in the direction of the Vatican Museums.
• The Guards do get to keep a uniform when they leave the service but are only allowed to wear them at official Swiss Guard reunions.  So no you will not catch them around Rome in their uniforms.

There we have it Michelangelo did not design the Swiss Guard uniform, but there is still a great story and tradition that goes along with it!

Happy Travels,

Chris

Bookmark: