The 100-strong Swiss Guard was founded in 1505 by Julius II as the pope's bodyguard. Today its members are also called on to oversee the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican state as well as stand guard on ceremonial occasions, decked out in their blue and gold Renaissance costumes and carrying fearsome-looking halberds.
There was a time when Swiss Guardmen were called on to give their lives in defence of the pope, most famously on May 6th, 1527, when 127 soldiers died protecting Clement VII during the sack of Rome by the forces of Emperor Charles V. Pope John Paul was due to preside at a Vatican ceremony today to commemorate that event, but it has been postponed. The suspected murderer and suicide victim, Cpl Tornay, was allegedly aggrieved that he had not been chosen to receive a special award at the ceremony.
The modern Swiss Guard now spends much time on sentry duty at the Vatican's main entrance gates, controlling the movement of pedestrians and cars in and out of the 108-acre city-state. Furthermore, a Swiss Guard unit travels with the Pope wherever he goes.
Pope Julius founded the Cohors Helvetica after an agreement reached with the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Lucerne. The modern Guard remains faithful to that tradition in that only Swiss Roman Catholics may join. Applicants must be aged under 30, at least 5 ft 9 in height and of good social and moral standing. They must normally sign up for a minimum two-year period.
In recent years, Italian media reports have suggested that the Swiss Guard has problems attracting new recruits. In an interview given hours before his death, Comdt Estermann admitted this, telling the I-Media agency: "We have had problems in the last few years. It is partly explained by the rather difficult economic situation in Switzerland but also by the fact that service to the church is less attractive to than it was some years ago."
Rank-and-file pay in the Swiss Guard is just under £500 a month, after tax. Legend has it that the guards' splendid gold and blue ceremonial costumes were designed by Michelangelo. Historians have argued, however, that the guards brought their distinctive costumes with them from Switzerland.