The Pontifical Swiss Guard is preparing an extraordinary year of celebrations to commemorate in 2027 the fifth centenary of the Sacco di Roma, the sack of Rome during which 147 guards died defending Pope Clement VII and another 42 managed to bring him to safety in Castel Sant’Angelo.
The program will take place between Switzerland and the Vatican and will have its central moment between May 5 and 7, coinciding with the anniversary of the events of May 6, 1527. There will be a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the public oath of the new guards, the unveiling of a plaque in memory of the fallen, and various commemorative events.
«The Sacco di Roma of 1527 is the most significant event in our history,» stated Colonel Christoph Graf, commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.
The motto chosen for the anniversary will be «Values that endure: fidelity, reliability, professionalism, and cohesion.» According to Graf, the commemoration aims to recall «the willingness to sacrifice and the fidelity» of those guards and to show that those same principles continue to define service to the Pontiff today.
147 guards died defending Clement VII
The episode to be commemorated occurred during one of the most violent events in 16th-century Rome.
On May 6, 1527, the imperial troops of Charles V entered Rome and began the sack of the city. The Swiss Guard, created barely two decades earlier, had to face the test that would become the most remembered episode in its history.
Of the 189 guards who defended the Pontiff, 147 died. Among them was the commander Kaspar Röist.
The 42 survivors protected Clement VII’s retreat from the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo, where the Pope was able to take refuge.
The sacrifice of those men continues to mark the Swiss Guard’s calendar five centuries later. Each year, new members of the corps take their oath on May 6 precisely in remembrance of the guards who fell during the sack.
In the oath, they promise to serve the Pope and his legitimate successors «faithfully, loyally, and honorably» and, if necessary, to sacrifice even their own lives in his defense, following the example of their predecessors in 1527.
The central celebrations will be in the Vatican
The commemorative year will begin on January 23, 2027, with a congress of historians in Brig, Switzerland.
The meeting will study the political, military, and religious circumstances surrounding the sack and its consequences. On the occasion of the anniversary, a historical volume will also be published that will address issues related to «memory, responsibility, and myth.»
Between April 16 and 19, the Guard will participate in the Sechseläuten, the traditional spring festival of Zurich.
The presence of the pontifical corps will serve especially to recall the connection of that city with Kaspar Röist, a native of Zurich and commander of the Guard during the 1527 attack, in which he lost his life.
The center of the commemorations will arrive between May 5 and 7 in Rome.
The announced program includes Vespers, the unveiling of a new plaque dedicated to the guards who died in the line of duty, a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, and the oath of the new members of the Guard in St. Peter’s Square.
Also planned is an artistic light projection by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter and other meetings with Church representatives, civil authorities, and current and former members of the corps.
A pilgrimage and a film about the Swiss Guard
The activities will continue after the May anniversary.
On September 4, a national pilgrimage of former members of the Swiss Guard will take place in Einsiedeln. Along with the religious celebrations, the world premiere of a film made for the fifth centenary and a new light art projection are planned.
The commemoration will also have a purpose linked to the present of the corps. The Guard aims to better explain its current mission, maintain its historical ties with Switzerland, and awaken among young Swiss Catholics an interest in joining the service of the Pope.
Currently, the Swiss Guard has a planned strength of 135 men and shares with the Vatican Gendarmerie the functions related to the security of the Pontiff. The guards guard the entrances to the Vatican, accompany the Pope during his travels, and also perform order and representation services.
To join, among other conditions, one must be male, Catholic, and a Swiss citizen, have completed basic training in the Swiss Army, and have an impeccable reputation.
Five centuries after the episode that nearly ended the young pontifical Guard, the anniversary will once again place at the center the event that ultimately defined its identity: the 189 men who remained with Clement VII when Rome fell into the hands of the imperial troops and, especially, the 147 who died fulfilling the mission of protecting the Pope.