22. Interna:!' Plan Page 439 The Papal State was in turmoil since the urprising of 1848, the Kingdom of Italy had been proclaimed on 18 March 1861, and the Italian unification movement under Garibaldi, backed by the Italian army, was gaining power and territor)' each day. The Pope s flags were disappearing, while Italian flags were closing in at Rome. The U.S. Nav)^ flag book of 1870 shows the Italian and Papal flags side by side on the same plate 0 l. Only French troops prevented the Papal State s N collapse. The French- Prussian war then led to a withdrawal of French troops from the Pontifical State 1T.U.I.\N M.V.\ OK WAR I AP.U MANDFWAR and after Napoleon s defeat at Sedan Italian troops occupied Rome on 20 September 1870. This was the end of temporal rule of the Pope, who from then on HITAUAX AHMIU.M, lived isolated in his Vatican area. P.\PAL MEUrH.KVT Leo XIII (1878-1903) After Pius IX had died on 7 Februar}" 1878, Pope Leo XIll was elected on 20 Februar\? of the same year. A new flag with nine stripes was made with the new Pope s coat-of-arms placed upon the three central stripes. This flag had white stripes instead of blue ones. The old flag was verjr used by the time and the blue Flags of the pope's Swiss Guard since 1798 Emil Dreyer. Cl i
un 22 intrrnation?! Cnnn 'c^s n''/. colour had faded so much, that it looked white. So the flag was made erroneously with white, red and yellow stripes. The flag preserved in the Swiss Guard quarters does not show any commander s emblem, nor is the Pope s emblem placed in a way to leave enough space for a commander s coat-of-arms, if we assume that iwartin *fcf (fouttm fpese were not ver\' tinv. Sonnenberg quitted his duty on 20 September 1878 and Count Louis-Martin de Courten, from the Valais, was appointed his successor the same day. 20 years later the error of the white stripe had been noticed and de Courten asked the Pope to have a new flag made, which could restore the y traditional blue colour.»c Pope Leo Xlll answered through a letter of Cardinal Rampolla dated 8 December 1898, that the colours white, red and yellow showed a good harmony of the colours of the Swiss and the Pontifical flags, and hence did not want to return to the traditional colours l^^l. De Courten resigned on L'June 1901, and the command was handed over the same day to Leopold Meyer von Schauensee, who had entered service with the guard as a youth, when his father, Franz Xaver, had been commander. EiP!i Drftyor (2 Fiags of '.he pope s Swiss Guard t ijr
* I (. F ^ ^ Page 441 Pius X (1903-1914) Leo XIII died on 20 July 1903 and on 4 August Pope Pius X was elected. A new guard flag was made on this occasion, with nine stripes of blue, red and yellow, with the new Pope s arms and with the coat-of-arms of captain Leopold Meyer von Schauensee. The flag is preserved in the Swiss Guard chancellor)" office in Vatican City. Meyer von Schauensee died on 15 October 1910 The command ^apptnsifiligtat Dfstnptelliusfr was assigned to Jules Repond, a law)"er and colonel from Fribourg, on 24 November. Three weeks later he arrived in Rome. It seems that the guard flag underwent no change of commander s arms until 1913. In September of that year, the guard flag was only 10 years old - colonel Repond entrusted Dr. Robert Durrer, who was the state archivist in Stans, with designing a completely new guard flag. Durrer s original proposal, which was painted in real size on a cardboard by Xaver Stockli, and which is still kept in the Guard archives in Rome, was approved by the Pope on L' November 1913. Flags of Ihe pope s Swiss Gudi'fl since 1798 Emil Dreyer. CH
Page 442 22. international Congress of' /exillology FiagBer!in2007 The square flag measures 2,25m and features as the main emblem the old Swiss cross, white on a red background. The first red quarter has the current Pope s arms (Pius X), while the fourth red quarter has the arms of Pope Julius 11 (1503-1513), founder of the guard, and who was a della Kovere, hence the canting arms with the oak tree. Pope Julius 11 had his coat-of-arms stitched on the richly embroidered corner of the banner he gave to the canton of Zurich in 1512, when as a reward for the help of the Confederates he had precious state banners distributed to them I33. Quarters 3 and 4 are a reverence to the old guard flag and show varying stripes in the well-known Medici colours. The commander s coat-of-arms are set in the center of the cross on a purple red background within a green laurel wreath, which reaches a bit into the quarters. The flag was made by the sisters of the Maria Rickenbach monaster}' in Schw)'z by sewing the different pieces of the socalled Julius damask, which has a p'pical pomegranate pattern, together This technique allows for the easy Emii Dreyer. CM Flags of the pope's Swiss Guard since 1798
Page 443 exchange of coats-of-arms when these ate needed. The Pope blessed the colour on 5 May 1914 and the following day 41 recruits swore their oath on the flag l^^l. The flag was published in 1914 as a black and white photograph in the Swiss heraldic review Benedict XV (1914-1922) Shortly after the outbreak of World War I Pope Pius X died on 20 August 1914 and on 3 September Giacomo della Chiesa was elected Pope Benedict XV. The dead Pope s arms were removed from the first quarter of the flag and the canting arms of the new Pope were inserted. Colonel Repond resigned from duty on T'July 1921 and immediately Alois Hirschbiihl, his deputy, became the new commander. The flag was changed accordingly, Repond s arms being replaced by those of Hirschbiihl. Pius XI (1922-1939) Upon the death of Pope Benedict XV on 22 Januatyr 1921, the conclave elected cardinal Achille Ratti on 6 Februaty' 1922 as Pope Pius XL Again, the guard flag was modified by taking out the arms of Benedict XV and sewing on the new Pope s arms. At the end of 1932 a new flag was made by the sisters of the Franciscan Mission in Rome. This new flag was identical with the preceding one and was Flags of the pope s Swiss Guard since 1798 Emil Dreypr.
22. International Congress of Vexillology FlagBerlin2007 blessed on January' 1933 The old flag, originally made in late 1913, but now showing the arms of Pope Pius XI and those of colonel Hirschbtihl, was laid down. Today it hangs with fading colours in the hallway of the guard s command barrack. Pius XI normalised the relationship with the Italian government, ending almost confrontation. On 11 awwjnitfk #urs 6'19^ r 60 years of February 1929 the Lateran Treaty was signed, by which Italy recognised the sovereignity of the Pope within the Vatican City as an independent state, and the Pope in turn recognised the Kingdom of Italy. Article 19 of the fundamental law of the Vatican City which was published on 8 June 1929, deals with the yellow and white flag of the new state. Hirschbiihl resigned on 30 June 1935 and on T* July Georg von Sur}' d Aspremont was appointed new commander. Pius XII (1939-1958) A further change in the flag happened, when a month after the death of Pope Pius XI on 2 Februar^r 1939, Pope Pius XII was elected on 2 March. The Swiss guard flag now bore the coat-ofarms of Pope Pius XII and within the central wreath the von Sury d Aspremont arms. When von Surt' resigned on 31 March 1942, Heinrich Pfyffer von Altishofen was named commander the vety^ next day. Yet another flag change was carried out, the Pfyffer coat-of-arms replaced that of von Sury. This flag was replaced in 1956, when colonel Pfyffer had a new flag made with identical emblems and gave it to his men as a gift for the 450 year Emil Dreyer. CH Flags of the pope s Swiss Guard since 1798
22 International Congress of Vexillology FlagBeriin2007 Page 445 celebrations of the guard. This new flag had been made by the flag factor)' Fraefel & Co. in Saint Gall. The flag of 1933-1956 is kept in the office of major Peter Hasler, ordnance officer of the Swiss Guard, who has kindly furnished an important amount of information needed for the present research. The flag is the first one to have the family arms of the commander set against a background of the cantonal colours, white and blue for Lucerne in this case. The new 1956 flag was blessed and kissed by the Pope on 6 May 1956 before the swearing in of new recruits l^^l. Heinrich Pfyffer died of a heart attack during duty on 12 March 1957, and Robert Niinlist was appointed commander on 16 April of that year. On 6 May 1958 the recruits swore in with a hand on the guard flag, which had been altered to include the new commander s arms. Flags of the pope s Swiss Guh'tI.since 1798 Emil Dreyer. CH
Page 446 22. International Congress of Vexiliology FlagBerlm2007 John XXIII (1958-1963) One and a half years later, Pope Pius XII died on 9 October 1958. On 28 October Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected Pope John XXlll, whose coat-of-arms I'*! was designed by the famous ecclesiastical heraldist archbishop Bruno Bernard Heim (1911-2003) The Swiss Guard flag was altered accordingly, as shown on the 1959 regulations of the Swiss Guard. Emil Dreyer, CM Flags of the pope s Swiss Guard since 1798
22. internationai Congress of Vexiliology FlagBerl[n2007 Page 447 Paul VI (1963-1978) John XXllI died on 3 June 1963 and Pope Paul VI was elected on 21 of that month. Then the arms of the past Pope were cut out of the Swiss Guard flag and the new Pope s arms, again designed by archbishop Heim, were sewn into the empty space. A new flag was blessed on 3 December 1967 in the presence of colonel Robert Niinlist It had been made by the flag factory Heimgartner in Wil, though the old flag had been in service only 11 years and still was in a good shape. The old flag was laid down and today is exposed in the theatre vestibule of the guard s quarters. Pope Paul VI decided on 14 September 1970 to abolish all existing Vatican security forces except the Swiss Guard So the Noble Guard, established in 1808, the Palatine Guard, established in 1858, and the Flags of the pope s Swiss (:i -H '.ity; 1718 Emil Dt
Paqr. -U'' ^'Mliolngy FlagBeiiin2007 Pontifical Gendarmeria, founded in 1810, were disbanded or melted into other forces. The colours of the Noble Guard, of the Palatine Guard and of the Gendarmeria were laid down in museums. Since now the Swiss Guard was the only armed force of the state, they had the duty to escort the Vatican state flag on official ceremonies. Robert Niinlist resigned on 31 October 1972 and the following day the Pope commissioned Franz Pfyffer von Altishofen as new commander of the Swiss Guard. A colour plate in the Swiss Guard regulations issued on 28 June 1976 shows the flag in use during Pfyffer s command. Emil Dmypr. CH Flags of the pope s Swiss Guard since 1798
22. Internationaj Congress of VexiHology FlagBeri!n2007 Page 449 John Paul I (1978-1978) Pope Paul died in 1978 and the conclave elected Pope John Paul 1, whose coat-of-atms was designed by archbishop Heim too. The Pope died but one month later and there had been no time for changes in the guard flag. John Paul II (1978-2005) Karol-Jozef Wojtyla, the cardinal from Cracow, was elected Pope John Paul II on 16 October 1978 and adopted the coat-of-arms designed for him by archbishop Heim l *5l Franz Pfyffer resigned on 24 November 1982 and at the same time Roland Buchs from Fribourg was appointed commander. Now a new flag was made at the Fleimgartner flag factor)' and the Pfyffer flag was stored in the theatre hall. The reverse side of the flag shows Flags of the pope s Swiss ( Emil Dreyer. CH
1 '"..^tr'r^y f 'I'vprocj pf ' ''o.il.-hp. Pl'iP:- ' 'v' the same emblems mirror-inverted, as is the case in all guard flags since 1914 at least. Strangely enough, this flag has the traditional Pfyffer arms on a background of white and red, instead of Lucerne s white and blue. j! n lltli' I'lli The new commander Buchs had his arms put on the new flag, on a background of black and white, the Fribourg colours, while the emblem of Pope John Paul II remained unchanged in the upper quarter.. Upon retirement and after a new flag had been given to the guard, Roland Buchs took the guard flag used during his command period with him, so nowadays the flag is at his home. Buchs resigned from his post on 30 November 1997, but it took half a year, until 4 May 1998, to choose Alois Fistermann as a new puvi [>T:v'pr, CM of too s Swiss Guard si-'' i