is it a country, city? what is it?
2006-09-20 17:11:15 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Swiss Guard DOES have guns. The uniformed ones you see don't, but there are officers that do carry guns. As for a standing army, no, they don't have one.
2006-09-20 17:15:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The vatican is officially a country in and of itself. Vatican City is itself the capital and the country (the only country, in fact, where it's capital IS the country).
The Swiss Guard is given recognition as a standing army, however, their role is primarily decorative. That is not, however, to say that they are not aces at the weapons they learn to use. Training in all ancient and modern weaponry is a requirement. While the ceremonial guards carry traditional medieval weaponry, the body guards have modern equipment at their disposal.
2006-09-21 00:17:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Vatican has troops known as the Swiss Guard and their main duty is protection and security. They continue to dress in rather riduculous uniforms and still carry halberds, but their weaponry ranges from the most advanced pistols and rifles to various grenades of vomiting gas and tear gas. They are charged with the protection of countless art treasures but most importantly safeguarding the pontiff. When the Vatican proper was designed, it was intended as a fortress but modern times have added structures and the original security idea was breached. Each Swiss guard is rigorously trained in Switzerland and like the Special Forces and Delta Force of America, few men qualify. Most are fluent in three languages, English, Italian and Spanish and most speak German. It is not considered an army but a security force or police.
2006-09-21 00:20:29 · answer #3 · answered by Frank 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, they have the Swiss Guards ... not exactly an Army ... mostly ceremonial, but they have been known to defend. Just look at "weapon" they carry.
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Swiss guards in the Vatican, Rome
The Swiss Guards give a touch of color to St. Peter's Square: in their Renaissance costumes, with puffed sleeves and knicker-bockers striped red, blue and yellow, they stand on either side of the basilica, guarding the gates into Vatican City.
When the company was founded, in 1505, the soldiers wore simple tunics, but in 1548 the present uniforms were adopted. A long-standing tradition holds that they were designed by Michelangelo, but there is no foundation for this belief. As well as their everyday costumes, the Swiss Guards have suits of armor, with swords weighing thirty kilos, but these are used only for escorting the Pope during special ceremonies in St. Peter's.
At the beginning of the 16th century the Vatican began to employ Swiss mercenaries, who had a reputation for faithful and disinterested service. During the Sack of Rome in 1527, when Charles V of Spain devastated the city with his army of "lanzichelecchi", it was only the quick reaction of the Swiss Guards which enabled Pope Clement VII to take refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo; 147 Swiss soldiers died in the fighting. The invaders occupied the Vatican buildings, causing untold damage: they used ancient manuscripts as bedding for their horses, lit fires on the marble floors and scratched graffiti on the frescoes.
The Cohors Helvetica currently numbers 107: the commander, five officers (including a chaplain) and 101 soldiers, all of Swiss birth. Until about 30 years ago, only citizens of the German-speaking cantons were eligible for admission to the company, but in recent years there has been a dearth of candidates and now French- and Italian-speaking nationals can also enrol. They must be Roman Catholics, unmarried, between 18 and 25 years of age, and they must also be good-looking. Officially they are supposed to be over 1.74 meters tall, but nowadays this regulation is not enforced too strictly. Their pay is not very high - the equivalent of just over 1,000 U.S. dollars per month, paid in Swiss francs - but they are given full board and lodging.
Every year on May 6, anniversary of the Sack of Rome, the Swiss Guards renew their vows of allegiance in the Courtyard of San Damaso inside the Vatican. In a colorful ceremony, new recruits kneel down, raise three fingers of their right hand to symbolize the Trinity and swear to serve the Pope "to the death".
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"Today the Swiss Guard is ... the army of the sovereign state of the
Vatican". - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Guard
2006-09-21 00:25:49 · answer #4 · answered by kent chatham 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is guarded by the Swiss Guard.
2006-09-21 00:17:07 · answer #5 · answered by Dysthymia 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a city, and a country. The army is called The Swiss Guard. B.
2006-09-21 00:14:20 · answer #6 · answered by Brian M 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Vatican is a country, very small but still a country.
They do not have an army.
The Pope is custodial by the Swiss Guard, obviously they are part of the Swiss army, but not an army themselves.
2006-09-21 00:16:10 · answer #7 · answered by Classy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No the Vatican doesn't have an army, and yes it is recognized as a country.
2006-09-21 00:19:49 · answer #8 · answered by buttercup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a large, completely independant, city that lies within the country of Italy. It has its own ambassadors and everything a country would have. But it really only officially has the Swiss Guard for defenders. Unofficially there are rumours of a paramilitary defense group.
2006-09-21 00:14:38 · answer #9 · answered by special-chemical-x 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No they dont , but they have personal security that carry only small weapons.
p.s : The vatican had an army but that was long time ago , and used to be totally diffrent.
2006-09-21 00:14:38 · answer #10 · answered by Rabih 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋