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(From AP Online)
Byline: JENNIFER BUNDY
As people in Rome say, "While popes pass on, the Swiss Guard remains." Starting next year, the pope's personal guard, whose colorful uniforms and antiquated weaponry fascinate Vatican visitors, will celebrate 500 years of almost uninterrupted service to 42 successive pontiffs.
The guard plans to mark the historic anniversary with a special stamp series put out jointly by the Vatican and Switzerland, and a number of events. The highlight will be a springtime march from Switzerland to the Eternal City by veterans of the tiny army, recreating the arrival of 150 Swiss mercenaries in Rome on Jan. 22, 1506, to do battle for Pope Julius II.
A new book on the Swiss Guards, for the first time written by an insider, Sgt. Christian Richard, came out earlier this month to coincide with the anniversary.
The coffee-table book traces the history of the guard up to its present service under Pope Benedict XVI.
Popular legend has it that Michelangelo designed the guards' blue- and yellow-bloomered uniform. But Richard says a Swiss Guard commander dreamed up the outfits at the beginning of the 20th century.