Noble Guard

In 1801 an agitation was started in Rome among the aristocracy to form a bodyguard for the Pope, and an address was sent to Pius VII offering their services gratuitously. In response, the Noble Guard was established on May 11, 1801. Exclusively a palace guard, the Noble Guard saw no active military service or combat during the several military campaigns that engaged the Papal States between 1801 and 1870. With the unification of Italy and the abolition of the Papal States in 1870, the Noble Guard restricted its activity to the buildings and grounds of the Vatican. Though nominally still a cavalry unit, the unit had little opportunity to deploy on horseback in the limited confines of the Vatican. Two mounted troopers would accompany the papal carriage when the Pope was driven around the Vatican gardens. In 1904, the mounted service was abolished and the last horses were sold off. Originally armed with carbines, pistols and sabers, after 1870 the guardsmen carried only a saber. The corps was always a volunteer one - its members were not paid for their service, although they received an allowance for their uniforms. Recruits were drawn from noble families in Rome, although in the twentieth century requirements were relaxed in practice to allow nobility from other regions of Italy to join the corps. The guardsmen were expected to hold titles dating back at least 100 years. The commander of the corps was called the Captain. Command was hereditary in the Barberini and Altieri families, but later passed to the Rospigliosi. One of the subordinate positions within the corps was that of Hereditary Standard-Bearer, who was responsible for carrying the standard of the Catholic Church. This office was held by the Patrizi-Naro-Montoro. The Noble Guard was abolished by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as part of the reforms of the Church following the Second Vatican Council. The elitist image of a privileged ceremonial corps was considered to be out of sympathy with a simpler and more inclusive era. A planned farewell audience for the guardsmen with the Pope did not take place and the property of the unit was requisitioned at short notice by the Papal Secretariat of State. Former members of the Noble Guard have a veterans' association, "La Compagnia delle Lance Spezzate" (The Company of the Broken Lances). == Commanders ==