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Who designed the uniforms that the Swiss guard wear at the Vatican?

Question #91819. Asked by DASAngel.
Last updated Jan 09 2017.

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collect
Answer has 4 votes
Currently Best Answer
collect
20 year member
231 replies avatar

Answer has 4 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_guard

"The official dress uniform is of blue, red, orange and yellow with a distinctly Renaissance appearance. A repeated historical misconception is that the contemporary dress uniform was designed by Michelangelo. In fact, guard commander, Commandant Jules Repond (1910-1921) created the current uniforms in 1914."

May 11 2007, 10:43 AM
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Baloo55th
Answer has 4 votes
Baloo55th
22 year member
4545 replies avatar

Answer has 4 votes.
In the Vatican's own site, Michaelangelo is dismissed as not likely to be the designer, and "This fashion was introduced in the Confederation by the Swiss mercenaries returning home from military campaigns in Italy. The German soldiers, especially the Lansquenets, also dressed in the same manner. However, uniformity of the Confederate soldiers' dress and arms only came about in the mid-nineteenth century." Furthermore, "It is mainly thanks to Commandant Jules Repond (1910-1921), who was gifted with an exceptionally fine taste for colours and shapes, that the Swiss Guards wear such fine dress today. After much study and research and drawing inspiration from Raffaello's frescoes, he abolished all types of hats and introduced the simple beret worn today, which bears the soldier's grade. Furthermore he replaced the pleated gorget or throat-piece with a plain white collar. He also improved the cuirass and had it remodelled after the original design. Nowadays, only the full dress-uniform is worn with a special gorget, white gloves and pale grey metal morion with ostrich-feather plume: white for the Commandant and Sergeant Major, purple for Lieutenants, red for Halberdiers and yellow/black on a black morion for the Drummers. The Guard's morion bears the oak of the Rovere family." link http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/swissguard/divisa_en.htm
Argue at your peril - the Vatican has spoken....

Feb 01 2008, 12:50 PM
queproblema
Answer has 3 votes
queproblema
19 year member
2119 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
But at that same site Raphael is credited with at least indirectly influencing the design.
"...Raffaello certainly did influence its development..."

It's a little misleading to imply that Jules Repond designed them from scratch. The same site also traces the uniform's development since Renaissance times through the della Rovere and Medicis, noting just before discounting Michelangelo's hand in their design, "With the passing centuries there have been a few minor changes, but on the whole the original dress has been maintained." (It's confusing as it mentions Pope Leo, presumably X, after Clement IX, which would not be chronological.)

link http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/swissguard/divisa_en.htm





Response last updated by gtho4 on Jan 09 2017.
Feb 03 2008, 3:24 AM
queproblema
Answer has 3 votes
queproblema
19 year member
2119 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
Old ideas die hard; I'm having a funeral.
At my peril, I'll argue ever so gently, going not to the Vatican's site, but to the Swiss Guard's site.

The url unfortunately doesn't change from page to page, so you'll have to browse through the site.
1. Choose your language.
2. First page says, "Modern, well-educated Swiss young men wear the traditional Renaissance uniform."
3. Click on "Guard" at the left, then on "Command," then on "Uniform." Be sure to scroll down to read all three paragraphs, which confirm what's been previously posted.
[schweizergarde.org] site no lonmger exists
link https://hallowedground.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/swiss-guards/

The story about Michelangelo's designing the uniforms, although now disbelieved, was widely disseminated. No documents attest to his hand in the design, so perhaps this is one of the oldest continuing urban legends. (I just have to say, though, the lack of documentation doesn't prove it false.)

The 1958 (not a typo) World Book Encylopedia notes under a color picture of the guard, "Their colorful costume was designed by Michelangelo, in the 1500's." (Their comma.)

Compton's 1993 encyclopedia states in Vol. 18, p. 110, "Members of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican still wear the traditional uniforms and helmets designed by Michelangelo." The front matter bears the seal of the University of Chicago and says it is "...published with the Editorial Advice of the Faculties of the University of Chicago." Scholars ferret out some mistakes and perpetrate others. We can hope the Vatican and the Swiss Guard have straightened this one out for us.
RIP



Response last updated by gtho4 on Aug 26 2016.
Feb 06 2008, 1:15 AM
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