We promise you, the Swiss Guard isn’t clowning around. If you’ve ever been to the Vatican or watched for a puff of white smoke on live TV, you probably noticed something colorful. Or rather ...

If you have never seen the uniforms of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard — personal bodyguards to the pope — imagine that St. Peter’s Basilica was once tented for fumigation and the enterprising ...

One of the most sensational crimes in recent Vatican history is back in the spotlight thanks to a book about the 1998 slayings of the Swiss Guard commander and his wife by a lower-ranking guard ...

Within hours of the slayings, the Vatican spokesman announced that Baudat’s 23-year-old son, Cedric Tornay, a noncommissioned Swiss Guard officer, had killed Col. Alois Estermann and Estermann ...

Second to the Pope, of course, the members of the Swiss Guard are easily the most famous residents of Vatican City. For centuries, this highly-trained standing army of young Swiss men has been in ...

The Swiss Guard was established by Pope Julius II in 1506. Here's what to know about the 500-year-old military body.

Swiss soldiers had already been picked to guard the pope in 1506 by Pope Julius II, known as the “Warrior Pope.” He chose them because the Swiss were renowned fighters throughout Europe then.

Within hours of the slayings, the Vatican spokesman announced that Baudat’s 23-year-old son, Cedric Tornay, a noncommissioned Swiss Guard officer, had killed Col. Alois Estermann and Estermann ...