The “Cent-Suisses”, a cousin of the Swiss Guard visiting the Vatican – Swiss Catholic Portal

From June 6 to 8, 2024, the famous Pontifical Swiss Guard received another Swiss “elite corps” at the Vatican: the “Cent-Suisses”, a “corps” of extras usually working during the famous Vevey Winegrowers’ Festival . This joyful and peaceful brotherhood, strong in its ‘cousinage’ with the personal guard of the pontiffs, was received with great pomp in the smallest state in the world.

On Saint-Pierre Square, where they paraded this June 8 to the sound of their fifes and drums, the fifty brave men of the corps of the Hundred-Suisses did not go unnoticed. Not without confusion: they are Swiss, they also wear striped uniforms modeled on those of the Italian Renaissance, with a red plume, and are armed with a glittering halberd. “It’s the Swiss Guards!” exclaims an Italian woman, who, like many, came to admire the proud approach of this company more closely.

“In a way, she’s not wrong,” laughs Stéphane Krebs, the commander of this unique company. “We are Swiss Guards, but not the Swiss Guard,” he emphasizes, while explaining that the style of his corps’ red and white uniform was inspired by that of the pontiffs’ personal army.

Named after an elite body of the kings of France between 1471 and 1792

The Cent-Suisses troop has existed since 1865 and takes the name of one of the numerous corps of elite mercenaries provided by the Swiss Confederation throughout its history. The Hundred Swiss in fact formed the elite corps of the kings of France between 1471 and 1792, when they were massacred by revolutionaries while defending Louis XVI in the Tuileries. It was even temporarily reinstated between 1814 and 1830 and exported to other kingdoms.

The current company of Cent-Suisses, red and white costume in the national colors, is today a non-military “elite corps” participating in the famous Fête des Vignerons de Vevey, a traditional festivity organized four to five times a year. century in this city on the shores of Lake Geneva, since the first edition in 1819. It has been recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage since 2016.

“Joining the Cent-Suisses is easier than being part of the Swiss Guard,” assures Stéphane Krebs. To serve under his orders, you just need to be from the Vevey region and be over 1.80m tall – knowing someone in the organization of the Fête des Vignerons can also help. And it’s less tiring too, since the service takes place approximately every 15 to 30 years – the next edition is estimated to be in the year 2035.

Swiss Guard and “soldier” of the Hundred Swiss

Swiss guard between 2016 and 2021, Alexandre Furrer experienced this sequence with emotion, he who has a double hat since he had obtained an exemption to join the Cent-Suisses in 2019, the last edition which celebrated the bicentenary of the Fête des Winegrowers. On this occasion, the Swiss Guard was the guest of honor on the main day of the event, August 1st.

The red and white soldiers had given them a “warm welcome”, assures the one who participated in the trip, “and the Swiss Guard had originally planned to return the favor in 2020, but the pandemic put an end to the project, and we then waited a long time for a new invitation. “This was finally able to be done, and I must say that we were very well received,” he rejoices, confiding that he felt the privileged status offered to them by the presence of the Swiss Guard within the Vatican.

The program for this trip, in preparation for a year, was full. Arriving on the night of Sunday, May 5, the Hundred Swiss attended the swearing-in ceremony of their compatriots of the Pontifical Guard in a prominent place. The next day, they were treated to a guided tour of the Vatican which allowed them to discover the quarters of the Swiss Guard, climb to the top of the dome, then pass through the gardens of the small state.

A moving meeting with the Pope

Finally, on Wednesday, they were able to attend the general audience in a good place, installed right in front of the Pope at the foot of the square of Saint Peter’s Basilica. At the end of this event, the Hundred Swiss greeted the pontiff and took a photograph with him.

“It was a very strong moment, one of the strongest I have ever experienced,” confides Stéphane Krebs shortly after the meeting, visibly moved. “The pope simply thanked us,” he assures us. He himself gave him a dove forged especially for the occasion by a local artist, Bertille Laguet, who usually makes their weapons. “A dove, because he is a pope of peace,” explains the commander.

After the general audience, the Hundred Swiss paraded on Saint-Pierre Square then joined the quarters of the Swiss Guard in ranks and music, under the admiring and astonished gaze of thousands of pilgrims and tourists. “We feel a little at home,” confides with joy Charles, 72 years old and former member of the Cent-Suisses, who came to accompany his comrades.

An alpine bell as a sign of friendship

In the Swiss Guard courtyard, before leaving for their country in the evening, the red and white soldiers celebrated their friendship one last time with the yellow and gold guards. And Commander Krebs solemnly presented the Commander of the Swiss Guard Christoph Graf with a traditional alpine bell engraved in memory of their friendship. (cath.ch/imedia/cd/lb)