Do the Vatican pay a proper rate for the Swiss Guard or do they pay a nominal rate and the Swiss Army treat it as useful training/PR/whatever?
The Vatican pays. The Swiss Guard, which is the sole survivor of the Swiss mercenary companies of Renaissance times. Back when the Holy See could raise an actual Army, the SG’s functioned like a Foreign Legion, a corps of non-citizens hired to handle the tough jobs. As the HS lost the Papal States, all they reasonably could keep was a private security force.
Its members are Swiss citizens who have already completed the initial tour of training for their universal military service requirement, and apply under a special provision that allows service in the SG. All other mercenary service or service in other countries’ armed forces by Swiss citizens was banned by their government in the 1800’s when the absolute-neutrality policy was adopted. So basically the Swiss only invest the Basic Training that they would have given the men anyway, in exchange for extremely good relations with the Vatican.
SG’s often go on to other jobs in Law Enforcement in their homeland – Colonel Segmuller, the Commander from 1998-2002, became Chief of Police in Lucerne
The SG’s Foundation has its own home page (only in German, French or Italian, sorry) including this picture of the SG doing weapons training.
Ah, excellent stuff. Thank you.
In Hamlet, there is a moment where King Claudius, fearing that his life may have been under attack, calls for his Swiss Guards.
Supposedly, Louis XVI was guarded by Swiss Guards, who were all killed when the Revolutionaries captured and executed him.
In one of Tom Clancy’s novels, Jack Ryan describes how the Swiss Guard mercenaries were so feared that they were essentially outlawed (except for the Vatican guard) by the Council of Trent.
Reading the above link about conditions for enrolment into the Swiss Guard, one of which is:
Être célibataire
My French is pretty ropey I admit but it does look like you have to be celibate. Or is my French even worse than I thought?
These men appear to have to be between 19 and 30 years old also. Can these two conditions be compatible.
I’m pretty sure that your French has to be better than mine, but this (English language) page from the Vatican says
The phrasing above seems a little awkward, so I suppose it’s possible that this translation may be wrong, but I think celibacy is asking too much of the Swiss Guards. They just need to be unmarried. (And, I’m not even sure they have to stay unmarried. Maybe a Swiss Guard can get married after he’s been in for a while.)
Unmarried. You have to be single.
The Swiss Guard has been getting in the news a few times in the past few years, mostly with rather unpleasant topics. In 1998, soldier Cédric Tornay assassinated the Guard’s commander, Alois Estermann (and Estermann’s wife, I read, so you don’t need to stay a lifetime bachelor). The Italian police urged for more thorough investigations, but Vatican authorities preferred to investigate themselves, and apparently didn’t do it rather superficially. News story.
From time to time you read about Guard members complaining about poor pay and bad conditions inside the Guard.
The Swiss Guard isn’t always dressed in those clowny uniforms (which were designed by Michelangelo, btw). They also dress in civilian clothes, acting as bodyguards much the same way as those protecting politicians or businesspeople. They also get firearms training; the helberds are by far not the only weapon they use.
That’s meant to read as “did it rather superficially.” I rephrased the sentence before posting it, but forgot that.
No cite, but recalling articles from the Estermann incident, IIRC the officers can marry.
No “supposedly” about it. August 10, 1792. 
I believe you mean the Council of Vienna. The Council of Trent occurred inthe early 16th Century when the Swiss were still exporting mercenaries they way the export chcolate and knives today.
The claim that the Guard uniforms were designed by Michelangelo is a myth. The guard do have a working uniform–blue overalls and a beret, as I recall–and often appear in mufti while on duty outside the Vatican, just like other security forces like the British Special Service or the American Secret Service. They normally carry Sig-Sauer pistols and Heckler and Koch submachineguns for armorment, though the picture cited above clearly shows them training with rifles as well.
Stranger
It actually dates from 1915. See here for some more details.
That was new to me, as I had read about Michelangelo as designer in several works, including rather serious ones. Thanks for correcting me!
Apparently, a History-buff commander of the SG in the 1910s-20s reconstructed the current design of the dress uniform basing himself on pictures and accounts of the early-1500’s period, harkening to the heroics of the Guard in the 1527 siege of Rome. Originally they included a collar ruff and cuirass. The cuirass is now only for swearing-ins, the morrion helmet for honor-guard duties, otherwise the dress uniform headgear is a big floppy beret that would not look out of place on some university presidents.
Their “street beat” uniform is a more practical though still retro blue outfit. The bodyguard around the Popemobile is in dark suits. As seen in the picture linked earlier, their fatigues are light blue coverall/jumpsuits. Battle uniforms would reasonably follow a pattern consistent with the particular historic time, as in:
[quote= the fotw site linked by silenus]
When the Germans invaded Rome in 1944, the Swiss Guard stationed themselves in military grey uniform, behind machine guns and mortars just in case
[quote]
Yeah, I was quoting from memory – with typical results.