Behind The Scenes Of The Vatican

New recruit of the Swiss Guards before the swearing-in ceremony on May 6, 2015 at the Vatican. The ceremony is held each May 6 to commemorate the 147 Swiss Guards who died protecting Pope Clement VII during the 1527 Sack of Rome. The pompous title 'defenders of the freedom of the Church' qualifies the Swiss Guards, of which there are one hundred. These soldiers are not nearly as picturesque as their uniforms, which are said to have been designed by either Raphael or Michaelangelo, but whose design was actually produced at the turn of the last century. It is not a simple procedure to become a member of the Guard, which is one of the world's oldest military factions. One must have Swiss nationality, be of the Catholic faith, measure over 1.74 meters in height, and be less than 25 years of age when signing on for the first time. Photo by Eric Vandeville/ABACAPRESS.COM

• Product Code
• ILEA004374569

• Registered date
• 2015/5/06 00:00:00

• Credit
• Abaca Press / Kyodo News Images

• Media source
• Vandeville Eric/ABACA

• Media size
• 2480 × 3280 pixel

• Resolution
• 300 dpi

• Deployment size
• 2.85(MB)*

• Special instruction

*File size when opened in Photoshop, etc.