Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard | |
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German: Kommandant der Schweizergarde Latin: Praefecti Pontificalis Custodiae Helveticae | |
![]() Flag of the Pontifical Swiss Guard with commander Christoph Graf's emblem | |
Member of | The Pontifical Swiss Guard |
Reports to | The Pope |
Residence | Vatican City |
Formation | 22 January 1506 (516 years ago) |
First holder | Kaspar von Silenen |
Deputy | Philippe Morard |
The Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard is the head of the Pontifical Swiss Guard. In total, there have been 35 commanders of the Swiss Guard serving 51 popes, with interruptions during 1527–1548 following the Sack of Rome, in 1564/5, in 1704–1712 and in 1798/9 following the French invasion. 24 out of 35 commanders were citizens of the city of Lucerne (not counting the incumbent, Christoph Graf, who is from Pfaffnau in the canton of Lucerne). During 1652–1847 the office became quasi-heritable, with ten commanders members of the Pfyffer von Altishofen family of Lucerne. Two commanders were from Zürich, serving during the years of the Swiss Reformation; in modern times, three commanders were from St. Gallen, two from Fribourg, and one each from Solothurn, Grisons and Valais.
List of Commanders
List:[1]
No. | Portrait | Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Place of origin | Pope |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kaspar von Silenen (1467–1517) | 1506 | 5 August 1517 † | 10–11 years | Silenen, Uri; Luzern | Julius II Leo X | |
2 | Marx Röist (1454–1524) | 1517 | 15 June 1524 † | 6–7 years | Zürich | Leo X Adrian VI Clement VII | |
3 | Caspar Röist (1478–1527) | 1524 | 6 May 1527 † | 2–3 years | Zürich | Clement VII | |
Guard disbanded (1527–1548) | |||||||
4 | Jost von Meggen (1509–1559) | 1548 | 17 March 1559 † | 10–11 years | Luzern | Paul III Julius III Marcellus II Paul IV | |
5 | Kaspar Leo von Silenen | 1559 | 1564 | 4–5 years | Luzern | Pius IV | |
Guard disbanded (1564–1566) | |||||||
6 | Jost Segesser von Brunegg (1529–1592) | 1566 | 1592 † | 25–26 years | Luzern | Pius V Gregory XIII Sixtus V Paul IV Urban VII Gregory XIV Innocent IX Clement VIII | |
7 | Stephan Alexander Segesser von Brunegg (1570–1629) | 1592 | 16 August 1629 † | 36–37 years | Luzern | Clement VIII Leo XI Paul V Gregory XV Urban VIII | |
8 | Nikolaus Fleckenstein (1580–1645) | 1629 | 1640 | 10–11 years | Luzern | Urban VIII | |
9 | Jost Fleckenstein (1588–1652) | 1640 | 26 June 1652 † | 11–12 years | Luzern | Urban VIII Innocent X | |
10 | Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen (1615–1657) | 1652 | 17 May 1657 † | 4–5 years | Luzern | Innocent X Alexander VII | |
11 | Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1686) | 1658 | 1686 † | 27–28 years | Luzern | Alexander VII Clement IX Clement X Innocent XI | |
12 | Franz Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1696) | 1686 | 1696 † | 27–28 years | Luzern | Innocent XI Alexander VIII Innocent XII | |
13 | Johann Kaspar Mayr von Baldegg (?–1704) | 1696 | 1704 † | 7–8 years | Luzern | Innocent XII Clement XI | |
- | Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen Acting | 1704 | 1712 | 7–8 years | Luzern | Clement XI | |
14 | Johann Konrad Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1727) | 1712 | 1727 † | 14–15 years | Luzern | Clement XI Innocent XIII Benedict XIII | |
15 | Franz Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen (?–1772) | 1727 | 1754 | 26–27 years | Luzern | Benedict XIII Clement XII Benedict XIV | |
16 | Jost Ignaz Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1754 | 1782 | 23–24 years | Luzern | Benedict XIV Clement XIII Clement XIV Pius VI | |
17 | Franz Alois Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1783 | 1798 | 14–15 years | Luzern | Pius VI | |
Post vacant (1798–1800) | |||||||
18 | Karl Leodegar Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1800 | 1834 | 33–34 years | Luzern | Pius VII Gregory XVI Leo XII Pius VIII | |
19 | Martin Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1835 | 1847 | 11–12 years | Luzern | Gregory XVI Pius IX | |
20 | Franz Xaver Leopold Meyer von Schauensee (1803–1860) | 1847 | 1860 † | 12–13 years | Luzern | Pius IX | |
21 | Alfred von Sonnenberge | 1860 | 1878 | 17–18 years | Luzern | Pius IX | |
22 | Louis-Martin de Courten (1835–1937) | 1878 | 1901 | 22–23 years | Sierre, Valais | Leo XIII | |
23 | Leopold Meyer von Schauensee (1852–1910) | 1901 | 1910 † | 8–9 years | Luzern | Leo XIII Pius X | |
24 | Jules Repond (1853–1933) | 1910 | 1921 | 10–11 years | Freiburg | Pius X Benedict XV | |
25 | Alois Hirschbühl | 1921 | 1935 | 13–14 years | Brusio, Graubünden | Benedict XV Pius XI | |
26 | Georg von Sury d'Aspremont | 1935 | 1942 | 6–7 years | Solothurn | Pius XI Pius XII | |
27 | Heinrich Pfyffer von Altishofen | 1942 | 1957 | 14–15 years | Luzern | Pius XII | |
28 | Robert Nünlist (1911–1991) | 1957 | 1972 | 14–15 years | Luzern | Pius XII John XXIII Paul VI | |
29 | Franz Pfyffer von Altishofen (1917–1995) | 1972 | 1982 | 9–10 years | Luzern | Paul VI John Paul I John Paul II | |
30 | Roland Buchs (born 1941) | 25 November 1982 | 29 November 1997 | 15 years, 4 days | Freiburg | John Paul II | |
- | Alois Estermann (1954–1998) Acting | 29 November 1997 | 4 May 1998 | 156 days | Luzern | John Paul II | |
31 | Alois Estermann (1954–1998) | 4 May 1998 | 4 May 1998 † | 0 days | Luzern | John Paul II | |
(30) | Roland Buchs (born 1941) Acting | 6 May 1998 | 16 August 1998 | 41 days | Freiburg | John Paul II | |
32 | Pius Segmüller (born 1952) | 1998 | 2002 | 3–4 years | St. Gallen | John Paul II | |
33 | Elmar Theodor Mäder (born 1963) | 2002 | 2008 | 5–6 years | Wuppenau, Thurgau / St. Gallen | John Paul II Benedict XVI | |
34 | Daniel Rudolf Anrig (born 1972) | 19 August 2008 | 31 January 2015 | 6 years, 165 days | Sargans, St. Gallen | Benedict XVI Francis | |
35 | Christoph Graf (born 1961) | 7 February 2015 | Incumbent | 7 years, 103 days | Pfaffnau, Luzern | Francis |
Notes
References
- ^ Guardia Svizzera Pontificia (2013). "Comandanti" (in Italian). Retrieved 19 February 2018.