Vatican City, Oct 3, 2025 / 10:00 am

The Swiss Guards, who have protected popes for the last five centuries, now have a new uniform.

The mostly wool uniform is the recreation of a historic military dress for use at galas and other important dinners and will not replace the iconic red, orange, and blue “grand gala” uniforms for which the guards are famous.

The Swiss-made garments were paid for by a benefactor and cost 2,000 euros (around $2,300) apiece. According to Swiss Guard Commander Christoph Graf, they represent “a link between the present and the past.”

The 135 guards in the world’s smallest but oldest army will don the new uniforms for the first time at a dinner the night before the Oct. 4 ceremony to swear in this year’s recruits.

The swearing-in ceremony, when the new guards

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