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 Palatine Guard Set Scott 140-142 (1950) On September 12, 1950, Vatican City issued the Palatine Guard set illustrated above, commemorating the 100th anniversary of its establishment. The stamps were issued in three denominations and colors and share the same image of a group of the Guard dressed in full uniform standing before the statue of Saint Peter located at Saint Peter's Basilica (Saint Peter being the patron saint of the Guard). 
 Images of the Palatine Guard Left: Post Card of Palatine Guard in Uniform Right: Colonel Camillo Pecci, Commander (1903-1912) Images from Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Pope Pius IX established the Palatine Guard ('Guardia d'onore') in 1850 through the merger of the Civil Guard (Civica Scelta) and City Militia (Milizia Urbana). The members of the Guard were simple civilians of Rome, including clerks, shopkeepers and other tradesmen. They were volunteers, receiving no pay except for a stipend to cover the costs of their uniforms. Their main role was to maintain order within the Papal domain. In the 1860's they were called upon to quell insurrections in Rome, and came to the forefront in the protection of the Apostolic Palace during the capture of Rome on September 20, 1870 (the culmination of the unification of Italy and the end of the Papal States). They continued in this role until the ratification of the Lateran Pact in 1929. At that time, they also assumed the role of protection of Vatican extraterritorial properties such as the Basilica of Saint John Lateran and Castel Gandolfo. During World War II, the ranks of the Guard swelled from around 500 to approximately 2000 to protect Vatican properties from insurrections by radical Italian Fascists and from invasion by the Nazis (following the German occupation of Rome in September, 1943). After World War II, the Guard continued its activities until 1970, when it was disbanded by Pope Paul VI as part of the reforms promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. The members of the Guard were invited to join the new Saints Peter and Paul Association, a civilian charitable organization based in Rome.  50th Anniversary of the Saints Peter and Paul Assocation Scott 1767 (2021) Three articles from Vatican Notes, dating back to 1955, served as references for this article, and provide additional detail regarding the history of the Palatine Guard, as well as some of the interesting postal history tied to the stamps issued in 1950. REFERENCES: |
