The Pontifical Swiss Guard

There is always mystery behind the closed door, the place on the hill, the world that one cannot see. Whenever we have a chance to observe a glimpse of a closed world, there starts to be a semblance of understanding and knowledge. Every year since centuries young men from Switzerland start a new chapter in their lives, having been chosen for the responsible task to protect the Pope. Service already begins in their first days in the Vatican when they start training in the quarters of the Swiss Guard and eventually take up their duties in the Vatican having passed the final exam. As external photographer I have had the chance to accompany the Pontifical Swiss Guard since 2012 (time range of this series: 28. November 2012 - 21. September 2019). During these years a trusting relationship between the Swiss Guard and me has formed that has enabled me to walk around mostly without any company- the entire Vatican is a single security zone- where Swiss Guards are on duty and to abstain from staging any situation. From the first moment on I have had the aim to tell of a sense of duty, of discipline and solidarity while at the same time showing the coincidence of tradition and modernity. Moments of quiet, dominated by soft light create an ambience that suggests something beyond the normal. The swearing in ceremony, where one pledges his life for the Pope, has been happening since the 16th Century. Capturing the pomp and circumstance, as well as the austere environs, I want to offer a totalizing picture, one seemingly exempt from temporal limitations; the viewer can imagine this being today, tomorrow or yesterday. The Pontifical Swiss Guard of the Holy See continues to man the walls and stand at the gates day in and day out. My images try to open this world and are intertwined with the knowledge that every four to six months, the journey recommences with new men joining the tradition of the Guard.