Warning - History nerd about to drop some history on ya!
Those ridiculous Vatican costumes only date to 1914, but are meant to recall the uniforms worn by the Swiss Guard during the Sack of Rome. During the Sack, the Swiss mercenaries hired to guard the Pope were almost completely wiped out protecting him as he ran for safety in his fortress the Castel Sant'Angelo. The fact that the Swiss still guard the Pope and still wear those faux 16th century costumes is to commemorate that fact. Also, the requirements for the current Swiss Guard are pretty impressive, they're essentially Catholic commandos with good conduct medals.
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Those ridiculous Vatican costumes only date to 1914, but are meant to recall the uniforms worn by the Swiss Guard during the Sack of Rome. During the Sack, the Swiss mercenaries hired to guard the Pope were almost completely wiped out protecting him as he ran for safety in his fortress the Castel Sant'Angelo. The fact that the Swiss still guard the Pope and still wear those faux 16th century costumes is to commemorate that fact. Also, the requirements for the current Swiss Guard are pretty impressive, they're essentially Catholic commandos with good conduct medals.