PONTIFICAL NOBLE GUARD. - It is the first, in order of dignity, of the pontifical armed corps. The P. N. G. was instituted by Pius VII with a motu proprio of 11 May 1801, under the name of P. N. G. of the corps (Cohors praetoria e viris nobilibus Pontifici protegendo), calling to constitute it "light horsemen," "broken lances" (ancient militias of the Papal State, dispersed by the French occupation) and knights of the primary nobility. The P. N. G. of the corps began its service on the day of Corpus Domini in 1801.
At present it is ordered according to the "regulations" of Benedict XV of 20 April 1918.
The P. N. G., originally of two companies, at present consists of only one. Its establishment comprises: a captain commanding with the rank of lieutenant general (who is always a Roman prince and is invested with the Supreme Order of Christ); a lieutenant; a brigadier general, nineteen exempts or colonels, an adjutant, eight cadets with the rank of lieutenant colonels, from among whom the archivist and the treasurer are chosen, and about 50 men divided into captains, lieutenants and second lieutenants. There are also exempts and honorary guards.
The daily duty of the P. N. G. is to remain with a detachment of 6 guards and an orderly trumpet, commanded by a cadet under the orders of an exempt, in permanent attendance in the pontifical antechambers, during audiences, to render honors and escort
His Holiness when he leaves his private apartments. When His Holiness takes the gestatorial chair and proceeds in solemn form, the escort is provided by the officers and the exempts.
The exempt of the P. N. G. on duty is responsible for the custody of the Sacred Person of the pope and, as a sign of special and high jurisdiction, holds the staff of command. He has the rank, together with the commander and the lieutenants, of participating secret chamberlain of sword and cape and therefore forms part of the pontifical household (v.); he remains near the Sacred Person of the Pontiff during audiences and in former times rode at the right of his carriage. The daily-service detachments of the other armed corps of the Apostolic Palace also depend on him.
From the moment when the supreme pontiff, having fallen ill, receives the Holy Viaticum, a sentinel of the corps mounts guard at the door of His Holiness's bedroom and is not removed until every danger has ceased. In the event of the death of the supreme pontiff, a detachment of the corps watches day and night, without interruption, in the room where the sacred Body lies and does not abandon it until it has been laid in the tomb. Only in this case does the P. N. G. wear mourning, which consists in covering the bandolier, the sword knot, the standard and the two trumpets with a black veil.
The P. N. G. depends on the secretary of State for organization, on the administration of the goods of the Holy See for administration, and on the majordomo and the master of the chamber for extraordinary and ordinary daily service.
The appointment of new P. N. G. members is subject to the deliberation of the admission council, which presents its decree to the secretary of State, in order to obtain from the supreme pontiff the approval and the appointment of the suitable candidates. P. N. G. members must have a nobility of at least 100 years and are chosen from among the nobility of the former Papal State. The captain commanding, in special cases, may submit to sovereign approval the faculty of allowing individuals native to other Italian provinces and who possess nobility to compete for appointment as P. N. G.
An ordinary effective P. N. G. member is chosen by His Holiness to carry, as cabinet courier, the notification of appointment to a newly created cardinal residing abroad. He is likewise assigned as cabinet courier for extraordinary dispatches that may be required to sovereigns.
On 31 May 1820 Pius VII blessed in the Pauline Chapel of the Quirinal Palace the standard of the P. N. G., a standard which even at present is of white silk and bears at its center, embroidered in gold, the coat of arms of the reigning pontiff.
The standard-bearer of Holy Roman Church, a hereditary office in the family of the marquises Patrizi Naro Montoro, had the rank and uniform of captain of the light horsemen and in the solemn papal cavalcades always proceeded between the two captains of the said guard. At present he possesses the rank and uniform of captain of the P. N. G. and forms part of the pontifical household together with the command of the P. N. G. The standard of Holy Roman Church is kept in the quarters of the P. N. G. in the Vatican Palace.
Bibliography4 works
Guglielmo Felici