What Song Did The Swiss Guard March To After The Conclave?

On May 8, 2025, after fewer than two days of deliberation by cardinals assembled in Vatican City, over 1.4 billion Roman Catholics finally found out who would be their new pope. Amid the pomp and ceremony as Pope Leo XIV — the Chicago-born Robert Prevost — made his first public appearance at St. Peter's Basilica, there was a noticeable accompaniment: the famous and colorful Swiss Guard, led by a marching band.

While audiences were primarily focused on the identity of the new pope, revealed after the second day of conclave, some may have been curious as to what exactly that marching band was playing. As it turns out, just like almost every other country, Vatican City has a national anthem: The "Pontifical Anthem" or "Inno e Marcia Pontificale" (Italian for "Pontifical Anthem and March").

The "Pontifical Anthem" was the work of French composer Charles Gounod, who had come to prominence in the mid-1800s, and was first performed in 1869 to mark the 50th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's ordination. After some twists and turns as the Vatican settled into a modern state, albeit a small one, it was the "Inno e Marcia Pontificale" that became the de facto anthem played during major papal events, including that moment when Pope Leo XIV first raised his arms as the first North American pope.

The Catholic church can trace its roots back some 2,000 years to the days of Jesus, so the speedy adoption of new ideas is not something that comes naturally to its organization. It may not come as much surprise that, despite Charles Gounod's (pictured above) "Pontifical March" being extremely well-received on its debut in 1869, it was not adopted by the Vatican as its official tune until 1950, some 81 years later.

However, what the Vatican lacked in pace was more than made up for with ceremony. The previous anthem was a composition by Viktorin Hallmayr, an Austrian composer who also directed a military band based in Rome, and had been the official anthem since 1857. On Christmas Eve 1949, the old "Pontifical Anthem" was played in San Damaso courtyard, which adjoins St. Peter's Basilica, along with an announcement that it was to be replaced with the 81-year-old "newer" entry by Gounod.

It is worth noting that despite its name, the "Pontifical Anthem" is not considered by the Vatican to be a national anthem. Nonetheless, it is certainly treated like one: it is played during the raising of the Vatican flag, whenever the pope receives heads of state (along with their own respective national anthem), and during the many visits the pope makes overseas.