After the official creation of the Papal Zouaves on January 1, 1861. The 600 man battalion swore a solemn oath to defend the Papal States. The oath ceremony took place on January 10, 1861 at St. John Lateran in Rome.
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The Papal Zouave chaplain Fr. Daniel administered the oath to the Zouaves. He said to them
"So far you have committed yourself individually but today all together we want to solemnly swear fidelity to God, to His service, to the Church and her rights. To it's kingly head,
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temporal prince, spiritual head. We promise to defend his rights and die rather than abandon them cowardly. For my part gentleman in the presence of this battalion which I respect and love in the presence of God and the Church,
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I swear to remain always faithful to the Church, to her doctrine, and to her rights. I say this oath out of complete fidelity and devotion to serve you and for the salvation of your souls. Now I will hear your oath."
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The formula of the Papal Zouave solemn oath.
"I swear to Almighty God to be obedient and faithful to my sovereign, the Roman Pontiff, our very Holy Father, Pope Pius IX and his legitimate successors.
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I swear to serve him with honor and fidelity and to sacrifice my life for the defense of his august and sacred person, for the support of his sovereignty and for the maintenance of his rights.
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I swear not to belong to any civil or religious sect, to any secret society or corporation, whatever they might be, having for its direct or indirect goal to offend the Catholic religion and to corrupt society.
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I swear to not join any sect or society condemned by the decrees of the Roman Pontiffs.
I swear also to the very good and great God to not have any direct or indirect communication with the enemies, whoever they might be, of religion and the Roman Pontiffs.
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I swear all of this on the holy Gospel, so help me God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, so be it"
Immediately after the oath was said the Officers raised their swords and arms were presented by the battalion. Thus the Church had new protectors
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Bl. Pope Pius IX,
Pray for us!
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Born in Vihiers (Anjou) on May 4, 1845. He came from a Legitimist family of soldiers and magistrates. He joined the Papal Zouaves in 1866 and was placed in the 5th company of the 2nd Battalion of Pontifical Zoauves.
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During the 1867 defense of the Papal States he fought in the battle of Mentana on Nov. 3, 1867. Colonel Athanase de Charette, commander of the Papal Zouave Regiment
commented on Brunon's "finesse and his vivacity of mind" and how
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he distinguished himself on the battlefield "by his courage and his ability to quickly gather relevant information about the positions of the enemies of the Holy See".
For his service during the campaign he earned the Fidei et Virtuti and Benemerenti medals.
Today marks the one year anniversary of Papal Zouave History🇻🇦🧵
Thanks to your support, I reached 5k followers in this first year and was able to promote the history of the Papal Zouaves to many who've never heard of them
I'd like to reflect on why I started this account
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This picture encompasses the reason I wanted to make this account.
It is of a monument in the cemetery next to St. Lorenzo outside the walls in Rome. The monument commemorates the Papal Zouaves who fought at the Battle of Mentana on November 3rd 1867.
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The battle pushed back Garibaldi and his army of revolutionary Red Shirts that were hellbent on destroying the temporal power of Bl. Pius IX. Thanks to the bravery and piety of the Zouaves, the Pontifical Army was victorious. The Papal States persisted for another 3 years.
The Papal Zouave origins of the "Stop" Sacred Heart shield🇻🇦🧵
While the Sacred Heart badge has it's origin among the Vendéan soldiers, a different version with the inscription "Stop! the Heart of Jesus is here!" first started with the Papal Zouaves.
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The Papal Zouaves were a unit of pius soldiers who came from across Christendom to defend the Papal States and Bl. Pope Pius IX during the Italian unification wars from 1860-1870.
The story goes that a mother of a Papal Zouave embroided on a cloth shield the image of the
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Sacred Heart of Jesus with flames, crown of thorns and Cross just as was seen by the visionary St. Margaret Alacoque. The mother hung the shield around the neck of her pius son before he left to join the unit.
On this day 229 years ago, Jan. 28, 1794. Henri de La Rochejaquelein, the Commander-in-Chief of the Catholic and Royal Army was killed during the War in the Vendée when a Republican soldier pretended to surrender and then shot him.
A short thread on his life and the war🧵
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Born in 1772, La Rochejaquelein was an experienced soldier. He joined the Royal Polish Regiment, in 1787 and the Flanders regiment of chasseurs in 1789. In March 1792, he became an officer of the Constitutional Guard, they were charged with protecting King Louis XVI.
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His first fight against the revolutionaries occurred while he was defending the Tuileries Palace during the Aug. 10, 1792 attack. The King was arrested a few days later. After which La Rochejaquelein returned to his home province.
On this day 230 years ago, Jan. 21, 1793.
French King Luis XVI was unjustly executed by the revolutionary French government.
A few months later, faithful Catholics rose up in the Vendée region in France to oppose the revolutionary government. These Counter-Revolutionary
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soldiers were ardent defenders of the Sacred Heart and King. They sought to restore both altar and throne. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful.
However, their fidelity to faith and monarchy was passed down to their ancestors. 70 years later, many of them went
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to the Papal States and joined the Pontifical army as Papal Zouaves to defend Bl. Pope Pius IX against Italian revolutionaries who sought to unify Italy.
For example, Papal Zouave General Athanase de Charette was the great nephew of Vendéen General François de Charette.
In honor of Texas Confederate Heroes Day today, I am reposting a past thread on the relations between the Papal States, Bl. Pius IX, and the Confederacy🇻🇦🧵
In the summer of 1863, Bl. Pius IX sent a joint letter to the archbishops of New Orleans and New York expressing
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his desire for peace and prayers for them to work towards ending the Civil War.
In response Confederate President Jefferson Davis sent an Ambassador, Dudley Mann to Rome with a letter he had written to Bl. Pius IX. The Pope recieved Mann warmly and held an audience for him
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According to Mann
"His Holiness stated, after I had taken my stand near to his side, that he had been so afflicted by the horrors of the war in America that many months ago he had written to the Archbishops at New Orleans and New York to use all the influence that they