Noble Guard (Vatican) of Hereditary Standard-Bearer, who was responsible for carrying the standard of the Catholic Church. After 1870, the Noble Guard, now reduced to a force of fewer than 70 men, performed mainly ceremonial duties as an honor guard. Guardsmen most commonly appeared in public when the pope presided over ceremonies in Saint Peter's Basilica. When the pope was carried in the sedia gestatoria, Noble Guards walked alongside the papal chair. During the hours reserved for papal audiences, guardsmen also stood in the antechamber of the papal apartments and, on formal occasions, on either side of the papal throne. During the Second
Ekaterina Sedia Ekaterina Sedia Ekaterina Sedia (born July 9, 1970) is a Russian fantasy writer. She immigrated to the United States and attended college in New Jersey to obtain her Ph.D. She is best known as a fantasy author. Her most famous work is "The Alchemy of Stone", a steampunk novel that examines sexism and class bigotry. Sedia's other novels include "The Secret History of Moscow", "According to Crow", and "The House of Discarded Dreams". She has also written several short fiction stories, poems, and nonfiction books. Several of her publications have been nominated for awards and/or have made a well-known reading