The Vatican’s gardeners have a new tool for maintaining the papal grounds: a custom-designed electric lawn mower bearing the Holy See’s coat of arms. Source: CNA.
The specially commissioned model features leather-lined handles and was hand-assembled at the Swardman company’s facility in Šardice in the Czech Republic.
“It was an incredibly powerful experience full of humility and respect,” Jakub Dvořák, the company’s sales manager who personally presented the gift, said.
“The pontiff appreciated the Vatican’s coat of arms placed on the appliance, listened with interest as we explained how it functions, and thanked us very politely.”
The quiet, precision-cutting mower is destined for use in the Vatican Gardens or possibly at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, according to a press release from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which facilitated the presentation.
Founded in 2013, the company manufactures lawn care equipment that it describes as combining functionality with “timeless elegance” suited to historic settings.
The Czech Embassy to the Holy See played a key role in arranging the gift, which Mr Dvořák called “a moment of unmistakable magic.”
Vatican gardeners will put the electric mower to work maintaining the manicured lawns that provide green respite within the world’s smallest state.
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You heard of the popemobile, now meet the papal lawn mower (By Bohumil Petrík, CNA)
