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.
Pope Leo XIV received the white Electra 2.0 mower during a general audience in mid-November, a gift from Czech manufacturer Swardman.
The specially commissioned model features leather-lined handles and was hand-assembled at the company’s facility in Šardice, 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, told CNA. “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 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.
This article was originally published by CNA.
