Konstantinovsky Order of St. George

The Order of St. George belongs to the rank of the oldest Roman Catholic orders in Europe. The first mention of it is shrouded in a haze of legends. The establishment of the order in 317 is attributed to Emperor Constantine , although there is practically no historical data on this subject. Further, the existence of the order was due to the support of subsequent Byzantine emperors from the Comnenus family , in particular Andronicus I Comnenus (1183–1185), who considered Constantine to be his ancestor. After the overthrow and execution of Andronicus in 1185, the order was supported by representatives of the Angels dynasty , but this statement also needs to be checked more thoroughly.

A more strictly documented history of the order begins at the end of the 17th century , when in 1697 the Duke of Parma, Francesco Farnese (1678-1727) bought the rights to it from one of the last representatives of the Comnenus clan. In 1693, the brother of the Duke of Odoardo, who remained in history as Odoardo II Farnese , died , and Frasco took the throne of Parma. This Gallic city existed already in the II century BC. e. and was at that time a Roman colony. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was known as Chrysopolis (City of Gold). In the middle of the XIV century, the city ​​was annexed to the possessions of the Duke of Milan , and later to the papal possessions . In 1545, Pope Paul III transferred Parma with surrounding areas to his son, Pierre Luigi Farnese , who became the first Parma duke. The newly made duke was not born in a consecrated church marriage. Perhaps that is why his descendant, Frasco Farnese, needed an order whose history went back to Constantine the Great himself.

In the first half of the 18th century, the Farnese clan was cut short. Both the Duchy of Parma and the Order came under the control of the younger branch of the Spanish Bourbon line, who transferred it to the kingdom of Sicily and Naples.

The restoration of the independence of the Parma Duchy in 1815 doubled the order, as the former Queen of Etruria, who received this duchy, Maria Louise filed a claim for the order and proclaimed herself grandmaster, but in Naples did not show a desire to leave the order.

The unification of Italy deprived the Order of Constantine of all material wealth, but the Royal House of Bourbons of Sicily retained the title of Grand Master, since the Order is dynastic.

The Italian State formally recognized the legitimacy of the Order, and since 1963 allowed the citizens of Italy to wear its awards, which corresponds to Section 7 of Law 178 of March 3, 1951 . In addition, the Order is on the list of legal entities of the Office of the Neapolitan Tribunal. Italian citizens awarded the Order of the Cross can join the National Association of Konstantinovsky Cavaliers, which received the status of a legal entity with a decree of the President of the Republic of March 30, 1973 .

The insignia of the order, depending on the class, consist of a different set:

• the Knights of the Grand Cross - the badge of the order on a wide shoulder strap, a silver star on the left side of the chest. Order chain on special award. Orderly robe, consisting of a mantle and a headdress.
• the Knights of Merit - Commanders - the badge of the order on the neck ribbon.
• the Knights have the badge of the order on the chest ribbon.

The symbol of the order is a four-pointed equilateral lilac-shaped cross of red enamel with a gold rim. The image of George the Victorious, who strikes a serpent with a spear, could be depicted in the center of the cross, but more often in the form of a carved figure it is attached using a ring below the cross. Chrism is superimposed on the cross itself - a monogram of the name of Christ , on the sides of which the Greek letters "alpha" and "omega" . At the ends of the cross is the letter “IHSV”. They hint at the motto of the order: IN HOC SIGNO VINCES (“Win with the standard of banner”). The sign is crowned with a golden royal crown. With the help of the ring on top of the crown, the sign is attached to the order ribbon.

A silver star eight-pointed star formed by different-sized dihedral pointed beams. The order sign is superimposed on the center of the star.

The golden figurine of George also adorns the order of the chain of the Great Cross.

Order ribbon silk moire sky blue.

Cavaliers of the order can add its symbols to their personal emblem.

• All about the most famous orders of the world / S.Yu. Radelov . - Bestiary, 2013 .-- S. 58 .-- 112 p. - ISBN 978-609-456-049-1 .
• Spassky I.G. Foreign and Russian orders until 1917. - Dorval, Breeze, 1993. - 196 p. - ISBN 5-8308-0042-X .

• World awards
• Merit (inaccessible link)