Besides conferring knighthood, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre grants three honorary decorations as marks of distinction: the “Palm of the order,” “the Cross of Merit” which can also be bestowed on non-Catholics, and the “Pilgrim’s Shell” which is given to those knights and dames of the order who visit the Holy Land.
The creation of knights and dames of the order is reserved to the cardinal grand master who transmits the diploma to the secretariate of state of His Holiness for the visa and the seal. The patriarch of Jerusalem, who is the grand prior of the order, has also the right of nomination, but this right is limited to the canons of the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and persons residing in the territory of the patriarchate. Moreover, the patriarch must notify the grand master of these nominations and the latter then grants the diploma.
The order is divided into several chapters; in the United States there are two lieutenancies.
The religious character of the knightly order of the Holy Sepulchre comes to the fore not only in the description of its objective and the required qualifications of its members, but also in the ceremonial investiture of the newly elected knights which was approved by the Congregation of Sacred Rites, Aug. 24, 1945. This ceremony combines a profession of faith with the ancient ritual used for the dubbing of knighthood. The candidates do not take monastic vows but promise to live an upright Christian life in accordance with the commandments of God and the precepts of the Church, in absolute fealty to the Supreme Pontiff, as true soldiers of Christ.
The Pontifical Orders of Knighthood, in contrast with the other ecclesiastical orders heretofore mentioned, are directly dependent on the Pope and membership in them is bestowed by the Holy See. They are, in decreasing order of rank, the Order of Christ, the Order of the Golden Spur, the Order of Pius, the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, and the Order of Saint Sylvester, Pope.
That of the Order of Christ can with certainty trace its origin back to the age of chivalry; and in all probability that of the Golden Spur. The last three, in their present status, are of more recent date, the Order of Pius and of St. Gregory being founded in the last century, whereas the present order of St. Sylvester was established in the beginning of this century.
All of them are secular orders of merit, even though the ritual of investiture followed by the Order of Christ contains some elements that are reminiscent of the ancient religious order from which it descends.
All matters concerning the bestowal, registration, legislation and description of emblems, badges and uniforms of the pontifical orders are handled by the chancery of the orders of knighthood which functions under the “Secretaria a Brevibus Apostolicis Literis,” a section of the Papal Secretariate of State.
The very exclusive Orders of Christ and of the Golden Spur have only one degree, that of knights. The other three, at present, consist of three degrees or classes of which the second class is subdivided: (1) Grand Cross Knights; (2) Commanders with plaque and Commanders; (3) Knights. The first wear the cross of the respective order hanging from the grand cordon, that is to say a large ribbon in the colors of the respective orders passing from the right shoulder over the breast to the left side of the body. Besides, the members of this class are entitled to theplaque, an ornamental brooch in the form of a radiating star surrounding the emblem of the order to be worn on thechest. The knights commanders wear the cross of the order on a ribbon around the neck; the first degree commanders are entitled to aplaqueof minor dimensions; those of the second degree do not enjoy this privilege. The class of the knights wear the cross on a small ribbon pinned on the left chest of the uniform or suit.
To the question why the Papacy bestows these decorations, the answer is given by a Pope who certainly disapproved of any vanity or show but who nevertheless recognized the value of such decorations, namely St. Pius X. In the preamble to the BriefMultum ad excitandos(Feb. 7, 1905)[30]in which he reorganized the Orders of Christ, of the Golden Spur and of St. Sylvester, the holy pontiff makes this statement: “Multum ad excitandos ad egregia facinora hominum animos, praemia virtuti reddita valent, quae dum ornant egregios bene de re sacra vel publica meritos viros, ceteros exemplo rapiunt ad idem laudis honorisque spatium decurrendum.” And his predecessor, Pius IX, in the BriefRomanis Pontificibus(June 17, 1847),[31]declared that orders of knighthood “are not instituted to encourage vanity and ambition, but solely to reward virtue and outstanding merits.”[32]
Saint Pius X in his BriefMultum ad excitandos, mentioned above, decreed that the Supreme Order of Christ is to be considered the highest ranking of all Pontifical Orders. It looks almost like an ironical twist of history when we recall that the highest decoration granted by the Pope at the present day proves to derive from a religious order which one of the Pope’s predecessors suppressed in the fourteenth century.
The Order of Christ was founded in the year 1318, but since it is a continuation—under a different name—of the Order of the Templars, it goes as far back as 1119. In all probability this makes the Order of Christ the oldest order of knighthood in theworld. We say, in all probability, for there is quite a controversy about the prior antiquity of the Order of the Temple or that of the Hospital. The most likely answer seems to be that the Order of the Hospital antedates the former by a few years, inasmuch as the Hospitallers were organized in the year 1112. However, at first they were an order of charity and only gradually did they develop into a military order during the reign of the second master, Raymond du Puy (1120-60), whereas the Templars were organized from the outset as a military order. For that reason the Temple can be said to be the prototype of all orders of knighthood.
Although the leaders of the first Crusade had defeated the infidels in the Holy Land and captured Jerusalem, July 15, 1099, still many bands of Saracens were left which held several mountain strongholds and were roving around the countryside, harassing the Christian pilgrims on their way to the holy places. In view of this state of affairs, Hugh de Payns, a knight from Champagne, in 1119, twenty years after the capture of Jerusalem, gathered around him in that city seven companions and formed with these knights a religious community. In contrast with the ordinary religious groups, this community had a special character, for the knights not only took the usual vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, but they added a fourth vow of a decidedly military nature. In virtue of this vow the knights became a kind of transport troops, providing the Christian pilgrims with police escort. Later, the vow assumed a more general character, namely that of defending the Holy Land. The knights called themselvesMilites Christi, soldiers of Christ, but because their first Convent was a part of the palace of the king of Jerusalem, which was supposed to have been built close by the place where once Solomon’s temple stood, they became traditionally known as the Knights of the Temple, or the Templars.
In the first few years of their existence, they followed the Augustinian rule, but later adopted a rule written for them by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the great promoter of the second crusade and admirer of the Templar’s ideal. This rule was based on the rule of the Cistercians but adapted to the way of life of the knights. Because of this connection with St. Bernard’s order, the knights wore over their armature a white mantle to which Pope Eugenius III added a red cross. The members of the Templewere divided into three classes: the knights, the sergeants-at-arms and priests who acted as chaplains for the order.
In the space allotted it is not possible to discuss in detail the development, the activities and the decline of the Templars. They proved themselves real heroes in the battles against the enemies of the Cross, although at times they were imprudent and reckless, and needlessly sacrificed their men. Occasionally, they were in arms against their Christian brothers, especially the Hospitallers of St. John. They had the reputation of being proud, even to the point of arrogance. Great wealth they accumulated, but—unlike the Hospitallers—they were little engaged in works of charity and thus left themselves open to charges of selfishness and greed as launched against them by their enemies.
After the fall of Acre (1291) the Templars gave up the fight against the Crescent. The Knights of St. John kept on fighting at sea while the “Soldiers of Christ” (Knights Templar) retired to Western Europe, and became bankers as well as financial administrators of kings and merchants.
These financial enterprises—so different from the original objectives as envisaged by St. Bernard—did not last long. Twenty-one years after they had left the Orient, the Templars were suppressed on April 3, 1312, by Pope Clement V who acted under pressure from the French king Philip the Fair. The merits of the trial, in which the charges against the Templars were weighed is still a matter of debate among historians, the majority of whom, however, believe that these charges were false in general. There is the curious note that the Pope in his formula of suppression stated that the act of extinction was not to be taken as a condemnation of the Templars; also, that Philip the Fair had the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, burned at the stake (March 18, 1314), before the three cardinals whom the Pope had ordered to investigate his case had a chance to bring the trial to an end. It is true, nonetheless, that the Order of the Templars outlived its usefulness for the Church—except in Portugal and Spain.[33]
That exception was to have far-flung consequences. The Templars in Portugal and Spain had not become mere bankers, but still lived up to the purpose for which they were founded, namelythe fight against the infidel. Hence, King Denis I of Portugal—husband of St. Elizabeth—and James II of Aragon were quite satisfied with the services of the Templars in their countries and refused to believe the charges of idolatry and heresy brought against them. They therefore failed to obey the directives of the papal decree of suppression. Of course, they could not possibly allow the Templars to continue under their old name, for such a flagrant act of disobedience might well have merited excommunication. In their countries, they allowed the Templars to reorganize as a new military order of knighthood. Thus the Order of Christ came into existence in Portugal (1318) and the Order of Our Lady of Monteza in Spain; the latter was used for the defense of the coastal areas against the Saracens.[34]
One year after King Denis had established the Order of Christ and had assigned them the defense of Algarvia, a portion of his kingdom then threatened by the Moors, the Pope gave his blessing to the “new” institution. John XXII, successor of Clement V, in the ConstitutionAd ea, e quibusof March 14, 1319[35]gave the approbation, stipulating that the Knights of Christ should assume the rule of the Cistercians—as the Templars had done—but, in addition, should follow some of the customs then in vogue in the Order of Calatrava. Besides, the Pope gave them all the properties of “the erstwhile Order of the Temple” (Ordo quondam Templi).
The vicissitudes of the Order of Christ in Portugal do not concern us here. Suffice it to say that they followed the usual pattern. The knights assisted the kings in their fight against the Moors, had their inevitable quarrels about jurisdictions and possessions and lost their religious character before the close of the 15th century. In 1499 Alexander VI freed them from their solemn vows and allowed them to marry. Eventually, the Order of Christ, like the other military orders in Portugal, became an order of merit. When the Republic was proclaimed in 1910, the order was abolished, but was re-established in 1918, with the President of the Republic assuming the office of grand master.
Of more importance is that the Order of Christ entered into an intimate relationship with the papacy. When John XXII approved the Order of Christ, he did so with the proviso that the Holy See had the right to appoint knights of that order. This regulation has been interpreted in a two-fold way. Some historians hold that there was originally only one order of which the Pope was the real head and that the kings of Portugal were his hereditary lieutenants in that kingdom. Others, however, believe that ever since 1319 there were two distinct Orders of Christ, one Portuguese and one Pontifical. The fact is that the Popes, since the time of John XXII, have conferred the knighthood of Christ. Besides, the Popes introduced a new element in the concept of knighthood. Instead of creating the knights by the usual ceremony of dubbing, the Pope appointed them by “letters patent,” that is to say by issuing a decree whereby he conferred the rights and privileges of the knighthood upon those he designated. The purpose of the papal Order of Christ was the defense of the interests of the Holy See. It was throughout most of its history quite exclusive.
Pope St. Pius X in the BriefMultum ad excitandosdecreed not only that the Order of Christ is the highest Pontifical order of knighthood but also specified with greater precision its insignia and the uniform of the members. The former consists in a red Latin cross surrounding a white cross and surmounted by a crown, pending from a double golden chain, an ornamental brooch, called the “plaque” or star and a sword. The uniform consists of a red tunic, white trousers and a white mantle.
The Pontifical Order of Christ consists of one class only: membership is reserved mostly to sovereigns and heads of state. In the year 1954 there were, according to theAnnuario Pontificio, only five Knights of the Order of Christ in the world.
Although the Pontifical Order of Christ is an order of merit, its ancient religious origin is reflected in the fact that its members must be Catholic, and also in its ritual of investiture. After receiving the apostolic Brief of nomination (letters patent), the new knight presents himself with two witnesses before a cardinal of his choice or, if that is not possible, before the bishop of his diocese to whom he shows the Brief. He promises obedience to His Holiness the Pope and recites the profession of faith, whereuponthe presiding dignitary invests him with the collar of the order.
In the Middle Ages, the spur was the symbol of knighthood, and in that sense all knights could be said to belong to the “Order of the Spur.” When the Order of the Golden Spur was established is unknown. Pope St. Pius X in his BriefMultum ad excitandosmaintains that it is among the oldest orders of knighthood and refers to the tradition which would have Pope St. Sylvester (314-35) the founder: “Neminem latet Ordinem Militiae auratae, sive ab aureo calcari, inter vetustissimos jure esse enumerandum: Constantino enim Magno Imperatore, Silvester PP. I sanctae memoriae decessor Noster, auctor illius fuisse dicitur.” Be that as it may, the Pope expresses regret that in the course of time “the order has lost its ancient splendor and dignity because of human weaknesses and the vicissitudes of the times.”
In the 16th century, for one thing, the right to confer this knighthood was no longer reserved to the Holy See. In 1539 Paul III Farnese (1534-49) granted high dignitaries of the papal court and the Roman princely families the privilege of conferring the Golden Spur. From that time on the order was so freely bestowed that it fell into disrepute.
To make matters worse, one of the Medici Popes, Pius IV (1559-65), decreed that membership of the Golden Spur entailed automatically the personal title of Roman Count for the titulary and hereditary nobility for his descendents. All this depreciated not only the distinctiveness of the Order of the Golden Spur but also of the Roman nobility.
Additional confusion was created when the Knights of the Golden Spur began to wear the coveted eight-pointed white cross of the Knights of the Order of Jerusalem. Pope Benedict XIV by a Brief of Sept. 7, 1747, abolished this abuse and ordered that the badge of the Order of the Golden Spur be an octagonal gilded cross with a small spur hanging from it.
At long last Pope Gregory XVI took the reformation of the Golden Spur in hand—a reformation which proved to be quite radical. In a BriefCum hominum mentesof Oct. 31, 1841,[36]thePope practically suppressed the Order of the Golden Spur and established in its place the Order of St. Sylvester, presumably the founder of the old order. In remembrance of the latter, the Pope decreed that the accompanying title of the new order beMilitia Aurata. The Pope reserved the right of conferring this new knighthood to the Holy See exclusively, revoking all delegated rights once given by his predecessors and abolished the privilege of conferring nobility. The membership of the order was reduced to 150 commanders and 300 knights and confined within the Papal States.
In 1905 another radical change occurred in the history of the Golden Spur. Pope St. Pius X by the BriefMultum ad excitandosseparated the Order of the Golden Spur from that of St. Sylvester, making them two distinct orders from that time on.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the restoredMilitia Auratawas put under the protection of the Immaculate Mother of Christ. Moreover, Pius ordered that the gilded cross of the order should in its centre carry a medal with a crowned monogram of Mary. This cross hangs from a trophy which in turn is attached to a red ribbon with white edgings to be worn around the neck. The knights also wear a plaque in the form of a silver star on which the same cross and medal are superimposed; their uniform is a red tunic and black trousers.
Pope Pius emphatically reiterated that membership does not entail personal nobility and still less hereditary nobility. The order comprises only one class, namely that of knights. The number of knights may not exceed 100, “lest the honor be decreased by too large a number,” as the Brief states. Actually, in 1954, there were only ten Knights of the Golden Spur in the entire world. This knighthood is conferred upon men, “qui vel armis, vel scriptis, vel praeclaris operibus rem catholicam auxerint, et Ecclesiam Dei virtute tutarint, aut doctrina illustraverint.” Membership is not limited to Catholics; the sentence just quoted leaves sufficient room for the candidacy of non-Catholics, inasmuch as they, too, may help the cause of Catholicism, as in signing a concordat with the Church or by giving freedom to the Catholic missions. In fact, four out of the ten existing knights are non-Catholics: one Greek Orthodox and three Mohammedans, among them the Shah of Iran.[37]
The Order of Pius is the third in rank of the Pontifical Orders of Knighthood. It was erected by Pope Pius IX by the BriefRomanis Pontificibus, and was called after the founder, but also to honor the memory of Pius IV (1559-65) who in 1559 had instituted an Ordo Pianus. Since the latter had ceased to exist in the course of time, the order established by Pius IX could not be considered a continuation of it. However, the Pope stated specifically that he wished to “revive the ancient appellation introduced by his predecessor.”
The order consisted of two degrees: knights of the first and knights of the second class. At the moment of nomination, they received title to personal nobility; in the case of the knights of the first class, the title was transmissible to their sons. The decoration of the order is an eight-pointed blue star surrounding a medal with the inscription “Pius IX” and “Virtuti et Merito”; the reverse bears the date of the foundation of the order, 1847. The decoration hangs from a blue ribbon with red edgings. The uniform is blue. The knights of the second degree were to wear the emblem on the left chest, those of the first degree had the privilege to wear it hanging from a blue ribbon around the neck. The latter could also wear a silver emblem similar to the badge but of larger dimensions on the left chest; only, however, after obtaining the special and expressed authorization of the Holy See.
Several of the stipulations made by Pius IX were changed within the next hundred years. One might speak of these changes as the story of theminutiaeof an order of knighthood. In the first place there was the plaque. Two years after the founding of his order, Pius IX issued at Gaeta, in exile, the BriefCum hominum mentes(June 17, 1849), wherein he ordered that from that date on all knights of the first class enjoyed the privilege of the emblem, but that a special permission of the Holy See was needed to wear a jewelled emblem. Moreover, knights of the first class should no longer wear the star of the order pendent from a collar around the neck, but from the grand cordon. This rule made them Knights of the Grand Cross.
By the BriefIn ipsoof Nov. 11, 1856, issued from the palace of the Quirinal, Pope Pius IX extended the number of degreesto three: (1) Knights of the Grand Cross, wearing the grand cordon emblem; (2) Knights of the Second Class or Commanders, wearing the collar; (3) Knights of the Third Class, wearing the emblem on a small ribbon on the chest.
Pope Pius X in his BriefMultum ad excitandosreintroduced the famous emblem and instituted an intermediary degree by dividing the commanders into two classes: those with the emblem and those without.
Finally, Pope Pius XII in the BriefLitteris suisissued at St. Peter’s, Nov. 11, 1939,[38]abolished the title to nobility of all knights to be nominated in the future. In giving the reason for this rule, the Pope reiterated the words of his predecessor, namely that the order was not instituted to encourage vanity and ambition, but only to reward personal merit.
In the United States probably the best known of all the Pontifical Orders of Knighthood is the Order of St. Gregory, although it was originally instituted to honor the citizens of the erstwhile Papal States. When the energetic general of the Camaldulese became Pope under the name of Gregory XVI (1830-46), the Papal States were frequently troubled with political uprisings. In suppressing these rebellious movements, the Pope was aided not only by Austrian troops but also by many of his own faithful subjects.
To honor those who had distinguished themselves in the defense of the temporal power of the Holy See, Gregory erected an order of knighthood which he named after the first Pope who bore his own name, Saint Gregory I (590-604), and who is considered by several historians as the real founder of the temporal power of the Popes. However, the BriefQuod summis quibusque, issued at St. Mary Major (Sept. 1, 1831), whereby Gregory XVI erected this new pontifical order, does not restrict its membership explicitly to his own subjects, but extends it to those persons who have shown “incontrovertible loyalty to the Holy See,” and to those who have distinguished themselves by their virtue and piety, by their social position, by the zeal evidencedin fulfilling high office, or, in general, by the excellent reputation in which they are held.
The Pope decreed that the emblem of the order should be an eight-pointed red cross, having a little white medal in the center engraved with a picture of Saint Gregory the Great, the reverse of the medal carrying the mottoPro Deo et Principe. The cross hangs from a red ribbon with yellow borders, the colors of the order.
As originally instituted the order consisted of four degrees: (1) the Knights Grand Cross of the first class, who wore the cross on the grand cordon, and who were also entitled to wear a large cross in the form of a jewelled star on the chest; (2) Knights Grand Cross of the second class, who wore the same large ribbon but only a small single plaque on the left chest; (3) Knights Commanders whose cross hung from a ribbon around the neck; (4) Knights who wore the cross on the left chest.
In the BriefCum amplissimo honorum, issued at St. Peter’s, May 30, 1834, Pope Gregory reduced the order to three degrees. The two degrees of Knights Grand Cross were combined and the right to wear a jewelled emblem required special permission from the Holy See. This decree also specified the maximum number of Knights of St. Gregory for the residents of the Papal States. The Knights Grand Cross should be no more than 30, the Commanders no more than 70, the Knights no more than 300. However, the Pope reserved the right to nominate also persons residing outside the Pontifical States; the number of these nominees was unlimited.
There are two classes of Gregorian Knights, a civilian and military.[39]The difference is that the former wear the cross hanging from a green crown of laurel, whereas the latter have the cross hanging from a trophy. It is interesting to note that neither of the two documents issued by Gregory XVI says a word about a special uniform for the Knights of St. Gregory. The green uniform was later prescribed by Pope Pius IX.
This order—as we saw previously—was instituted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1841 to replace the Order of the Golden Spur,but since the name of “Militia Aurata” was perpetuated, the order was spoken of as a combination of the two. In 1905 Pope St. Pius X “separated” the two orders and made the Order of Saint Sylvester the lowest ranking of the Pontifical Orders of Knighthood.
The order has three degrees, the second being subdivided into two classes: Knights of the Grand Cross; Knight Commanders with and without emblem; simple Knights. The emblem is an eight-pointed white cross with a medal of St. Sylvester in the center, the reverse side of the medal bearing the dates 1841-1905 in Roman figures to commemorate the order’s founding by Gregory XVI and its renovation by St. Pius X. The emblem is a silver star with the cross of the order superimposed. The colors of the grand cordon, collar and ribbon on which the cross hangs, according to the different degrees, are three bands of red and two of black. The uniform of the order is black.
The decorations bestowed by the Holy See at the present time are the Cross “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” and the medal “Benemerenti.” These decorations do not confer knighthood upon the recipient, but are medals of honor (distintivi di onore) given to both men and women who merit public token of gratitude from the Pope for their services. The conferring takes place by means of a diploma issued from the Secretariate of State.
Pope Leo XIII instituted this cross by the Apostolic LetterQuod singulari Dei concessuof July 17, 1888,[40]to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Originally it was intended to reward those persons who had distinguished themselves in organizing the Vatican exposition in which were exhibited the gifts which Leo had received from every part of the world on the occasion of his golden jubilee. Later, the bestowal was extended to those who were eminent in their devotion toward the Church and the Papacy. The cross was initially issued in three degrees, gold, silver and bronze; Pope St. Pius X in 1908 decreed that the cross should come only in gold. The four arms of the cross are decorated with a comet and in between thearms are found four lilies: these embellishments are meant to recall the coat of arms of the Pecci family from which Leo derived. In the center of the cross is placed a medal bearing the bust of the founding Pope with the inscription “Leo XIII, P.M. Ann. X” (the tenth year of Leo’s pontificate). The medal bears on the reverse side the tiara and the papal keys with the inscription “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.” On the reverse side of the arms of the cross are found these words “Prid. Cal. Ian. 1888.” The cross hangs from a red, white, and yellow ribbon, to be worn on the left chest.
This is the name of a series of medals issued by several Popes in order to reward distinguished services at special occasions. Pius VIII was the first to grant such a Benemerenti medal. The practice was continued by Gregory XVI in 1831 when he had a medal coined to reward those of his subjects who had shown themselves particularly faithful to the Pope during that troublesome year. Pope Pius IX did the same in gratitude to the soldiers who fought for him during the revolution of 1848 and 1849. St. Pius X, too, issued in 1910 a Benemerenti medal which was preferably granted for military services. A special medal is given to the Palatine guards after some years of faithful service. Pius XI created a Benemerenti medal to remunerate persons as well as groups who distinguished themselves in the organization of the Holy Year 1925 and of the missionary exhibition which was held in the Vatican in the same year.
Besides these special medals there is a Benemerenti medal of a more general character. It comes in gold, silver and bronze and it bears the effigy and the name of the reigning Pope, and on the reverse side a crown of laurel and the letter “B” (“Benemerenti”). The medal hangs from a yellow ribbon edged with white, to be worn on the left chest.
Hardly an institution in the world today has the equivalent of honors parallel to that of the Roman Catholic Church. In an age when initiative and ability tend to become lost in the overwhelming social changes that are so universal, these honors stand out as another instance of the timelessness of that Church. They salvage values and ideals from the past. Chivalry is more than romance; it is one of the graces of human dignity. Those whowould spurn the past cannot build the future. These honors are enshrined in a morality and code that is rooted in the love and charity of Christ made visible through human compassion and effort. They envision the kingdom of heaven as their perspective quite in the way of the parable Our Lord so earnestly preached when He tenderly uttered the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Teutonic OrderBlack cross with white borders, black ribbon.
Teutonic OrderBlack cross with white borders, black ribbon.
Order of the Holy SepulchreRed cross of Godfrey de Bouillon, military trophy, black ribbon.
Order of the Holy SepulchreRed cross of Godfrey de Bouillon, military trophy, black ribbon.
Order of MaltaGrand Cross of Professed Bailiff: White cross, crown, military trophy and black ribbon with two gold designs, representing crown of thorns.
Order of MaltaGrand Cross of Professed Bailiff: White cross, crown, military trophy and black ribbon with two gold designs, representing crown of thorns.
Order of CalatravaRed Cross fleury.Order of AlcantaraGreen cross fleury.Order of MontezaRed Cross and black fleur-de-lis.
Order of CalatravaRed Cross fleury.Order of AlcantaraGreen cross fleury.Order of MontezaRed Cross and black fleur-de-lis.
Order of SantiagoLily-hilted sword in red.
Order of SantiagoLily-hilted sword in red.
Order of the Golden SpurGold cross with golden spur pendent from it, white medal, military trophy, red ribbon bordered with white.
Order of the Golden SpurGold cross with golden spur pendent from it, white medal, military trophy, red ribbon bordered with white.
Order of St. GregoryCivil division: red cross, blue medallion, golden crown, oak leaves, red ribbon with orange borders.
Order of St. GregoryCivil division: red cross, blue medallion, golden crown, oak leaves, red ribbon with orange borders.
Order of St. SylvesterWhite cross on gold rays, medal of St. Sylvester, ribbon with five strands, three red, two black.
Order of St. SylvesterWhite cross on gold rays, medal of St. Sylvester, ribbon with five strands, three red, two black.
Order of ChristWhite Latin cross, imposed on red cross, crown, military trophy and golden chain.
Order of ChristWhite Latin cross, imposed on red cross, crown, military trophy and golden chain.
Order of PiusEight-pointed blue star, white medallion, rays of golden flames, blue ribbon bordered with red.
Order of PiusEight-pointed blue star, white medallion, rays of golden flames, blue ribbon bordered with red.
Pro Ecclesia et PontificeGold cross, fleur-de-lis, medal with image of Leo XIII, purple ribbon with white and yellow line on each border.
Pro Ecclesia et PontificeGold cross, fleur-de-lis, medal with image of Leo XIII, purple ribbon with white and yellow line on each border.
Benemerenti MedalGold, silver or bronze medal with image of reigning Pontiff, yellow ribbon edged with white.
Benemerenti MedalGold, silver or bronze medal with image of reigning Pontiff, yellow ribbon edged with white.
Lateran CrossGold or silver cross, medallions of the Saviour, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle, red ribbon with two blue stripes.
Lateran CrossGold or silver cross, medallions of the Saviour, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle, red ribbon with two blue stripes.
[1]The American Ecclesiastical Review, XXXVII (1907), 497-503, carried an article by Joseph J. Murphy under the title, “Pontifical Decorations,” as they were reorganized by Pope Pius X. In the same volume (pp. 324-26) a correspondent criticized the Pope for being “exceedingly lavish in his bestowal” of knighthood and other such honors and he felt that the spirit of a republican community “is entirely against their bestowal.” Three years later (“Roman Curial Honors and American Republican Sentiment,”AER, XLII [1910], 341-44), another (or the same?) correspondent expressed the conviction that the Papal appointments to “knights, marquises, monsignori and the like ... are entirely out of place in America and even contrary to the spirit of our people, if not also to the letter of the Constitution.” In both cases the editor’s equivocal comment left no doubt that he wished to run with the hares and hold with the hounds, and his statement that “such decorations as go with these titles are of much the same character as the secret society emblems and titles used in our numerous American fraternities” was, if not startling, at least amusing.[2]Pio Paschini, “Ordini Equestri,”Enciclopedia Cattolica, IX, col. 252.[3]Cf. Wm. F. Stadelman, “The Royal Order of the Saint Esprit” (AER, LIV [1916], 641-61). There was an older Order of the Holy Ghost, established in Naples in 1352 by Louis of Taranto, but it hardly survived the death of its founder. Cf. Stadelman, “The Knights of the Holy Ghost of the Good Intention” (AER, LIV [1914], 652-69).[4]F. Giraud,Le Bienheureux Gérard(Aix, 1919); Carlo Guarmani,Gli Italiani in Terra Santa, reminiscenze e ricerche storiche(Bologna, 1872), pp. 28-29. E. J. King,The Knights Hospitallers in the Holy Land(London: Methuen, 1939, p. 20), says that the theory that Gerard’s surname was Tonce or that he hailed from Tonco is based on “the error of some copyist of a Latin text, who seeing the words ‘Gerardus tunc’ mistook the adverb for a surname.”[5]See C. Fedeli,L’ordine di Malta e le scienze mediche(Pisa, 1913); Hans Karl von Zwehl,Ueber die Caritas im Johanniter-Malteser Orden seit seiner Gründung(Essen: Fredebeul und Koenen, 1929); Edgar Erskine Hume,Medieval Work of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1940).[6]For a description of the provincial organization of the Hospitallers see Elizabeth Wheeler Schermerhorn,On the Trail of the Eight-pointed Cross(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1940).[7]A. Bosio,Les vies des Saints de l’Ordre de St. Jean de Jéruzalem(Paris: Baudoin, 1631); Mathieu de Goussancourt,Martyrologe des Chevaliers de St. Jean, dits de Malte, 2 vols. (Paris: F. Noel, 1643).[8]E. Rossi,Riassunto storico del S. M. Ordine San Giovanni in Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta(Rome, 1926); C. Bottarelli-M. Monterisi,Storia politica e militare del Sovrano Ordine di S. Giovanni di Gerusalemme, 2 Vols. (Milan, 1940); Giacomo C. Bascapé, “Historic Summary of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem and Malta,” in:The Official General Roll of the Grand Magistery(Milan: Ciarrocca, 1949), pp. 17-61.[9]For this period see Edwin J. King,The Knights Hospitallers in the Holy Land(London: Methuen, 1930).[10]Hans Prutz, “Die Anfänge der Hospitaler auf Rhodes,”Sitzungsbericht der Königlichen Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Jg. 1908, Abh. 1.[11]Giacomo C. Bascapé,L’ordine Sovrano di Malta e gli Ordini Equestri della Chiesa nella storia e nel diritto(Milan, 1941).[12]Michel de Pierredon,Histoire politique de l’Ordre Souverain des Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jéruzalem, dit de Malta, depuis la chute de Malte jusqu’à nos jours(Poitiers: Imprimérie du Poiton, 1926).[13]E. Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, “Lineamenti dell’organizzazione regionale e della funzione assistenziale dell’Ordine,” in:Studi in onore di C. Calisse(Milan, 1939).[14]For an excellent survey in five languages of the division, degrees, emblems and uniforms of the order see Rudolf Prokopowski,Ordre Souverain et Militaire Jéroselymitain de Malte(Vatican City: Éditions “Ecclesia,” 1950).[15]See for membership of the order:The Official General Roll of the Grand Magistery(Milan: Ciarrocca, 1949).[16]A. Visconti, “La sovranità dell’Ordine di Malta nel diritto italiano,”Rivista di diritto privato, VI (1936), 195-205.[17]AAS, XXXV (1953), 765-67.[18]Codex juris canonici, can. 4 and 5; can. 25-30; can. 63-79.[19]One of the most extensive collections in the United States dealing with the Knights of Malta is to be found in the Library of The Catholic University of America. The collection was assembled by Mr. Foster Stearns who in 1955 entrusted it to The Catholic University. The Library has prepared a catalog classifying the 281 titles which include imprints from 1480 to the present day.[20]For the history of the Teutonic Order, see Arbogast Reiterer, O.T.,Das Deutsche Kreuz, Geschichte des Deutschen Ritterorders(Graz, 1922).[21]E. Joachim,Die Politik des letzten Hochmeisters in Preuszen, Albrecht van Brandenburg, 3 Vols. (Publikationen aus dem K. Preuszichen Staatsarchive, 1892-1895).[22]M. Guillamas,De los Ordenes militares de Calatrava, Santiago, Alcantara y Montesa(Madrid, 1852).[23]An interesting account on the vows and obligations of the Spanish Military Orders can be found in: Alonso Peñafiel y Araugo,Obligaciones y excellentias de los tres ordenes militares Santiago, Calatrava y Alcantara(Madrid: Diego Dias de la Carrera, 1643)—Microfilm in the Library of Congress.[24]AAS, XXXV (1953), 625-56.[25]Guido A. Quarti,I Cavalieri del Santo Sepulcro di Gerusalemme(Milano: Enrico Gualdoni, s.d.).[26]Pierre Verduc,La vie du bienheureux Théodore de Celles, restaurateur du très-ancien ordre canonial militaire et hospitalier de Ste-Croix(Périgneux, 1681), pp. 40-42; 79-101; Odoardo Fialetti,Degli habiti delle religioni con le armi e breve descrizione loro(Venezia, 1626).[27]ASS, XL (1907), 324-25.[28]Statuto dell Ordine Equestre del Santo Sepolcro de Gerusalemme(Rome: Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1950).[29]Albert de Mauroy,La croix de Jérusalem et son origine(Rome, 1914).[30]A.S.S., XXXVII (1904-1905), 565-71.[31]Pii P.M. IX Acta, I, 1, (Rome, 1854), 43-45.[32]F. Guigue de Champvans de Farémont,Histoire et législation des ordres de chevalerie, marques d’honneur et médailles du Saint-Siège(Paris, 1932); M. Gorino,Causa, titoli nobiliari e Ordini equestri pontifici(Turin, 1933); S. Felice y Quadremy,Ordenes de Caballeria Pontificias(Mallorca, 1950).[33]Cf. G. Mollat,Les Papes d’Avignon, 9th ed. (Paris, 1950), pp. 562-65.[34]According to a tradition among Free Masons, a number of French Templars went into hiding and formed a lodge of masonry.[35]Bullarium Romanum, IV (Rome, 1644), 277-84.[36]Acta Gregorii PP., XVI, III (Rome, 1903), 178-80.[37]Annuario Pontificio(1954), p. 998.[38]A.A.S., XXXII (1940), 41.[39]Notificatio Cancellariae Ordinum Equestrium(A.S.S., XXXVII [1905]), 565.[40]Acta Leonis XIII, VIII (1889), 259.
[1]The American Ecclesiastical Review, XXXVII (1907), 497-503, carried an article by Joseph J. Murphy under the title, “Pontifical Decorations,” as they were reorganized by Pope Pius X. In the same volume (pp. 324-26) a correspondent criticized the Pope for being “exceedingly lavish in his bestowal” of knighthood and other such honors and he felt that the spirit of a republican community “is entirely against their bestowal.” Three years later (“Roman Curial Honors and American Republican Sentiment,”AER, XLII [1910], 341-44), another (or the same?) correspondent expressed the conviction that the Papal appointments to “knights, marquises, monsignori and the like ... are entirely out of place in America and even contrary to the spirit of our people, if not also to the letter of the Constitution.” In both cases the editor’s equivocal comment left no doubt that he wished to run with the hares and hold with the hounds, and his statement that “such decorations as go with these titles are of much the same character as the secret society emblems and titles used in our numerous American fraternities” was, if not startling, at least amusing.
[2]Pio Paschini, “Ordini Equestri,”Enciclopedia Cattolica, IX, col. 252.
[3]Cf. Wm. F. Stadelman, “The Royal Order of the Saint Esprit” (AER, LIV [1916], 641-61). There was an older Order of the Holy Ghost, established in Naples in 1352 by Louis of Taranto, but it hardly survived the death of its founder. Cf. Stadelman, “The Knights of the Holy Ghost of the Good Intention” (AER, LIV [1914], 652-69).
[4]F. Giraud,Le Bienheureux Gérard(Aix, 1919); Carlo Guarmani,Gli Italiani in Terra Santa, reminiscenze e ricerche storiche(Bologna, 1872), pp. 28-29. E. J. King,The Knights Hospitallers in the Holy Land(London: Methuen, 1939, p. 20), says that the theory that Gerard’s surname was Tonce or that he hailed from Tonco is based on “the error of some copyist of a Latin text, who seeing the words ‘Gerardus tunc’ mistook the adverb for a surname.”
[5]See C. Fedeli,L’ordine di Malta e le scienze mediche(Pisa, 1913); Hans Karl von Zwehl,Ueber die Caritas im Johanniter-Malteser Orden seit seiner Gründung(Essen: Fredebeul und Koenen, 1929); Edgar Erskine Hume,Medieval Work of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1940).
[6]For a description of the provincial organization of the Hospitallers see Elizabeth Wheeler Schermerhorn,On the Trail of the Eight-pointed Cross(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1940).
[7]A. Bosio,Les vies des Saints de l’Ordre de St. Jean de Jéruzalem(Paris: Baudoin, 1631); Mathieu de Goussancourt,Martyrologe des Chevaliers de St. Jean, dits de Malte, 2 vols. (Paris: F. Noel, 1643).
[8]E. Rossi,Riassunto storico del S. M. Ordine San Giovanni in Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta(Rome, 1926); C. Bottarelli-M. Monterisi,Storia politica e militare del Sovrano Ordine di S. Giovanni di Gerusalemme, 2 Vols. (Milan, 1940); Giacomo C. Bascapé, “Historic Summary of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem and Malta,” in:The Official General Roll of the Grand Magistery(Milan: Ciarrocca, 1949), pp. 17-61.
[9]For this period see Edwin J. King,The Knights Hospitallers in the Holy Land(London: Methuen, 1930).
[10]Hans Prutz, “Die Anfänge der Hospitaler auf Rhodes,”Sitzungsbericht der Königlichen Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Jg. 1908, Abh. 1.
[11]Giacomo C. Bascapé,L’ordine Sovrano di Malta e gli Ordini Equestri della Chiesa nella storia e nel diritto(Milan, 1941).
[12]Michel de Pierredon,Histoire politique de l’Ordre Souverain des Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jéruzalem, dit de Malta, depuis la chute de Malte jusqu’à nos jours(Poitiers: Imprimérie du Poiton, 1926).
[13]E. Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, “Lineamenti dell’organizzazione regionale e della funzione assistenziale dell’Ordine,” in:Studi in onore di C. Calisse(Milan, 1939).
[14]For an excellent survey in five languages of the division, degrees, emblems and uniforms of the order see Rudolf Prokopowski,Ordre Souverain et Militaire Jéroselymitain de Malte(Vatican City: Éditions “Ecclesia,” 1950).
[15]See for membership of the order:The Official General Roll of the Grand Magistery(Milan: Ciarrocca, 1949).
[16]A. Visconti, “La sovranità dell’Ordine di Malta nel diritto italiano,”Rivista di diritto privato, VI (1936), 195-205.
[17]AAS, XXXV (1953), 765-67.
[18]Codex juris canonici, can. 4 and 5; can. 25-30; can. 63-79.
[19]One of the most extensive collections in the United States dealing with the Knights of Malta is to be found in the Library of The Catholic University of America. The collection was assembled by Mr. Foster Stearns who in 1955 entrusted it to The Catholic University. The Library has prepared a catalog classifying the 281 titles which include imprints from 1480 to the present day.
[20]For the history of the Teutonic Order, see Arbogast Reiterer, O.T.,Das Deutsche Kreuz, Geschichte des Deutschen Ritterorders(Graz, 1922).
[21]E. Joachim,Die Politik des letzten Hochmeisters in Preuszen, Albrecht van Brandenburg, 3 Vols. (Publikationen aus dem K. Preuszichen Staatsarchive, 1892-1895).
[22]M. Guillamas,De los Ordenes militares de Calatrava, Santiago, Alcantara y Montesa(Madrid, 1852).
[23]An interesting account on the vows and obligations of the Spanish Military Orders can be found in: Alonso Peñafiel y Araugo,Obligaciones y excellentias de los tres ordenes militares Santiago, Calatrava y Alcantara(Madrid: Diego Dias de la Carrera, 1643)—Microfilm in the Library of Congress.
[24]AAS, XXXV (1953), 625-56.
[25]Guido A. Quarti,I Cavalieri del Santo Sepulcro di Gerusalemme(Milano: Enrico Gualdoni, s.d.).
[26]Pierre Verduc,La vie du bienheureux Théodore de Celles, restaurateur du très-ancien ordre canonial militaire et hospitalier de Ste-Croix(Périgneux, 1681), pp. 40-42; 79-101; Odoardo Fialetti,Degli habiti delle religioni con le armi e breve descrizione loro(Venezia, 1626).
[27]ASS, XL (1907), 324-25.
[28]Statuto dell Ordine Equestre del Santo Sepolcro de Gerusalemme(Rome: Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1950).
[29]Albert de Mauroy,La croix de Jérusalem et son origine(Rome, 1914).
[30]A.S.S., XXXVII (1904-1905), 565-71.
[31]Pii P.M. IX Acta, I, 1, (Rome, 1854), 43-45.
[32]F. Guigue de Champvans de Farémont,Histoire et législation des ordres de chevalerie, marques d’honneur et médailles du Saint-Siège(Paris, 1932); M. Gorino,Causa, titoli nobiliari e Ordini equestri pontifici(Turin, 1933); S. Felice y Quadremy,Ordenes de Caballeria Pontificias(Mallorca, 1950).
[33]Cf. G. Mollat,Les Papes d’Avignon, 9th ed. (Paris, 1950), pp. 562-65.
[34]According to a tradition among Free Masons, a number of French Templars went into hiding and formed a lodge of masonry.
[35]Bullarium Romanum, IV (Rome, 1644), 277-84.
[36]Acta Gregorii PP., XVI, III (Rome, 1903), 178-80.
[37]Annuario Pontificio(1954), p. 998.
[38]A.A.S., XXXII (1940), 41.
[39]Notificatio Cancellariae Ordinum Equestrium(A.S.S., XXXVII [1905]), 565.
[40]Acta Leonis XIII, VIII (1889), 259.