Diploma Order of St. George of Antioch Knight of the Star of Merit 1951

Knight of the Star of Merit Diploma of the Order of Saint George of Antioch

1951

Parchment paper

Dimensions 44 x 32.5 cm

Excellent condition, normal browning

The Order was originally born as the Grand Priory of the Constantinian Order of Saint George, whose foundation dates back to Constantine the Great around 312 and of which there are certain memories dating back to the time of the Emperor Isaac Angelos Comnenus (hence the name Angelic Knights) under whom, in 1190, its Statutes were sanctioned.

It was called Constantinian because of the Comneni's descent from this Emperor; of Saint George because it was placed under the patronage of the holy warrior; and finally of the Golden Knights, because of the golden collar worn by the Order's dignitaries. The seat of the Grand Priory was Antioch, a city enfeoffed in the fourth year of Jerusalem to Bohemond of Hauteville (Bohemond I, born around 1065, died in 1111, eldest son of Robert Guiscard of Hauteville, Duke of Apulia; Prince of Taranto, Crusader in 1096, Prince of Antioch in 1098). It included the Bailiwick of Armenia, Selinudi, and Sida, and the Priory of Damascus; it later became an Order of patronage and collation of the Sovereign House of Hauteville, blood relatives and descendants of Prince Bohemond of Antioch.

The Order of Saint George of Antioch, also known as the Order of the Crusades in memory of the Crusader Prince Bohemond of Hauteville, is divided into the following categories and awards the following ranks:

• Grand Collar, reserved only for the head of the Name and Arms of the former sovereign Family of Hauteville Sicily-Naples.

• Collar, in a maximum number of 50, reserved for HRH Crown Prince Roger of Hauteville Sicily-Naples, Heads of State, and Cardinals.

• Justice category, reserved for nobles who can prove at least 400 years of noble ancestry on their paternal surname; it is divided into the ranks of Knight, Commander, and Knight Grand Cross.

• Category of Honor and Devotion, with the same noble requirements and the same ranks as the previous one, from which it differs only in the marital status or the lack of votes of the recipients.

• Category of Magisterial Grace, reserved for the most recently appointed Nobles or for those who hold high political, civil, military, or religious positions; it is divided into the same grades as the previous one.

The Category of Merit is divided into the ranks of Knight, Knight Officer, Commander, Grand Officer, and Knight Grand Cross. It is reserved for those who have achieved particular merits for the Sovereign House of Hauteville and within the Order's activities (welfare, charitable, cultural, etc.) and who are suitable for their wealth and moral qualities. The decoration of the Order consists of a cross potent gules (in memory of the coat of arms of the Principality of Antioch, which was "Or with a cross Gules"), suspended from a blue ribbon.

The Order was originally born as the Grand Priory of the Constantinian Order of Saint George, whose foundation dates back to Constantine the Great around 312 and of which there are certain memories dating back to the time of the Emperor Isaac Angelos Comnenus (hence the name Angelic Knights) under whom, in 1190, its Statutes were sanctioned.

It was called Constantinian because of the Comneni's descent from this Emperor; of Saint George because it was placed under the patronage of the holy warrior; and finally of the Golden Knights, because of the golden collar worn by the Order's dignitaries. The seat of the Grand Priory was Antioch, a city enfeoffed in the fourth year of Jerusalem to Bohemond of Hauteville (Bohemond I, born around 1065, died in 1111, eldest son of Robert Guiscard of Hauteville, Duke of Apulia; Prince of Taranto, Crusader in 1096, Prince of Antioch in 1098). It included the Bailiwick of Armenia, Selinudi, and Sida, and the Priory of Damascus; it later became an Order of patronage and collation of the Sovereign House of Hauteville, blood relatives and descendants of Prince Bohemond of Antioch.

high political, civil, military, or religious offices; it is divided into the same grades as the previous one.

• The Category of Merit is divided into the ranks of Knight, Knight Officer, Commander, Grand Officer, and Knight Grand Cross. It is reserved for those who have achieved particular merits for the Sovereign House of Hauteville and within the Order's activities (welfare, charitable, cultural, etc.) and who are suitable for their wealth and moral qualities. The decoration of the Order consists of a cross potent gules (in memory of the coat of arms of the Principality of Antioch, which was "Or with a cross Gules"), suspended from a blue ribbon.