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Papal Orders of Knighthood - Chivalric Orders

Project Tags

This is an umbrella project for Papal Orders of Knighthood for the Chivalric Orders only.

Please do NOT add profiles to this project. Please DO add the person to the specific Order listed below. If there isn’t a project already, please make one.

The orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See include titles, chivalric orders, distinctions and medals honored by the Holy See, with the Pope as the fount of honour, for deeds and merits of their recipients to the benefit of the Holy See, the Catholic Church, or their respective communities, societies, nations and the world at large.

  • The Holy See is the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, the episcopal see of the Pope, and an independent sovereign entity. It serves as the central point of reference for the Catholic Church everywhere and the focal point of communion due to its position as the pre-eminent episcopal see of the universal church. Today, it is responsible for the governance of all Catholics, organized in their Particular Churches, Patriarchates and religious institutes. It is viewed as the central government of the Catholic Church.

Chivalric orders

Papal orders of knighthood or Pontifical orders of knighthood are orders of knighthood bestowed in the name of the Pope of the Catholic Church by his authority as head of the Holy See and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Historically, membership in these orders was either conferred by Papal bulls not signed by the Pope or by apostolic letters signed by the Pope himself. Since the reforms of these orders in the beginning of the 20th century, the diplomas have been signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State.

In general, Papal orders of knighthood refers to the five equestrian orders of the Holy See awarded directly by the Supreme Pontiff as head of the Catholic Church, Holy See and Vatican City State - as temporal sovereign and font of honour (similar to the orders given by other heads of state):

  • 1) Wikipedia - Supreme Order of Christ (no living members as of 1993)
    • It is the highest order of chivalry awarded by the Pope. According to some scholars owes its origin to the same Order of Christ of the Knights Templar, from which came the Order of Christ that was awarded by the Kings of Portugal and the Emperors of Brazil. The Portuguese order had originally both a secular and religious component; by the 18th century, the religious component had died out.
    • On 15 April 1966, in the Papal bull Equestres ordinis, Bl. Pope Paul VI limited the award to Roman Catholic heads of state in commemoration of significant events that the Pope personally attended.
    • The last living member of the Order was King Baudouin of Belgium, who died in 1993.
  • 2) Wikipedia - Order of the Golden Spur (only one living member as of 8 April 2012)
    • It is the 2nd highest & oldest of the Papal Order of Knighthood & is conferred upon those who have rendered distinguished service in propagating the Catholic faith, or who have contributed to the glory of the Church, either by feat of arms, by writings, or by other illustrious acts.
    • In 1905 Pope St. Pius X separated the Order from the Order of St. Sylvester, establishing it as the Order of the Golden Militia. He also limited the number of knights to one hundred. A Papal bull of 1966 further limited it to Christian sovereigns and heads of state.
    • See Geni Project: Order of the Golden Spur
  • 3) Wikipedia - Order of Pius IX
    • It is the 3rd highest papal order of knighthood founded on 17 June 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Since November 1993, it has been granted to women. First founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560, the awarding of the order fell into disuse and was re-instituted by Pope Pius IX as a continuation in 1847.
    • See this site for a listing of Notable members
  • 4) Wikipedia - Order of St. Gregory the Great
    • Pope Gregory XVI established the order on 1 September 1831 by the Papal brief Quod summis. It is the 4th highest Papal order.
    • It is one of the five Orders of Knighthood of the Holy See. The honor is bestowed upon Roman Catholic men and women (and sometimes in rare cases to non-Catholics[2]) in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through their unusual labors, their support of the Holy See, and their excellent examples set forth in their communities and their countries.
    • It is awarded in four classes, with military and civil divisions. It was initially founded to reward meritorious civic or military service to the Papal States.
    • See Geni project: Order of St Gregory the Great
  • 5) Wikipedia - Order of Saint Sylvester
    • sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five Orders of Knighthood awarded directly by the Pope as Supreme Pontiff and head of the Catholic Church and as the Head of State of Vatican City.
    • The fifth highest Papal order is the Order of St. Sylvester Pope and Martyr. In 1841, Pope Gregory XVI reformed the Order of the Golden Spur as an order of merit, with recipients appointed by Papal brief. This reformed order was known as the "Order of St. Sylvester and the Golden Militia". The reforms of 1905 resulted in the separation of that order into the Order of St. Sylvester and the Order of the Golden Spur.
    • It is intended to honor Roman Catholic lay people who are actively involved in the life of the church, particularly as it is exemplified in the exercise of their professional duties and mastership of the different arts. It is also conferred on non-Catholics and in the UK current recipients include prominent Anglicans, Muslims and Jews.
    • See this site for a listing of Notable members

However, the term often includes the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a religious order of chivalry, as it is under the direct protection of the Pope, who is sovereign of the order, and which has a Cardinal as Grand Master.

The term equestrian in this context refers to the nature of these orders as knightly - conferring knighthood on members - derived from the Equestrians (Equites), a social class of Ancient Rome.

Notably, the term Papal order of knighthood does not include the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which (although it is the only other order of chivalry recognized by the Holy See) it is internationally recognized as being itself sovereign.

Of the papal orders, the highest and most infrequently awarded is the Supreme Order of Christ; the second order is the equally rare Order of the Golden Spur; the third is the Order of Pius IX; the fourth is the Order of Saint Gregory the Great; and the fifth is the Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr.

  • The awards of the Orders of Christ and the Golden Spur are made at the express wish of the Pope in consultation with the Cardinal Secretary of State.
  • Awards of the Order of Pius IX (or Pian Order) are made to heads of state and senior members of their household at the time of official visits to the Holy See, to senior members of diplomatic missions accredited to the Vatican, and exceptionally, to those who have particularly served the Pope or the Holy See, at the discretion of the Cardinal Secretary of State.
  • Awards of the other two orders are generally made on the recommendation of diocesan bishops, with the support of the apostolic nuncio.

References:
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