Order of St. George

The Order of Saint George (Russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is today the highest purely military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian[3] (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commissioned officers and generals by Empress Catherine the Great.[4] After the 1917 Russian Revolution it was awarded by the White movement anti-communist forces under Alexander Kolchak until their defeat in 1921.[5] The order was revived in the Russian Federation on 8 August 2000 by Decree №1463[2][6] of the President of Russia. The current award criteria were amended on 7 September 2010 by Presidential Decree 1099.[7][8]

For other uses, see Order of St. George (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Cross of St. George.
Order of Saint George
The Order of Saint George IV class
Awarded by  Russian Federation
TypeMilitary order
Established26 November 1769 (O. S.), revived on 20 March 1992[1] (the statute was approved on 8 August 2000)[2]
EligibilityTop and senior military officers
Awarded forDistinction in combat
StatusActive
Classes1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Precedence
Next (higher)Order of Saint Andrew
Next (lower)Order For Merit to the Fatherland

Ribbon of the Order of Saint George, first class

Statute of the Order of St. George
Georgi Pulevski wearing a cross of the Order of Saint George, conferred for his part in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78)
Order of Saint George, first class Breast Star and Sash

The current Order of Saint George is awarded to highest and senior military officers for the conduct of military operations to protect the Fatherland from attack by an external enemy which resulted in the complete defeat of the enemy, for the execution of combat and other operations in other states aimed at restoring international peace and security, or for being a model of military science with feats that exemplify military prowess; the Order is also conferred upon officers who were previously awarded state awards of the Russian Federation for distinction in combat.[9]

Description

The Order of Saint George is divided into four classes, from the First Class to the Fourth class; the highest degree being the Order First class. The four classes are awarded sequentially from the fourth to the first. These four classes are individually identified by the size and manner of wearing the two principal insignia of the Order, the cross and the star.[9]

Proper wear of the Order of Saint George insignia, fourth class at left to first class at right
Order of Saint George, second class, neck badge and breast star

Cross: A white enamelled cross pattée with a central medallion bearing the image of Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon. The cross measures 60mm across in the case of the Order first class and is worn on a sash in the colours of Saint George (orange and black). The same 60mm cross is worn around the neck on a 45mm wide ribbon also in the colours of Saint George for the Order second class. The cross is 50mm across for the Order third class and is also worn around the neck but from a 24mm wide ribbon in the same colours. The Order fourth class is a 40mm cross worn on the left breast hanging from a pentagonal mount covered with a 24mm wide ribbon of Saint George.[9]

Star: A four-pointed silver gilt star with a gold central medallion bearing the cipher of Saint George "SG" topped by a crown and surrounded by a black enamelled band bearing the motto of the order "For Service and Bravery" ("Za Sluzhbu i Khrabrost"). The star is worn on the left breast for both the Order first and second classes.[9]

Ribbon: The ribbon of the Order of Saint George is orange with three black stripes, commonly called "George's Ribbon". It symbolises fire and gunpowder: the Russian "colors of military glory", and is also thought to be derived from the colours of the original Russian imperial coat of arms (black eagle on a golden background). It was subsequently associated to the colors of the Russian Guard units.[9] Unlike the other classes, the Order of Saint George fourth class can be awarded to junior officers while the rest is for senior and flag officers.

The ribbon bar for the Order first class is adorned with a miniature golden star.
The ribbon bar for the Order second class is adorned with a miniature silver star.
The ribbon bar for the Order third class is adorned with a miniature white cross.
The ribbon bar for the Order fourth class has no device.

Recipients (partial list)

Recipients of the Order first class

25 people were ever awarded The First class cross, one should be a King or win a war to receive it. The full list goes as follows in timeline order:

Recipients of the Order second class

For The Second class one should win a Campaign. The first recipient was Lieutenant-General Plemyannikov for the Battle of Kagul, the last of 124 or 125, depending on sources, was either Nikolai Yudenich or Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch.

Recipients of the Order third class

Recipients of the Order fourth class

See also

References
  1. Постановление Верховного Совета Российской Федерации от 20 марта 1992 года N0 2557-I Archived 2012-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of August 8, 2000 No 1463" (in Russian). Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on state awards. 2000-08-08. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  3. 26 November Julian is one of days commemorating Saint George in the Russian Orthodox Church.
  4. Hurley, C. Russian Orders, Decorations, and Medals Under the Monarchy. Harrison & Sons., Ltd., London. 1935.
  5. "St George's Cross, 4th Class, awarded to 2nd Lt. John Mitchell 1919". Fitzwilliam Museum. University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  6. Decree 1463 of 2000 (pravo.gov.ru)
  7. "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 7, 2010 No 1099" (in Russian). Russian Gazette. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  8. Decree 1099 of 2010 (pravo.gov.ru)
  9. "Statute of the Order of St. George" (in Russian). Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on state awards. 2000-08-08. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  10. Barton, Sir Dunbar Plunket. (1925) "Bernadotte: Prince and King." P. 96. John Murray, London.
  11. "Compiled from the site of the President of the Russian Federation" (in Russian). Kremlin News. Retrieved 2012-02-07.

Further reading
  • Voennyĭ orden sviatogo velikomuchenika i pobedonostsa Georgiia: imennye spiski 1769 - 1920; biobibliograficheskiĭ spravochnik / otvetstvennyĭ sostavitel' V. M. Shabanov. Moskva 2004, ISBN 5-89577-059-2
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