Order of Saint Catherine
Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (Russian Орденъ святой великомученницы Екатерины / Order Svyatoy wjelikomutschennitzy Jekateriny ) was a zweiklassiger Dame north to Imperial Russia.
History
The Order was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 25 November 1714 and was originally intended to carry the name "Order of the Liberation " ( Order Oswoboshdenija ) and a memory of the rescue of Peter and his army from the encirclement by the Turkish army in the Pruther his campaign of 1711. An honorable retreat was only possible because the Zargemahlin ( Tsaritsa ) Alekseyevna Catherine (later Catherine I ) all her jewelry to the Turkish Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha Baltaji " donated " to save Peter before the capture. (Back in Constantinople Opel, the Grand Vizier had to pay for it with his head).
The first statutes of Katharine North were published in 1713. He should have two classes, " Great Cross" and " Small Cross". The Cross of the first class was all Russian Grand Duchesses ( princesses ) by birth or marriage in the family, also it could get 12 aristocratic ladies. The second class were allowed to get more than 94 winners. The Grand Master of the Order has always been to 1917, the Tsaritsa. At Peter's lifetime, he was only given to Tsaritsa Catherine. Soon after her accession to the throne managed Tsaritsa Catherine I. from the Second Class of the Order, which was only re-introduced by Paul I in 1797, which also created the definitive version of the statutes. The Order has now received, in addition to the Alexander Nevsky Order of second place in the ranking of the Russian Order.
Insignia
The religious character of Katharine North First Class is an occupied with diamonds cross with Ruppert ( in Avers) an oval, also surrounded by diamonds center medallion. The medallion shows the executed in enamel painting figure of the seated St. Catherine, who holds a white anchor cross in front of him. In her left hand she holds a palm branch, at their feet you can see a part of a torture wheel. The oldest insignia is located in the center of the anchor cross a small cross of brilliants, symbol of the light of the Gospel. Up on the right side of the figure of the saint is a small round medallion with the letter R. In the corners of the anchor cross has the letters DSFR ( " Domine, fac salvum lively ", "God, protect the Tsar" ). The reverse of the medal has the character hold in the center medallion figure of a tower with an eagle's nest on the top and at the foot of the tower, two eagles, serpents in their beaks. About the image hovers the inscription equant munia comparis (about: "By works the same husband ").
The Order was originally worn on a white ribbon with silver Cyrillic inscription Za Ljubowj i otjetschestwo ( " За любовь и отечечество ", " For Love and Fatherland" ), the statutes of 1797 introduced a red ribbon with silver letters, which until 1917 remained unchanged.
The Order Star (only class I ) is achtstrahlig and occupied over its entire surface with diamonds. The round center medallion is red at its center has a picture of a diadem, which is surrounded by the Order motto. About the center medallion set with a brilliant-cut diamonds imperial crown.
From 1855 on, we introduced austerity measures: the Cross, Second Class, was not diamonds, awarded with rhinestone embellishment.
After March 1917, the order was not awarded at the end of the monarchy.
See also
- St. Catherine Medal, Great Britain
- Knight Order of Saint Catherine of Mount Sinai