The Cross of St. George (Cr St Geo),[1] or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George.
Established in the Russian Empire in 1807, it was granted to non-commissioned officers, soldiers and sailors for their military heroism. In 1856 it was split into four degrees. A person initially received the fourth degree, and would subsequently be promoted to higher degrees for further acts of bravery; one who received all four degrees was called polniy Georgievskiy kavaler (full Cavalier of St. George).
The Cross of St. George was an extension of the Order of St. George, and like it Cross of St. George was awarded in four classes and only for extreme bravery in face of the enemy.[2]
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Cross of St. George was practically the same as the Order of St. George, except that it was given to non-commissioned officers. But in 1878 Russia established the St. George Medal. This medal was below the Cross of St. George in precedence and was granted for acts of gallantry on the battlefield which fell short of "extreme bravery in the face of the enemy".[3]
The Cross of St. George was a cross pattée in plain gold or silver (later to be replaced with non-precious metals of similar colours), with a central disc bearing the image of St. George on horseback slaying the dragon. It was worn on the left chest with the ribbon of the Order of St. George, which was orange with three black stripes.
The Cross of St. George was abolished after the Russian Revolution, but was re-established on August 8, 2000 by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Moreover, during the Soviet times there was an equivalent decoration known as the Order of Glory.
The Cross of St. George should not be confused with St. George's Cross, the flag of England, or the George Cross, a British award primarily for civilian bravery.
In 1880 the newly created principality of Bulgaria created their own "Soldier's Cross Of The Order Of Bravery" in the same four classes as this Russian award (Russia had recently aided in the liberation of Bulgaria). These Soldier's crosses had a similar ribbon style as the Saint George's Crosses and were awarded from 1880 until the end of the Kingdom after the creation of a People's Republic.