Order of St. George

Order of Saint George
The Order of Saint George IV class
Awarded by Russian Federation Head of the House of Romanov
Type	Military Order
Established	November 26, 1769, revived on March 20, 1992^[1]^[2]
Eligibility	Top and Senior Military Officers
Awarded for	Distinction in Combat
Status	Active
Grades	Knight Grand Cross Knight Knight Commander Knight Officer
Post-nominals	GCSG; KSG; KCSG; OSG
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Saint Andrew
Next (lower)	Order For Merit to the Fatherland
Ribbon of the Order of Saint George, first class

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

Statute of the Imperial St. George's Order

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.^[6]

Description of the Order

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.^[6]

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.^[6]

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.^[6]

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.^[6] 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.

Recipient Knights Grand Cross use the post-nominal letters "GCSG", Knights use the post-nominal letters "KSG", Knight Commander use the post-nominal letters "KCSG", Knight Officer use the post-nominal letters "OSG". When an individual is entitled to use multiple post-nominal letters, those of the Order of Saint George appear before all others, except "Bt" or "Bart" (Baronet), "KA" (Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called).

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 second class

General of the Army Nikolay Yegorovich Makarov^[7]
Colonel General Alexander Zelin^[7]
General of the Army Vladimir Boldyrev^[7]

Recipients of the Order 3rd class

King Leopold I of Belgium.

Recipients of the Order fourth class

Colonel Lambros Katsonis, Greek 18th century revolutionary
Colonel General Sergei Makarov^[7]
Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov^[7]
Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Lebed^[7]
British Captain Albert Ball, World War I fighter pilot
Dutch War Correspondent Louis Grondijs, World War I, White Army, Russian Civil War
Major General Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Imperial Russia, WWI
General Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Imperial Russia, World War I, White Army, Russian Civil War
Brigadier John Alexander Sinton, Indian Army, WWI
Field Marshal Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary

References

↑ Постановление Верховного Совета Российской Федерации от 20 марта 1992 года N0 2557-I
1 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. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
↑ Hurley, C. Russian Orders, Decorations, and Medals Under the Monarchy. Harrison & Sons., Ltd., London. 1935.
↑ "St George's Cross, 4th Class, awarded to 2nd Lt. John Mitchell 1919". Fitzwilliam Museum. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
↑ "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.
1 2 3 4 5 "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.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Compiled from the site of the President of the Russian Federation" (in Russian). Kremlin News. Retrieved 2012-02-07.

External links

The Commission on State Awards to the President of the Russian Federation
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Orders of St. George". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Orders, decorations, and medals of Russia
Honorary titles	Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation Honoured Military Pilot of the Russian Federation Honoured Military Navigator of the Russian Federation Honored Cultural Worker of the RSFSR
Orders	Order of St. Andrew Order of St. George Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Order of St. Catherine Order of Alexander Nevsky Order of Suvorov Order of Ushakov Order of Zhukov Order of Kutuzov Order of Nakhimov Order of Courage Order "For Military Merit" Order "For Naval Merit" Order of Honour Order of Friendship Order of Parental Glory
Decorations	Cross of St. George Decoration "For Beneficence" Decoration For Impeccable Service
Medals	"For Merit to the Fatherland" "For Courage" Suvorov Ushakov Zhukov Nesterov Pushkin Defender of a Free Russia "For Distinction in the Protection of Public Order" "For Distinction in the Protection of the State Borders" "For Life Saving" "For Work in Agriculture" "For the Development of Railways" "For Merit in the Development of Nuclear Industry" "For Merit in Space Exploration" Order of Parental Glory
Jubilee medals	55 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 65 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 70 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 300 Years of the Russian Navy In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow 100 Years of the Trans-Siberian Railway In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan
Presidential certificates	Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Gratitude
Officially defunct dynastic orders	Order of Saint Catherine Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky Order of the White Eagle Order of Saint Vladimir Order of Saint Anna Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Order of Saint Anastasia Order of Saint Stanislaus Order of Saint Michael the Archangel (Insignia of Saint Olga)
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