Among the few awards of Tsarist Russia, revived in the post-Soviet period, the Order of St. Catherine the Great Martyr deserves special attention, the description and history of which became the subject of this article. Both in previous years and in our days, it was established to reward women who have special merits to Russia. However, there was one exception, which will be discussed below.
The saving generosity of Catherine I
The story of how, among other awards of the Petrine era, the Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine appeared is very unusual and, in its traditional presentation, causes certain doubts among historians. It is connected with the Prut campaign of Peter I, undertaken by him in 1711 against the Turkish army and ended extremely unsuccessfully for him.
Circumstances developed in such a way that the Russian troops, among which was the sovereign with his wife Catherine I, were surrounded by superior enemy forces. The situation was critical, but the empress found a way out of it, donating to bribe the Ottomancommander-in-chief of all his many jewels. In gratitude for such an act, which saved the army from defeat, and both of them from captivity and possible death, the tsar established the Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine especially for his wife.
Behave worthy of an empress
Apparently, this is just a legend, because on the basis of archival documents it is known that one hundred and fifty thousand rubles in gold were allocated from the treasury for a bribe to a Turkish corrupt official, which at that time was a colossal amount. In addition, a Danish diplomat who participated in the Prut campaign in his memoirs recalled that the empress did not donate her jewelry at all, but having distributed it to the nearest officers for safekeeping, after leaving the encirclement, she received it back.
Perhaps mortal gold has nothing to do with it, but, demonstrating the highest example of courage and self-control in a moment of danger, she, according to the testimony of participants in those events, provided the sovereign with much-needed moral support in such cases and received the Order of St. Catherine the Great Martyr for behavior worthy of an empress. In any case, she was worthy of this high honor.
Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine: characteristics and features
In the period from 1714 to 1917, this order was the second most important among other awards in Russia and had two degrees. The first, called the "Grand Cross", was intended exclusively for rewarding the persons of the reigning House. The second degree, known as"Small or cavalier cross" was established for representatives of the higher nobility. The recipients of this award received the right to be called ladies of the grand or cavalier cross, which was extremely honorable.
Each degree of the order had its own signs and stars, which had both similar features and significant differences. In 1856, Tsar Alexander II issued a decree, according to which, order crosses of the first degree were decorated with diamonds, and the second - with diamonds.
During the entire subsequent period, in the center of the cross, decorated with golden rays, a medallion with the image of the seated Great Martyr Catherine was placed. In the hands of the saint was placed a large cross with a small cross in the middle, as well as a palm branch.
The abbreviation SVE was inscribed above her head, which meant - Holy Great Martyr Catherine. Another abbreviation, consisting of the Latin letters DSFR, was depicted on a large cross and consisted of the initial letters of the Latin phrase Domine, salvum fac regum, which means "Lord, save the king."
The reverse side of the cross was also interestingly designed. On it was placed the image of an eagle and an eagle exterminating snakes at the foot of the tower, on top of which there was a nest with chicks. There was also a Latin inscription, translated as "In works, compared with a spouse." She was supposed to emphasize the personal merits of the awarded.
In the center of the silver eight-pointed order star was a round medallion, on a red fieldwhich was depicted a cross, framed by the inscription - "For love and Fatherland." These words were the symbol of the order itself.
A tradition established by Catherine I
Until the death of Peter I, which followed in 1725, no one was awarded this order. This tradition was established by Catherine I, who inherited the throne and granted the order to the daughters of her late husband - Anna and Elizabeth (who also later received the Russian crown). In total, during her reign, she bestowed this high honor on eight persons from the highest court circle.
During her reign, which lasted for two years, the Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine became the highest award for high society ladies, who received it not only (and not so much) for their merits, but also as a reward for the labors of their husbands, who occupied the highest government posts. A similar tradition was maintained in subsequent years.
Birthright and Special Achievement Awards
Emperor Paul I further raised the status of the order by issuing a decree in 1797, according to which every Grand Duchess who was born, that is, the next daughter of the reigning monarch, was awarded it. Since the Russian sovereigns for the most part were distinguished by enviable fertility, subsequently the number of those awarded increased significantly. All the sons of monarchs, having received the title of Grand Dukes from birth, were awarded the orders of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
By the way, this decree marked the beginning of the current tradition of dressing newborn girls with pink ribbons, and boys with blue ribbons, which corresponds to the colors of the ribbons of the Grand Dukes and Duchesses.
The provision on awarding the order - its status - did not specify specifically for what particular merits it should have been awarded, therefore the right to elect applicants was granted to the king. Usually they were honored with persons who distinguished themselves in the field of public education or charity. Often it was received for large donations made to ransom Christians from barbarian captivity, as well as recognition of merit in the care of the Metropolitan School of Noble Maidens.
The abolition and subsequent revival of the order
This practice continued until the dramatic events that unfolded in 1917. Less than a month after seizing power, the Bolsheviks abolished this award, since it was intended exclusively for representatives of a class hostile to them. The Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine was revived today by a decree issued in May 2012 by Russian President D. A. Medvedev. Today, as before, it is one of the highest awards in the country.
Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (Russian Federation)
Let's take a closer look at what today is an award established by Peter I. This new order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (RF), similar to its historical prototype, has a star and a sign made in the formoval medallion located in the center of a silver and gilded cross. Each end of the cross is made in the form of four golden rays, decorated with an ornament and separated by two diamonds. The central medallion, surrounded by an ornament of small relief rings, is covered with blue enamel with the image of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine applied on it.
In the upper part, the badge is equipped with a ring, on top of which a narrow vertical frame is fixed, decorated with seven diamonds forming a vertical line. A ribbon is passed through the ring, laid in the form of a bow and having a device on the reverse side that allows you to attach it to clothing. The badge of the order has dimensions of 45 x 40 millimeters and can be attached to a red silk moire ribbon with a silver interrupted border.
The badge of the Order of St. Catherine corresponds to an eight-pointed silver star, in the center of which there is a round red medallion depicting the State Emblem of the Russian Federation, surrounded by a border with the inscription "For Mercy".
Exception to rule
In September 2012, the Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, the photo of which is presented in the article, was first awarded to a man. By decision of the government, this honor was awarded to the subject of the Principality of Liechtenstein Fall Fein Eduard Alexandrovich for his outstanding contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage of Russia, as well as charitable, humanitarian and peacekeeping activities.
