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 topic of this article. Both in previous years and today it is set to reward women with 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 raises certain doubts among historians. It is connected with the Prut campaign of Peter I, which he undertook in 1711 against the Turkish army and ended extremely unsuccessfully for him.
The circumstances were such 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, having donated all her many treasures to the Ottoman commander. In gratitude for such an act, which saved the army from defeat, and both of them from captivity and possible death, the king specially for his wife instituted the Order of St. Catherine the Great Martyr.
Empress worthy conduct
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 to a Turkish corrupt official, which at that time was a huge amount. In addition, the Danish diplomat who participated in the Prut campaign in his memoirs recalled that the empress did not donate the valuables belonging to her at all, and received them for storage to the nearest officers upon leaving the encirclement.
Possibly, it’s nothing to do with mortal gold, but, demonstrating the highest example of courage and self-control in a moment of danger, she, according to the participants of those events, provided the sovereign with much-needed moral support in such cases and received the Order of St. Catherine for the behavior worthy of the 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 "Great Cross," was intended solely to reward the personages of the reigning House. The second degree, known as the "Small or cavalry cross", was established for representatives of the higher nobility. Those who received this award received the right to be called ladies of the big or cavalry cross, which was extraordinarily honorable.
Each degree of the order corresponded to its signs and stars, which had both similar features and significant differences. In 1856, Sovereign Alexander II issued a decree according to which, order crosses of the first degree were decorated with diamonds, and the second with diamonds.
Throughout the subsequent period, a medallion with the image of the seated Great Martyr Catherine was placed in the center of the cross, decorated with golden rays. In the hands of the saint was placed a large cross with a small cross in the middle, as well as a palm branch.
Abbreviation SVE was written over her head, which meant Holy Great Martyr Catherine. Another abbreviation, consisting of 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 framed. It housed an 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. Here was a Latin inscription, translated as "In the works is compared with the spouse." She was to emphasize the personal merits of the awarded.
In the center of the silver eight-pointed order star there was a round medallion, on the red field of which was a cross framed by the inscription “For Love and Fatherland”. These words were a symbol of the order itself.
The 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 received the Russian crown later). In total, during the period of her reign, she awarded this high honor to eight persons from the highest court circle.
During her reign, which lasted for two years, the Order of St. Catherine the Great Martyr became the highest award for ladies of high society who received it not only (and not so much) for their merits, but also as a reward for the labors of their husbands who held senior government posts. A similar tradition has been preserved in subsequent years.
Birth and Special Merit Awards
Emperor Paul I further enhanced the status of the order, issuing in 1797 a decree, according to which, every great princess who was born, that is, the next daughter of the ruling monarch, was awarded with it. Since the Russian sovereigns for the most part were distinguished by their enviable fecundity, then subsequently the number of recipients increased significantly. All the sons of the monarchs, having received the title of Grand Dukes from birth, were awarded the orders of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
By the way, this decree laid the foundation for the tradition nowadays to bind newborn girls with pink ribbons and boys with blue ribbons, which corresponds to the colors of the order ribbons of the great princes and princesses.
The provision on awarding the order - its status - did not specifically specify for what particular merits he should have been awarded, therefore the king was given the right to elect candidates. 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, and also as a recognition of merit in the care of the capital's School of noble maidens.
The abolition and subsequent revival of the order
This practice continued until the dramatic events unfolding in 1917. Less than a month after the seizure of 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 in our days by decree issued in May 2012 by Russian President D.A. Medvedev. Today, as before, he is among the highest awards of the country.
Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (Russian Federation)
Let us dwell in more detail on what today is a reward established by Peter I. This new, similar to its historical prototype order of St. Catherine the Great Martyr (RF) has a star and a sign made in the form of an oval medallion located in the center of silver with gilding the cross. Each end of the cross is made in the form of four golden rays, decorated with ornaments and separated by two diamonds. The central medallion, surrounded by an ornament of small relief rings, is covered with blue enamel with the enamel on it depicting the Holy Great Martyr Catherine.
In the upper part, the order sign is equipped with a ring, on top of which a narrow vertical frame is fixed, decorated with seven diamonds that form a vertical line. A ribbon laid in the form of a bow and having a device on the back that allows attaching it to clothes is passed through the ring. The order badge is 45 x 40 millimeters in size and can be attached to a red silk moire ribbon with a silver intermittent border.
The sign 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 the rule
In September 2012, the Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, whose photo is presented in the article, was first awarded to a man. By the decision of the government, this honor was awarded to the citizen of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Fal-Fein, Eduard Aleksandrovich for his outstanding contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage of Russia, as well as charitable, humanitarian and peacekeeping activities.