Presidential Library tells about history of Order of St. George

On December 9th, our country celebrates Heroes of the Fatherland Day. This day honors Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, as well as Knights of the Orders of Glory and St. George. The holiday has been celebrated in the Russian Federation since 2007, although it has centuries-old roots.

Exactly 255 years ago, in 1769, Empress Catherine II established the Order of Saint George of four classes. She assumed the badge of the first class in honor of this new award.

The Empress fulfilled Peter the Great's dream - an order was established in Russia to honor military merit.

From the beginning, the Order of St. George held special significance as a military award for personal bravery. This was stated in the third article of its statute, signed by Empress Catherine.

The order had four levels, and initially, the lowest level, IV, was awarded. This level, like the next level, III, was accompanied by a small cross. A large cross and a badge with a four-pointed gold star were added for the higher levels, I and II, according to the On this day section on the Presidential Library's portal.

The badge for the IV-I levels was a golden cross with white enamel rays. In the center of the circular medallion on a pink background (since the 1930s, red), there was an image of St. George riding a horse and striking a snake with a spear. The ribbon of the St. George medal had three black and two orange stripes.

In the entire history of the St. George Order, there have been only four full knights of St. George with all four levels of the order: Field Marshals Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, Ivan Paskevich, and Ivan Dibich-Zabalkansky.

In 1807, based on the example of this award, a medal of distinction was created for lower ranks - the St. George Cross, which has become one of the most respected military awards.

Since 1849, the names of the knights of the order have been inscribed on special marble tablets in the St. George's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Documents about front-line drawings and portraits of the last St. George knights of pre-revolutionary Russia are presented on the portal of the Presidential Library in the World War I (1914–1918) collection. In the Card File and Gallery of St. George Knights of the Trophy Commission, you will find unique documents, drawings, and portraits created by artists of the First World War. These materials represent invaluable historical evidence.

Additionally, readers can learn more about this important military award through Tatyana Ilyina's book, Heroes of the Great War: 1914-1918: Materials from the Trophy Commission in the Collection of the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps, which is also available on the Presidential Library's portal. It is a joint project between the Russian Historical Society, Military Historical Museum of Artillery and Signal Corps, Presidential Library, and Kuchkovo Field Publishing House.

In 2000, the Order of St. George was reinstated as Russia's highest military honor. And in 2007, a holiday was revived - the Day of Heroes of the Fatherland - which was first celebrated in the Russian Federation on December 9, 2007. On this day, a solemn ceremony is held in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, where Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation, and full recipients of the Order of Glory are invited.