The Order of Saint Agatha (Italian: Ordine Equestre di Sant'Agata) is a State order established on 5 June 1923 by the Grand and General Council of the Republic of San Marino. It is named after Saint Agatha, on whose feast day 5 February, Pope Clement XII reestablished the sovereignty of the republic in 1740.[2]

The Order is awarded to foreign nationals deserving of recognition for charitable or other services to the Republic of San Marino.

Conferred by the Grand and General Council on the proposal of the Most Excellent Regency of the Republic of San Marino, the Order comprises 5 grades: Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer and Knight.[3]

The badge of the Order is a cross with curved ends enamelled white and edged in gilt. Charged on one side with a round golden shield bearing the effigy of Saint Agatha and includes the inscription Sant'Agata Prottetrice (Saint Agatha Protector), on the other side is written the motto Bene Merenti (To a well-deserving person). The insignia suspends by a ribbon with five stripes of white, crimson and yellow.[4]

The Order of San Marino is the next higher in order of precedence.

Grades

The Order is presented in five grades:[2]

  1. Grand Cross (Cavaliere Gran Croce)
  2. Grand Officer (Cavaliere Grande Ufficiale)
  3. Commander (Cavaliere Ufficiale Maggiore o Commendatore)
  4. Officer (Cavaliere Ufficiale)
  5. Knight (Cavaliere)
Order of Saint Agatha ribbon bars
Knight
Officer
Commander
Grand Officer
Grand Cross

Recipients

St. Agatha neck decoration.
St. Agatha Grand Cross breast star.
St. Agatha Grand Cross insignia.

Prominent people awarded the Order of Saint Agatha[5]

Year of award Recipient
 SMOMPrince Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel
 ItalyCardinal Pietro Gasparri[6]
 ItalyDino Grandi[7]
 ItalyGiovanni Marinelli
 ItalyGiulio Onesti[8]
 BelgiumBaron Robert Rothschild[9]
1925  United StatesEdgar Erskine Hume[10]
1932  Vatican City StatePope Paul VI
1934  United KingdomEdward VII[11]
1934  United KingdomEdward VIII[12]
1935 British IndiaMaharajah Jagatjit Singh[13]
1937  United KingdomSir Edmund Gabriel[14]
1944  United StatesCharles Poletti[15]
1946  United StatesJudge Juvenal Marchisio
1948  ItalyGiulio Andreotti
1937  FranceValery Larbaud
1956  United StatesAvery Brundage[16]
1956  United KingdomSir John Wilson
1958  ItalyGiovanni Spadolini
1958  FranceVincent Delpuech
1958  BelgiumRoger Motz
1958  BelgiumLucien Cooremans[17]
2002  ItalyDario Fo[18]
2010  MonacoPrince Albert II[19]
2012  ItalySophia Loren[20]
2013  South KoreaBan Ki-moon[21]
2019  RussiaSergey Lavrov[22]
2020  United KingdomTheresa, Baroness May of Maidenhead[23]
2020  United KingdomJeremy Hunt[23]
2021  LebanonNadey Hakim[24]
2021  United KingdomAndrew Rosindell[25]
2021  United KingdomGeorge Holmes[26]
2022  United KingdomLisa Cameron[27]
2023  United KingdomSheryll Murray[28]

Design

The Orders design is made up of a white-enamelled cross backed by a green-enamelled wreath of oak and laurel leaves. The central disc bears a painted image of Saint Agatha, the Orders namesake, surrounded by a white-enamelled ring. The ring bears the words; "SANT AGATA PROTETTRICE" (Saint Agatha Protector), while the bottom has a gold laurel wreath. The reverse of the badge shows a gold representation of the Coat of Arms of San Marino, surrounded by the Orders motto: Bene Merenti.

The ribbon of the Order is actually the colours of the flag of San Marino, used between 1465 and 1797.[29] The ribbon is made up of the three colours, with a larger field of burgundy in the center, edged with smaller bands of white and orange on both sides.


References

  1. ^ Robertson, Megan C. "San Marino: Order of St Agatha". Medals of the World. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  2. ^ a b Hieronymussen, Paul (1967). Orders and Decorations of Europe in Color. New York: Macmillan. p. 233.
  3. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Ordine Sant'Agata". Ordini Vaticani. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  6. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  7. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. ^ Brockman, William Everett (1994). "Early American history : Hume and allied families". Internet Archive. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  11. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Edward VIII 1894-1972 (Duke of Windsor)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Jagatjit Singh". Panjpedia. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria". DNW. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Charles W. Poletti papers, 1920-1991 bulk 1923-1970". Columbia University Libraries. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Avery Brundage Collection" (PDF). University Library, University of Illinois. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  17. ^ "The Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  18. ^ "13 ottobre 2016: un anno senza Dario Fo". RTV San Marino (in Italian). 12 October 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Visit by Prince Albert II to San Marino". Palais Princier de Monaco. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Sophia Loren Cavaliere Grand'Ufficiale dell'Ordine Equestre di Sant'Agata. Coi Reggenti". Libertas (in Italian). 9 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Top UN official visits San Marino at start of five-nation European tour". UN News. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  22. ^ tass.ru
  23. ^ a b "San Marino awards the Order of Saint Agatha to two UK prominent persons". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  24. ^ Hakim, Nadey (14 October 2021). "Cavaliere Professor Nadey Hakim receives the Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of San Marino. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  25. ^ Rosindell, Andrew. "Cavaliere Andrew Rosindell MP receives the Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of San Marino. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  26. ^ Holmes, George (14 October 2021). "Cavaliere Commendatore Professor George Holmes DL receives the Order of Saint Agatha". Consulate of San Marino. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  27. ^ "San Marino celebrates a new Knight of the Order of St Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  28. ^ "Congratulations to the newest Knights of the Order of St Agatha". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  29. ^ "San Marino - Historical Flags". www.fotw.info. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
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