Order of Saint Agatha

Order of Saint Agatha
Grand Officer grade of the Order.
TypeState order
Country San Marino
Awarded forCharitable work in the service of the Republic.
GrandmasterCaptains Regent
SecretarySecretary for Foreign Affairs
Precedence
Next (higher)Order of San Marino


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 presented to foreign nationals who have positively contributed charitable and other services for the benefit of the republic deserving of recognition.

The award is conferred by the Grand and General Council on the proposal of the Most Excellent Regency of the Republic of San Marino. It has 5 ranks: Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer and Knight.[3]

The badge of the order is a golden cross enamelled in white. It is 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 epigraph Bene Merenti (to a well-deserving person). The cross is hung on 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 ranks:[2]

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

Recipients

Order of St. Agatha Grand Cross badge.
Order of St. Agatha Grand Cross star.
Order of St. Agatha Grand Cross set.

Prominent people who have been awarded the Order of Saint Agatha[5]

Year of award Recipient
Prince Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel
 Italy – Pietro Gasparri[6]
 Italy – Dino Grandi[7]
 Italy – Giovanni Marinelli
 Italy – Giulio Onesti[8]
 Belgium – Robert Rothschild[9]
1925  United States – Edgar Erskine Hume[10]
1932  Vatican City – Pope Paul VI
1934  United Kingdom – Edward VII[11]
1934  United Kingdom – Edward VIII[12]
1935 Jagatjit Singh[13]
1937  United Kingdom – Edmund Vivian Gabriel[14]
1944  United States – Charles Poletti[15]
1946  United States – Juvenal P. Marchisio
1948  Italy – Giulio Andreotti
1937  France – Valery Larbaud
1956  United States – Avery Brundage[16]
1956  United Kingdom – Sir John Wilson, 2nd Baronet
1958  Italy – Giovanni Spadolini
1958  France – Vincent Delpuech
1958  Belgium – Roger Motz
1958  Belgium – Lucien Cooremans[17]
2002  Italy – Dario Fo[18]
2010  Monaco – Albert II, Prince of Monaco[19]
2012  Italy – Sophia Loren[20]
2013  South Korea – Ban Ki-moon[21]
2019  Russia – Sergey Lavrov[22]
2020  United Kingdom – Theresa May[23]
2020  United Kingdom – Jeremy Hunt[23]
2021  United Kingdom/ Lebanon – Nadey Hakim[24]
2021  United Kingdom – Andrew Rosindell[25]
2021  United Kingdom – George Holmes[26]
2022  United Kingdom – Lisa Cameron[27]
2023  United Kingdom – Sheryll 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.


  • Grand Officer set.
    Grand Officer set.
  • Grand Officer set.
    Grand Officer set.
  • Star of the Grand Officer grade of the order.
    Star of the Grand Officer grade of the order.
  • Reverse of the insignia of the Grand Officer grade.
    Reverse of the insignia of the Grand Officer grade.
  • Close-up of the inner lid of the case of the Grand Officer showing the logo of Cravanzola, c.1940
    Close-up of the inner lid of the case of the Grand Officer showing the logo of Cravanzola, c.1940
  • Commanders class of the order.
    Commanders class of the order.
  • Set of the Commander of the order.
    Set of the Commander of the order.

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. ^ {https://tass.ru/politika/6243737?
  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.