| Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata | |
|---|---|
 The collar badge of the Order, which depictsOur Lady of the Annunciation, is worn on the feast day of the Most Holy Annunciation. | |
Awarded by.svg) The Duke of Savoy as Sovereign Headof the House of Savoy | |
| Type | Dynastic order of knighthood |
| Established | c. 1362 |
| Royal house | House of Savoy |
| Motto | FERT (Fortitudo Eius Rhodum Tulit;By his bravery he conquered Rhodes) |
| Eligibility | Military and civilian |
| Awarded for |
|
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Founder | Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy |
| Sovereign | (disputed) |
| Grand Master | Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice[1] |
| Grand Chancellor | Johannes Theo Niederhauser |
| Grades | Knight |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None (Highest) |
| Next (lower) | Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus |
 Ribbon bar | |
TheSupreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (Italian:Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata) is aCatholicorder of chivalry, originating inSavoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of thehonours system in the Kingdom of Italy, which ceased to be anational order when the kingdombecame a republic in 1946. Today, the order continues as adynastic order under the jurisdiction of the Head of theHouse of Savoy.
The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation originated in 1362, whenAmadeus VI, Count of Savoy (1343–1383) instituted the order's earliest designation, under the title ofOrder of the Collar.[2] The order was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary,[2] who is celebrated as "Our Lady of the Annunciation." The order is a dynastic religious (or Catholic) order of chivalry.
Under its first formulation, the order had fifteen knights.[2] The number was symbolic of the number of dailymasses celebrated with the order. In 1409,Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy, gave the order its first knownstatutes, and in 1434, he extended the order to five more knights.
Amadeus VIII's statutes were subsequently amended and reformed byDuke Carlo III in 1518, byDuke Emanuele Filiberto I in 1570, and thereafter by succeeding Sovereigns. The most recent took place on 11 June 1985 byPrince Vittorio Emanuele, Sovereign of the order.[citation needed] It was in 1518, that many of the present designations were instituted. Most importantly, the order's name was changed to its current name, The Most Holy Supreme Order of the Annunciation.[when?] The badge of the order was also changed, with the representation of the Blessed Virgin Mary being added.[citation needed]
The order, throughout its early history and following the reforms ofDuke Carlo III, was awarded for supreme recognition of distinguished services. The order constituted a kind of religious and military fraternity between the Sovereign Head of the Order and his companions; it was reserved exclusively for distinguished men-at-arms who, apart from exemplary service, had to be of illustrious birth, particularly of catholic and noble birth.[citation needed]
Eventually, it was deemed appropriate to recognize those who had rendered distinguished service to the Kingdom of Italy (and the House of Savoy) in the exercise of high civil offices, not requiring, when such achievements could be demonstrated, nobility of birth as well.
The order holds the following other regulations:
In 1925, a law was passed on the day before Christmas which made the Head of Government (who at the time wasBenito Mussolini) the Secretary of the Order, and stipulated that he would preside over the Knights of the Order at public functions and ceremonies.
In October 2023,Princess Vittoria, Princess of Carignano was created the first female Knight of the Order since its inception, by her grandfatherPrince Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, Sovereign of the Order.[3][4] Upon her eventual ascension as the Head of theHouse of Savoy, The Princess of Carignano will also become the first female Sovereign of the Order.
The order has one rank and grade, i.e.Knight. The full Italian title isCavaliere dell'Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata.
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The order has two sets of insignia, the Small Collar (Piccola Collana) and the Grand Collar (Grande Collana). The two hold similar designs, though theGrande Collana has some different features than the Small Collar and is worn only on the most special of occasions.
The Grand Collar consists of fourteen ornate sections, each of which is made up of the lettersFERT in gold, intertwined with a white and red enamelledSavoyan knot. The sections are interlinked with fourteen roses, alternately enamelled red and white. The roses represent the mysteries in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The knots surrounding the medallion of the collar is enamelled white, red, and blue. Pending from one of the fourteen sections is the medallion, which portrays an enamelled depiction of theAnnunciation of theVirgin Mary by theArchangel Gabriel. The medallion is surrounded by three intertwined Savoyan knots, decorated with small crosses fleury, and in the upper centre, between two of the Savoyan knots, a cluster of rays with a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, is depicted also in gold.[5]
The Small Collar is similar to the Large Collar, although of reduced size and with additional differences. The collar is made up of fifteen, rather than fourteen sections, and they are not separated by enamelled rose. The whole collar and medallion are solid gold, rather than with colored enamel like the Large Collar. The medallion pends from the interactions of two of the fourteen sections, rather than pending from the middle of as in the Large Collar.[5]
The star of the order, which was first used in 1680 by specifications of the Royal Lady Maria Giovana Battista, Duchess Regent of Savoy, is of gold and also has a representation of the Annunciation in a medallion in the centre which is set within a gold cross of four pommels. This is surrounded by a cluster of gold rays. Between the arms of the cross of four pommels are the letters F.E.R.T.
The insignia of the order has the following regulations:
On initiation of a new knight into the order, the small collar was worn by the initiate before theaccolade by the Grand Master. After the accolade, the Grand Master would place the large collar over the shoulders of the new knight.
When the order is not worn, Knights may wear a gold miniature of the badge (medallion of the collar) of the order suspended from a red ribbon. They may also wear either a ribbon bar (upon a uniform) or a rosette (upon a suit), both of which are red and have a miniature cross of four pommels engraved with the Annunciation.[6]
While theGrand Magisterium ofPrince Aimone of Savoy is limited to his claim, theGrand Magisterium ofEmanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice is currently in effect. The governing body of the dynastic orders of the Royal House of Savoy consists of the Sovereign and Grand Master of the Order, the Grand Chancellor of the Order, the Council of the Order, Members, and the Giunta of the Order. The following are some of those that make up theGrand Magisterium of the order.
Among the notable recipients of the order of the Annunciation, KingAmanullah of Afghanistan (reigned 1919–1929) should probably be mentioned, especially since he was not a Christian. He received the honour during his State visit to Italy in 1928, when he authorized, for the first time, the opening of a Catholic church in Afghanistan (within the Italian Embassy) and the residence of a Catholic priest.[9]
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| Dynastic orders of themonarchy (1861–1946) |
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