Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Cross of the order
Type Dynastic order of knighthood
Royal house House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Ribbon Light blue
Motto In hoc signo vinces
First Grand Master Angeli Comneni family
Established 1520-1545
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of Saint Januarius
Next (lower) Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit
Ribbon of the order

The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (Italian: Sacro militare ordine costantiniano di San Giorgio) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood founded 1520-1545 by two brothers belonging to the Angeli Comneni family, currently bestowed by the former royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

The Angeli Comneni family remained Grand Masters throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1699, Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma was recognised as Grand Master. In 1731, his son and successor, Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma, died without male heirs. He was succeeded by the first Bourbon Grand Master, Charles, Duke of Parma, later King Charles III of Spain. Since that time, members of the House of Bourbon have remained Grand Masters of the order. A modern, century long succession dispute was reconciled in 2014.[1]

After the reconciliation in 2014, the order is estimated to have approximately some mutually recognised 4,600 members in total, originating in the by proclamation uniting former Franco-Neapolitan (2,800) and Hispano-Neapolitan (1,800) branches.

Its status as heraldic patrimonial Roman Catholic family order maintains canonical legal ecclesiastical juridical entity.[2] The motto of the order is in hoc signo vinces (Latin, "In this sign you will conquer"), alluding to the legendary apparition of the cross (as seen in The Vision of the Cross) before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 of Emperor Constantine the Great of the Roman Empire, to whom it fictively traces its roots.

History

Badge and breast star of the order

The legendary origins of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George trace its foundation to an apocryphal order founded by Constantine the Great.[3] The Angeli Comneni grand masters who actually founded the order in the 2nd quarter of the 16th century received confirmations of its status in a series of papal briefs, a bull of Pope Clement VIII, and decrees of King Philip III of Spain, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor on 7 November 1630, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor on 25 June 1671, King John III Sobieski of Poland of 11 May 1681, and Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria on 8 July 1667 and 26 July 1669, in which the order was allowed to establish commanderies in Bavaria and the Palatinate.

Its incorporation as a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church hereditary in the House of Farnese and its heirs, the Bourbons, dates from the transfer to Francesco Farnese on 11 January 1698, an act confirmed in an imperial diploma, "Agnoscimus et notum facimus", of the emperor, Leopold I, dated 5 August 1699, and the apostolic brief, "Sincerae Fidei", issued by Pope Innocent XII on 24 October 1699. These confirmed the succession of the grand magistry to the Farnese family and its heirs as an ecclesiastical office and, crucially, did not tie it to tenure of sovereignty of the Duchy of Parma. Among the first major acts of the Farnese grand magistry were revised, amended and expanded statutes, issued on 25 May 1705 and confirmed in a papal brief dated 12 July 1706; both these confirmed the requirement that the grand magistry should pass by male primogeniture. Following the order's contribution to Prince Eugene of Savoy's campaign to drive the Turks from the Balkans between 1716 and 1718, Pope Clement XI, a former cardinal protector of the order, confirmed the order as a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church in the bull, "Militantis Ecclesiae", of 27 May 1718.

With the death of the last male of the House of Farnese on 30 January 1731, the grand magistry was inherited by Charles, Duke of Parma (later King Charles III of Spain), eldest son of King Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth of Parma; Charles also inherited the duchies of Parma and Piacenza from the Farnese. After becoming king of Naples and Sicily in 1734, Charles was forced to surrender Parma to Austria in 1736 while retaining the Constantinian grand magistry.

On 16 October 1759, Charles III abdicated the grand magistry to his second surviving son, King Ferdinand IV and III of Naples and Sicily (from 1815 Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies). The administration of the order was transferred from Parma to Naples in 1768.

The succession of Ferdinand I as grand master was disputed by the Parmesans who believed that the order was united to the ducal throne of Parma. In 1748, Charles III's younger brother Philip succeeded as duke of Parma; henceforth, his branch of the family regarded themselves as rightful successors to the grand magistry of the order. Philip's heir today is Carlos, Duke of Parma. See the historical note authored by Paolo Conforte, a senior officer of the Parma dynastic order.[4]

The view of the Bourbon-Sicily family is that the grand magistry was never united with the Two Sicilies Crown, but remained, in the words of Charles III 's son and successor, Ferdinand I, in a decree of 8 March 1796 "In his (the King's) royal person there exists together two very distinct qualities, the one of Monarch of the Two Sicilies, and the other of Grand Master of the illustrious, royal and military Constantinian order, which though united gloriously in the same person form nonetheless at the same time two separate independent Lordships". It was this independence that enabled the order, whose grand magistry was held conjointly with the headship of the house of the Two Sicilies, to survive the abolition of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1860.

In 1910, Pope Pius X appointed the first of three successive cardinal protectors and, in 1913, approved a series of privileges for the chaplains of the order. In 1915, Pope Benedict XV dedicated the Constantinian chapel in the basilica of Santa Croce al Flaminio, which had been built with donations from the knights, who included Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli, later Pope Pius XII. In 1916, the pope restored the church of Saint Anthony Abbot to the Order - this church had originally been given to the Constantinian order along with the properties of the religious order of that name in 1777, but had been put under the direction of the archdiocese of Naples in 1861. In 1919, new statutes received papal approval and Cardinal Ranuzzi de' Bianchi was appointed cardinal protector, the last to hold this post. Following the intervention of the grand magistry of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus in 1924, whose grand master, the king of Italy, objected to the awarding of the order to leading Italian noblemen, the Holy See felt the close relationship with Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta might prove an obstacle to settling the Roman question. It was, therefore, decided not to reappoint a successor to Cardinal Ranuzzi de' Bianchi at his death in 1927.

Succession dispute

Owing to various family disputes, the grand magistracy was, until 2014, claimed by three rivals, all princely members of the House of Bourbon:

There were approximately 2,800 members of the Franco-Neapolitan branch and 1,800 members of the Hispano-Neapolitan branch before the unification.

The succession to the grand magistry of this order has been disputed among as many as three branches of Bourbons since 1960. The dispute is rooted in different interpretations of the so-called "Act of Cannes" of 14 December 1900 in which the count of Caserta's second son, Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (great-grandfather of Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria), promised that he would renounce his succession to the crown of the Two Sicilies in execution of the "Pragmatic Decree" of 1759.[11] This decree required that if the king of Spain, or his immediate heir, should inherit the Two Sicilies crown, he would renounce the latter to the next in line. Whether the "Pragmatic Decree" applied to Prince Carlo's situation in 1900, and whether the grand magistry of the order was included in such a renunciation, are both issues in dispute.

Supporters of Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria assert that his great-grandfather's renunciation was conditional on his actually inheriting both the Spanish and Two Sicilies crowns and/or that, even in that circumstances, such a renunciation did not include the position of grand master of the Constantinian order, which they regard as separate from the crown.[12] Further, supporters of Prince Pedro argue that the "Act of Cannes" was legally defective and thus void.

Supporters of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro reject all three positions advanced by Prince Pedro's supporters, and claim that the rival claimant's ancestor validly renounced both the crown of the Two Sicilies and the grand magistry.[13]

As noted above, all three contending parties have their supporters, and there is, in any case, no legal forum in a position to make a binding determination of the competing claims.

The Italian and Hungarian governments among others have authorised members of the Franco-Neapolitan branch, bestowed by Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, to wear the insignia in Italy.[14] In 2011, the Constantinian Order headed by the Duke of Castro, became one of the 3,536[15] non-governmental organizations to hold consultative status at the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations.[16]

Spaniards and Italians who have been granted the Constantinian Order by Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria have applied for, and received, authorisation to wear the decorations of the order.[17]

Each branch appoints a Roman Catholic cardinal as grand prior. On 16 October 2012, the Vatican Secretary of State renewed its position that the Holy See does not recognise any order except the seven Papal Orders listed on their statement. The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George was not one of those orders.[18]

Reconciliation

On January 24, 2014, the day before the Blessed Beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Cristina of Savoy, the Duke of Castro and the Duke of Noto signed an "Act of Reconciliation" at Naples' Excelsior Hotel.

This act appears to have ended the longstanding dynastic differences between the branches of the House of the Two Sicilies. The signing of the act of reconciliation was done in the presence of the Duchesses of Noto and Castro, the Duke of Noto's mother, the Duchess of Calabria, the Duke of Noto's sisters, Maria and Inés, and their husbands, Archduke Simeon and Michele Carrelli Palombi, their aunt, Princess Teresa, Marquesa de Laserma, the Duke of Castro's sister, Princess Napoleon, Prince Casimiro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his wife Princess Margherita, and the Duke of Braganza. Owing to his state of health, the Infante Don Carlos, Duke of Calabria was unable to attend the ceremony.

The Act states that the two branches will recognize each other's titles, and the titles of Duchess of Palermo and Duchess of Capri were awarded to the Duke and Duchess of Castro's two daughters. The final piece of the reconciliation is to work together to unite the Constantinian Order as well as the administrations of the Two Sicilies Orders of St. Januarius and Francis I.[19]

Organisation

Knight, Knight Commander, Knight Grand Cross

The Order is governed by the Grand Master, assisted by the Royal Deputation (Council), the members of which are appointed during the pleasure of the Grand Master or until his death. Each of the high dignitaries of the Order, the Grand Prefect (acting Grand Master during his absences or minority), the President of the Deputation, the Grand Chancellor and Vice-Grand Chancellor, the Grand Prior and Vice-Grand Priors, the Grand Inquisitor, the Grand Treasurer and the Secretary, all serve on the Deputation. The Deputation presently numbers thirty-six great officers and member-councilors. The four classes of the Order are Justice, Jure Sanguinis (formerly Grace) and Merit and finally of Office. By "motu proprio" of the Grand Master, candidates may be exempted from the proofs of either Justice or Grace in exceptional cases.

Each class is divided into the grades of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame, with the title of Commander for holders of Commanderies giuspatronato. The title of Bailiff may be granted to the Knights Grand Cross of Justice but, excluding Cardinals and Royal Princes given the Grand Cross who are always Bailiffs, these may not number more than fifty (in memory of the tradition of the fifty guardians of the Labarum of Constantine), while the number of other Grand Crosses in all three classes is limited to one hundred and fifty knights and seventy-five ladies.[20]

Only baptized Christians are eligible to receive the Order that is conferred by the grace of the Grand Master. However, the dignity of Bailiff and the members of the Grand Council must be Roman Catholic.

Activities

The order is dedicated to the support of the Roman Catholic faith and the defence of its teachings. Each of the three branches supports a variety of charitable and humanitarian endeavours.

The Hispano-Neapolitan branch celebrates a monthly mass at the basilica of Santa Croce in Via Flaminia in Rome, as well as regular masses at its churches in Madrid, Palermo and Milan. There are occasional masses in Florence, Padua, Viterbo, Ragusa, London, Lisbon, and Paris.

The Franco-Neapolitan branch celebrates an annual mass in Rome in the church of San Giorgio al Velabro, as well as occasional masses in Naples, and other Italian cities, in Westminster Cathedral in London, and in Washington, D.C.

The Parmesan branch has its headquarters at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma.

Influence

The Order has also influenced organizations which are completely separate and distinct from it. Since at least the 18th century, Freemasonry has incorporated symbols and rituals of several Medieval military orders in a number of Masonic bodies, most notably, in the "Red Cross of Constantine" (derived from the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George), the "Order of Malta" (derived from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta), and the "Order of the Temple" (derived from the historical Knights Templar), the latter two featuring prominently in the York Rite.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.se/2014/01/royal-musings-exclusive-reconciliation.html?m=1
  2. ↑ http://www.zenit.org/it/articles/la-santa-sede-e-gli-ordini-cavallereschi-doverosi-chiarimenti-seconda-parte
  3. ↑ Constantinian Order, Hispano-Neapolitan
  4. ↑ http://www.borboneparma.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=52
  5. ↑ Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Franco-Neapolitan Branch
  6. ↑ http://www.realcasadiborbone.it/attivita/ordini-e-decorazioni/ordine-costantiniano/
  7. ↑ Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Hispano-Neapolitan Branch
  8. ↑ http://www.borbone-due-sicilie.org/the-royal-orders/smoc/index.html
  9. ↑ constantinianorder.org
  10. ↑ http://www.borboneparma.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=52
  11. ↑ Paul Theroff, Online Gotha, Two Sicilies
  12. ↑ The website of the so-called "Spanish" branch, headed by Prince Pedro, asserts that the renunciation was conditioned on facts that never arose, and that the order and the crown are governed by separate rules.
  13. ↑ The Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies, History asserting that the "Act of Cannes" was a fully valid act of renunciation
  14. ↑ Gregor Gatscher-Riedl, In hoc signo vinces. Zwischen religiösem Mythos und politischem Anspruch von Byzanz nach Neapel. Die Geschichte des Heiligen Konstantinischen Ritterordens vom Heiligen Georg, Vienna 2012, p. 172
  15. ↑ "Basic Facts about ECOSOC Status". United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, NGO Branch. csonet.org. Retrieved 27 November 2012. Currently 3,536 NGOs enjoy consultative status with ECOSOC...as of November 2011....•In 2011-2012 some 600 organizations applied for consultative status. On average between 100 and 150 applications are recommended by the Committee in each of its two sessions per year
  16. ↑ List of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council as of 1 September 2011 (PDF) (E/2011/INF/4 ed.). New York: United Nations, Economic and Social Council. 15 November 2011. p. 65. Retrieved 27 November 2012. Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio (2011)
  17. ↑ Gregor Gatscher-Riedl, In hoc signo vinces. Zwischen religiösem Mythos und politischem Anspruch von Byzanz nach Neapel. Die Geschichte des Heiligen Konstantinischen Ritterordens vom Heiligen Georg, Vienna 2012, p. 173
  18. ↑ "Note of Clarification from the Secretariat of State". news.va. Pontifical Council for Social Communication. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012. Vatican City, (VIS) - In response to frequent requests for information concerning the recognition by the Holy See of Equestrian Orders dedicated to the saints or to holy places, the Secretariat of State considers it opportune to reiterate what has already been published, namely that, other than its own Equestrian Orders (the Supreme Order of Christ, the Order of the Golden Spur, the Pian Order, the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, and the Order of Pope Saint Sylvester), the Holy See recognises and supports only the Sovereign Military Order of Malta - also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta - and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The Holy See foresees no additions or innovations in this regard. All other orders, whether of recent origin or mediaeval foundation, are not recognised by the Holy See. Furthermore, the Holy See does not guarantee their historical or juridical legitimacy, their ends or organisational structures. To avoid any possible doubts, even owing to illicit issuing of documents or the inappropriate use of sacred places, and to prevent the continuation of abuses which may result in harm to people of good faith, the Holy See confirms that it attributes absolutely no value whatsoever to certificates of membership or insignia issued by these groups, and it considers inappropriate the use of churches or chapels for their so-called "ceremonies of investiture".
  19. ↑ Koenig, Marlene Eislers. "RECONCILIATION IN THE HOUSE OF BOURBON-TWO SICILIES". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Government and Grades of the Constantinian Order". Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

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