Order of Pope Pius IX

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Order of Pope Pius IX
Ordine di Pio IX (Italian)
3deg Conde de ParatyDSC02687.JPG
Knight's cross of the Order of Pius IX
Awarded by the Flag of the Vatican City - 2001 version.svg  Holy See
Type Papal order of knighthood
Established17 June 1847;177 years ago (1847-06-17) [1]
Religious affiliation Catholic
Motto
StatusCurrently constituted
First head Pope Pius IV
Sovereign Pope Francis
Classes
  • Knight/Dame with the Collar (GCCPO)
  • Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GCPO)
  • Knight/Dame Commander with Star (KC*PO/DC*PO)
  • Knight/Dame Commander (KCPO/DCPO)
  • Knight/Dame (KPO/DPO)
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of the Golden Spur
Next (lower) Order of St. Gregory the Great
VA Ordine Piano BAR.svg
Ribbon bar of the order

The Order of Pope Pius IX (Italian : Ordine di Pio IX), also referred as the Pian Order (Italian : Ordine Piano, pronounced [piˈaːno] ), is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. Currently, it is the highest honor conferred by the Holy See (being the Order of Christ and the Order of the Golden Spur currently dormant). The awarding of the order fell into disuse and was re-instituted by Pope Pius IX as a continuation on 17 June 1847. [1]

Contents

The highest rank awarded by the Pope is the Collar of the Order, usually to Catholic heads of state on the occasion of official visits to the Holy See. The Grand Cross is the highest Papal award given to lay men and women, ordinarily given to resident Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See after two years in post and rarely to exceptional Catholics in the wider world for particular services, mainly in the international field and for outstanding deeds for Church and society.

The rank of Knight is almost never awarded, and when it happens, it is given in recognition of high-profile services rendered to the Holy See or directly to the person of the Pontiff, by Catholic faithful of distinguished status, almost always belonging to ancient European noble families.

The other two ranks (Commander and Commander with Star) are granted sparingly to lay Catholics, usually in diplomatic roles, for extraordinary merit or deeds for the Church and society. The order is awarded to Catholics and, on occasion and only for diplomatic reasons, to non-Catholics and non-Christians as well.

History of the Order

Pope Pius IV, founded the first Pian Order in 1560. Ritratto di Pio IV.jpg
Pope Pius IV, founded the first Pian Order in 1560.

The Order was founded on 17 June 1847, by Pope Pius IX with the decree Romanis Pontificibus, placing it as the continuation of the ancient order established by Pope Pius IV with the bull Pii patris amplissimi on March 1559. [2] These noble knights formed the lay court of the Roman Pontiff, being defined participants, since they "participated" in the life of the Pontiff, offering him an escort and often residing in the Apostolic Palace; they often shared the table with the Pontiff and accompanied him during his daily tasks.

The subsequent decree Cum Hominum Mentes of 17 June 1849, confirmed the ancient privilege of personal nobility through membership in the Pian Order, thus creating it the only ennobler of the Holy Apostolic See. With another decree dated 11 November 1856, the Roman Pontiff himself divided the Order into three classes: Knight Grand Cross, Commander, and Knight.

Pope Pius X reformed the Pontifical orders with the decree Multum ad excitandos of 7 February 1905, [3] the new class of Commander with star (correspondent to the class of Grand Officer) was created.

The Pian Order was then reformed again by Pope Pius XII, with a Bull dated 11 November 1939, which suppressed the privilege of nobility. [4] From the historical point of view, the Knighthood of the Grand Cross of the Pian Order has held the role that was of the Militia Aurata before the reform of Gregory XVI, namely that of title of rank and ennobling of the Holy See from the sixteenth century to 1841.

Order of Classes

1893 artistic sketch of the medal De Piusorde 1893.jpg
1893 artistic sketch of the medal

The Order comprises five classes: [5]

Pope Pius IX, re-instituted the Pian Order under his Papal name and pontificate in 1847. Pionono12.jpg
Pope Pius IX, re-instituted the Pian Order under his Papal name and pontificate in 1847.
Divisa.Ord.piano.png
VAT Order of Pope Pius IX Cav BAR.svg
Knight/Dame
VAT Order of Pope Pius IX Comm BAR.svg
Knight/Dame Commander
VAT Order of Pope Pius IX Comm w-Star BAR.svg
Knight/Dame Commander with Star
VAT Order of Pope Pius IX GCross BAR.svg
Knight/Dame Grand Cross
VAT Order of Pope Pius IX Collar BAR.svg
Knight with the Collar

Insignia and uniform

The Pian medal belonging to the 21st President of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek, unrestored and on display on his memorial Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX (Vatican) - Memorial JK - Brasilia - DSC00415.JPG
The Pian medal belonging to the 21st President of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek, unrestored and on display on his memorial

The decoration is a regular octagram made of blue enamel, the spaces between the rays filled with gold flames. On the white medallion in the center the name of the founder surrounded by the words Virtuti et Merito ("Virtue and Merit") is engraved. The reverse side is the same save for the substitution of Anno 1847 for Pius IX. The rarely worn official uniform consists of an elaborately embroidered dark blue evening coat with golden epaulettes, white trousers, and a white-plumed bicorne.

Knights with the Collar wear a gold decorated chain around the neck, and a star on the left side of the breast; Knights Grand Cross wear a sash and a star on the left side of the breast; Commanders wear a cross around the neck; and Knights wear a smaller cross on the left breast of the uniform:

Notable members

Royal houses and nobility

Heads of State and Politicians

Constantin Isopescu-Grecul, Austrian-Hungarian/Romanian politician, jurist and legal scholar, wearing the star of the Order of Pius IX Constantin Isopescu-Grecul 1930s.jpg
Constantin Isopescu-Grecul, Austrian-Hungarian/Romanian politician, jurist and legal scholar, wearing the star of the Order of Pius IX

Diplomats to the Holy See

Larry Wang, Ambassador of the Republic of China to the Holy See, wearing sash and star of the Order of Pius IX WANG YU YUAN.jpg
Larry Wang, Ambassador of the Republic of China to the Holy See, wearing sash and star of the Order of Pius IX

Other notable members

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Rock, P.M.J. (1913). "Pontifical Decorations"  . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. 1 2 Henneresse, Dominique (2019). Ordres et Décorations du Saint-Siège (in French). Città del Vaticano: LEV Libreria Editrice Vaticana (Vatican Publishing House). pp. 89–90, 104–105. ISBN   978-88-266-0241-7.
  3. ↑ "Acta Sanctae Sedis: ephemerides romanae a SS.mo D. N. Pio PP. X" (PDF). Vatican.va. p. 565. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. ↑ Direzione dell'Annuario Pontificio presso la Segreteria di Stato Vaticana (1968). Annuario Pontificio (in Italian). Città del Vaticano: LEV - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. p. 1103.
  5. ↑ "The Papal Order of Pius IX". The Christian Knighthood Information Center. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Order of Pius IX (Pian Order)". Association of Papal Orders in Ireland. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  7. ↑ Michele D'Andrea, Fabio Cassani Pironti (2005). Vestire gli onori (in Italian). Roma: In.edit. pp. 106–109. ISBN   88-89452-00-5.
  8. ↑ "King of Burundi Praised by Pope in Vatican Visit". The New York Times. 17 December 1962. p. 2.
  9. ↑ Bouyerdene 2012, chapter 5
  10. ↑ "President Anastasiades receives the highest honour of the Holy See". ΚΥΠΕ. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Cronología de Marco Fidel Suárez | Centro de Historia de Bello". Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
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