St. George's Cross and the most famous St. George's Knights of the Russian Empire. Military awards of the Russian Federation

St. George ribbons occupy the most honorable place among the numerous collective awards (distinctions) of units of the Russian army.

The Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George (Order of St. George) is the highest military award of the Russian Empire. In an expanded sense, it is a comprehensive set of differences between officers, lower ranks and military units.

D.G. Levitsky. Portrait of Empress Catherine II.

Established by Empress Catherine II on November 26 (December 7), 1769 in honor of St. George to honor officers for their services on the battlefield and abolished in 1917 after the October Revolution. More than 10 thousand people were awarded the order, 25 were holders of the order of the first degree, of which only four became full holders. Since 2000, the Order of St. George has been a military award of the Russian Federation.

The Order of St. George stood out by its statute among other Russian orders as a reward for personal valor in battle, and the merits for which an officer could be awarded were strictly regulated by the statute of the order. According to its status, it was given only for specific feats in wartime “to those who... distinguished themselves by a particularly courageous act or gave wise and useful advice for our military service.” This was an exceptional military award.

He had four degrees of distinction.
1st degree: star on the left side of the chest and a large cross on a ribbon over the right shoulder,
700 rub. annual pension.
2nd degree: star on the left side of the chest and a large cross on the neck ribbon,
400 rub. annual pension.
3rd degree: small cross on a neck ribbon, 200 rubles. annual pension.
4th degree: small cross in a buttonhole or on a block, 100 rubles. annual pension.

Those awarded several degrees were entitled to a pension only for the highest degree. After the death of the gentleman, his widow received a pension for him for another year. After the death of the owner, the orders were handed over to the Military College (until 1856). It was forbidden to decorate insignia with precious stones. The Order also gave the privilege of entry to public events together with colonels for St. George Knights of the 3rd and 4th classes, even if their rank was lower.

E. D. Kamezhenkov. Unknown officer with the Order of George, IV degree. Early 1790s

Since when the order of the highest degree was awarded, the lower degree was no longer awarded, out of 25 cavaliers of the 1st degree, only four people became full holders of the Order of St. George (awarded with all 4 degrees):
* Prince, Field Marshal General M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky;
* Prince, Field Marshal General M. B. Barclay de Tolly;
* Count, Field Marshal General I. F. Paskevich-Erivan Prince of Warsaw;
* Count, Field Marshal General I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky.

Three people were awarded the Order of St. George from 3rd to 1st degree:
* Prince, Field Marshal General G. A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky;
* Prince, Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov-Rymniksky;
* count, cavalry general L. L. Bennigsen.

Volkov R.M. Portrait of M.I. Kutuzova.

Although formally in terms of seniority the Order of St. George of the 1st degree was lower than the highest Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the commanders valued it above any other award. From a letter from the great commander A.V. Suvorov to his daughter dated November 8, 1789: [Received] the insignia of St. Andrew, fifty thousand, and above all, my dear, First Class of St. George. That's what your daddy is like. For my kind heart, I almost died of joy.

Surikov V.I. Generalissimo Suvorov.

As a sign of special distinction, for personal courage and dedication, they were awarded Golden Weapons - a sword, a dagger, and later a saber. One of the first reliably known awards with edged weapons dates back to the Peter the Great era. On June 27, 1720, for the defeat of the Swedish squadron on the island of Grengam, Prince Golitsyn “was sent a gold sword with rich diamond decorations as a sign of his military labor.” Subsequently, there are many awards known for golden weapons with diamonds for generals, and without diamonds for officers with various honorary inscriptions (“For courage”, “For courage”, as well as some indicating the specific merits of the recipient).

The black and orange colors of the St. George Ribbon have become a symbol of military valor and glory in Russia. There are different opinions about the symbolism of the St. George ribbon. For example, Count Litta wrote in 1833: “the immortal legislator who founded this order believed that its ribbon connects the color of gunpowder and the color of fire...”.

Rokotov F. Catherine II with the Order of St. George, 1st class. 1770

However, Serge Andolenko, a Russian officer who later became a general in the French army and compiled the most complete collection of drawings and descriptions of regimental badges of the Russian army, does not agree with this explanation: “In fact, the colors of the order have been state colors since the time when the double-headed eagle became the Russian national emblem on a golden background... This is how the Russian coat of arms was described under Catherine II: “A black eagle, on the heads there is a crown, and at the top in the middle there is a large Imperial crown - gold, in the middle of the same eagle is George, on a white horse, defeating a serpent, a cape and a spear are yellow , the crown is yellow, the serpent is black." Thus, the Russian military order, both in its name and in its colors, had deep roots in Russian history."

The St. George Ribbon was also awarded to some insignia awarded to military units. In 1805, another collective award appeared - the Trumpets of St. George. They were made of silver, but unlike silver trumpets, which had previously been a reward in the Russian army, the St. George Cross was applied to the body of the trumpet, which increased their rank as a reward. An inscription was often placed on the body of the pipe, telling what battle and in what year the regiment won the award. An officer's St. George's cross and a lanyard made of a ribbon of order colors with silver tassels were attached to the pipe. By 1816, two types of St. George's trumpets were finally established - infantry, curved several times, and straight cavalry. An infantry regiment usually received two trumpets as a reward, a cavalry regiment - three for each squadron, and a special trumpet for the regimental headquarters trumpeter. The first in the history of the Russian Empire to receive the Trumpets of St. George was the 6th Jaeger Regiment for the Battle of Schöngraben. The body of each pipe was surrounded by the inscription “For the feat at Shengraben on November 4, 1805 in the battle of 5 tons of corps with an enemy consisting of 30 tons.”

In 1806, the award St. George banners were introduced into the Russian army. At the top of the banner
The St. George Cross was placed, and a black and orange St. George ribbon with banner tassels 1 inch wide (4.44 cm) was tied under the pommel. The first St. George banners were issued to the Kiev Grenadier, Chernigov Dragoon, Pavlograd Hussar and two Don Cossack regiments for distinction in the 1805 campaign with the inscription: “For exploits at Shengraben on November 4, 1805 in the battle of 5 thousand corps with an enemy consisting of 30 thousand. » In 1819, the naval St. George's stern flag was established. The first such flag was received by the battleship Azov under the command of Captain 1st Rank M.P. Lazarev, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Navarino in 1827. In 1855, during the Crimean War, lanyards of St. George's colors appeared on officer's award weapons. Golden weapons as a type of award were no less honorable for a Russian officer than the Order of George.

If a person was awarded an order he already had, but of a higher degree, then the badges of the lower degree were not worn and were handed over to the Chapter of Orders. In 1856, it was allowed to wear the badges of all degrees of the Order of St. George at the same time. From February to May 1855, there was a version of the order of the 4th degree with a bow from the St. George ribbon, which indicated that its gentleman was awarded twice - for length of service, and later for distinction in battle. For the holders of the order, “a special cavalry attire was provided, consisting of an orange velvet supervest, with black velvet crosses wide in front and back; supervest is trimmed all around with gold fringe"

After the end of the Russian-Turkish War (1877 - 1878), Emperor Alexander II ordered the preparation of presentations to reward the most distinguished units and units. Information from commanders about the feats performed by their units was collected and submitted to the Cavalry Duma of the Order of St. George. The Duma report, in particular, said that the most brilliant feats during the war were performed by the Nizhny Novgorod and Seversky dragoon regiments, which already have all the established awards: St. George's standards, St. George's trumpets, double buttonholes "for military distinction" on the uniforms of headquarters and chief officers , St. George's buttonholes on uniforms of lower ranks, insignia on headdresses.

A personal decree on April 11, 1878 established a new insignia, the description of which was announced by order of the Military Department on October 31 of the same year. The decree, in particular, said: “The Sovereign Emperor, bearing in mind that some regiments already have all the insignia established as a reward for military exploits, has deigned to establish a new highest insignia: St. George ribbons on banners and standards with inscriptions of insignia for which the ribbons granted, according to the attached description and drawing. These ribbons, being part of the banners and standards, are under no circumstances removed from them." Until the end of the existence of the Russian Imperial Army, this award with wide St. George ribbons remained the only one. These ribbons were received by the Nizhny Novgorod and Seversky Dragoon Regiments.

Louis Ersan. Portrait of Marie Amalia, Queen of the Two Sicilies 1830, Condé Museum, Chantilly.

It is known that two women were awarded the Order of George (after Catherine II). Orders of the 4th degree were awarded to:
* Maria Sofia Amalia, Queen of the Two Sicilies - February 21, 1861, “For courage shown during the siege of the fortress of Gaeta from November 12, 1860 to February 13, 1861”;
* Rimma Mikhailovna Ivanova (posthumously), sister of mercy - September 17, 1915, “For the courage and selflessness shown in battle, when, after the death of all the commanders, she took command of the company; after the battle she died from her wounds.” The deceased nurse was awarded the order by decree of Nicholas II, which violated the statute of the order as an exception.

Since the establishment of the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George on November 26, 1769 by Empress Catherine the Great, this day began to be considered the festive Day of the Knights of St. George, which was to be celebrated annually both at the Highest Court and “in all those places where the Knight of the Grand Cross happens” . Since the time of Catherine II, the Winter Palace has become the venue for the main ceremonies associated with the order.

St. George's Hall in the Winter Palace.

Meetings of the Duma of the Order of St. George met in St. George's Hall. Every year, ceremonial receptions were held on the occasion of the Order's holiday; the St. George's porcelain service, created by order of Catherine II (Gardner factory, 1777-1778), was used for ceremonial dinners. The last time the St. George's Knights celebrated their Order's holiday was on November 26, 1916.

In addition to the St. George Hall in the Winter Palace, there is the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, construction began in 1838 in the Moscow Kremlin according to the design of the architect K. A. Ton. On April 11, 1849, a decision was made to perpetuate the names of St. George's cavaliers and military units on marble plaques between the twisted columns of the hall. Today they contain over 11 thousand names of officers awarded various degrees of the order from 1769 to 1885.

St. George's Hall. Grand Kremlin Palace.

During the Great Patriotic War, continuing the military traditions of the Russian army, on November 8, 1943, the Order of Glory of three degrees was established. Its statute, as well as the yellow and black coloring of the ribbon, were reminiscent of the St. George Cross. Then the St. George ribbon, confirming the traditional colors of Russian military valor, adorned many soldier and modern Russian award medals and badges.

On March 2, 1992, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR "On State Awards of the Russian Federation", a decision was made to restore the Russian military Order of St. George and the insignia "St. George's Cross". The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated March 2, 1994 states: “The military Order of St. George and the Insignia of St. George’s Cross are preserved in the system of state awards.”

The Order of St. George has been the highest military award of the Russian Federation since August 8, 2000. This order is the successor to the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, established by Empress Catherine II in 1769. The first ideas about restoring this state award appeared on March 2, 1992, they were put forward by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, but after the events of 1993, the restoration of this order in the Russian award system was frozen. The statute of this state award was developed and approved only on August 8, 2000. In total, the order has 4 degrees (the lowest degree is IV, the highest is I).

According to the original statute of the order, it could be awarded to military personnel from among senior and senior officers for successfully carried out military operations to defend the Fatherland during an attack by an external enemy, ending in the complete defeat of the attackers, who became an example of true military art, whose exploits serve as an example of courage and valor for all generations of defenders Fatherland and who were awarded state awards of the Russian Federation for differences shown in combat operations. This statute of the award led to the fact that until 2008 it was simply not awarded, there was no reason.

In 2008, changes were made to the award's statute. The Order began to be awarded to senior and senior officers also for conducting combat and other operations on the territory of other countries while restoring or maintaining international peace and security (peacekeeping operations). Commenting on these changes, then-president Dmitry Medvedev noted that the award was restored in 2000 for those who distinguished themselves in battles against external aggression against our country. However, in order to revive the glorious traditions of the Knights of St. George, it was decided to present these awards for maintaining international peace and security on the territory of another state. In 2010, another change was made to the statute of the order: it became possible to award the 4th degree of the order to junior officers; previously, only senior and senior officers could receive the award.

Order of St. George, 1st class

The Order of St. George has four degrees. At the same time, the Order of St. George of the 1st and 2nd degrees has a sign and a star, the 3rd and 4th degrees have only a sign. The highest degree of award is first degree. The order is awarded sequentially from junior to senior degrees. The Order provides for the possibility of posthumous awarding. To perpetuate, all the names of those awarded this order are entered on a marble plaque, which is located in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in the capital of Russia.

The badge of the Order of St. George, 1st class, is worn on a special shoulder ribbon, which must pass over the right shoulder. The badges of the Order of the II and III degrees are worn on a special neck ribbon, and the badge of the Order of the IV degree is worn traditionally - on a block located on the left side of the chest, located in front of other orders and medals. Those awarded this order wear badges of all degrees. At the same time, persons who have been awarded the Order of St. George, I degree, no longer wear the star of the Order of St. George, II degree. Also, when wearing the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, the sign of the Order of St. George, 1st degree, is also not worn on the shoulder ribbon.

Currently, there are 9 known recipients of this highest military award of the Russian Federation (3 orders of the second degree, 6 orders of the fourth). All of them received orders for the distinctions that were demonstrated during the peacekeeping operation to force Georgia to peace in August 2008. The first holder of the Order of St. George, IV degree, was Colonel General Sergei Afanasyevich Makarov, commander of the North Caucasian Military District troops at that time. The Order of St. George, II degree, was awarded to three Russian military leaders - the Chief of the General Staff, Army General N. E. Makarov, the Commander-in-Chief of the country's Air Force, Colonel General A. N. Zelin, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Army General V. A. Boldyrev. All of them were awarded for the events of August 2008.

Order of St. George, 2nd class

The badge of the Order of St. George, 1st class, is made of pure gold. It is an equal-ended straight cross with flared ends, which are covered with enamel on both sides. Along the edges of the cross there is a fairly narrow convex welt. In the center of the cross there is a double-sided round medallion with a convex gilded border. The front side of this medallion is covered with red enamel. On the medallion there is an image of St. George on a white horse wearing a cloak, helmet and silver armor. The horse's helmet, cloak, saddle and harness are golden in color. The horseman looks to the right and strikes a black snake with a golden spear.

The reverse side of the medallion is coated with white enamel. There is also the monogram of the order, which is made up of black intertwined letters “SG”. At the lower end of the cross you can see the award number. The distance between the ends of the order's cross is 60 mm; at the upper end there is an eyelet, which is intended for attaching the award to the ribbon. The badge of the order is attached to a ribbon 100 mm wide. The ribbon of the Order of St. George is made of silk and contains alternating stripes of the same width: 3 black and 2 orange stripes.

The star of the Order of St. George has four points and is made of silver with gilding. In the center of the star is a gilded round medallion with a convex border and the monogram of the order. Along the circumference of this medallion, on a black enamel field with gilded edging, is the motto of the award “For Service and Bravery” (all letters in capitals). At the top of the circle, between the words of the motto, there is a gilded crown. The distance between the opposite ends of the star is 82 mm. The star of the order is attached to clothing with a pin.

Order of St. George, II degree. The badge and star of the order are the same as those of the order of the 1st degree. The badge of the order is made of silver with gilding. Worn on a neck ribbon - ribbon width 45 mm.

Order of St. George, III degree. The badge of the order is the same, the distance between the ends of the cross is reduced and is 50 mm. Worn on a neck ribbon - ribbon width 24 mm.

Order of St. George, IV degree. The badge of the order is the same. The distance between the ends of the cross is reduced and is 40 mm. It is worn on a pentagonal last, which is covered with a silk ribbon 24 mm wide.

Based on materials from open sources.

Mikhail Presnukhin

Among all the orders given for military merit in Russia, Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George was by far the most popular. All doors were open to the Knight of St. George, the gazes of passers-by respectfully stopped on him, and the St. George holiday on November 26 was solemnly celebrated in all places of the vast Empire. The St. George ribbon personified military valor for the Russian people.

The initiative to establish in Russia an order given exclusively for military merit belongs to Empress Catherine II. She managed to fulfill the will of the first Russian emperor - the founder of the Russian award system, Emperor Peter I, who intended to establish a similar award to reward military achievements, but did not have time to do this.

In 1765, Empress Catherine II was presented with a draft statute for the Catherine Military Order. He meant mainly the length of service in the officer ranks. The Empress did not approve of him. She wanted to create an award for specific military exploits; she also did not like the name of the Order “Catherine”. Then Count Zakhary Grigorievich Chernyshev, a hero of the Seven Years' War and a close confidant of the Empress, developed a project for a new order, called St. George.

According to the original statute, it was established “out of special Imperial favor to those serving in the troops, in honor of rewarding them for their zeal and service rendered in many cases, as well as to encourage them in the art of war.”

The motto of the order was the saying: For service and courage.

On November 24, 1769, “news” were sent out that on the 26th “the first day of the establishment of the new order will be celebrated at the Court.” The day for the establishment of the order was not chosen by chance: November 26 (December 9, new style) The Orthodox Church celebrates the consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Kyiv, built in 1036 after the victory over the Pechenegs.

Almost the main role in the fate of the newly established order was played by the choice of the heavenly patron.

The Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George was a highly revered saint in Rus'. He was equally revered in all layers of Russian society, having long been considered the patron saint of not only warriors, but also kings. The latter circumstance was emphasized by assigning to the order a ribbon made up of the colors considered “imperial” in Russia - black and yellow (gold). In addition, the image of a horseman slaying a serpent has been the emblem of the Moscow state since the time of Ivan III, although until the beginning of the 18th century. it was personified not as Saint George, but as a tsar (occasionally - the heir to the throne) - the defender of the Russian land. By the time the order was established, this horseman, already under the name of St. George, was considered the coat of arms of Moscow and was an attribute of the state emblem of the Russian Empire. St. George was well known to the Russian common people, he entered their everyday life and was revered by them as a guardian of fertility and abundance, an assistant in hunting, a protector of fields and all the fruits of the earth, a guardian of grazing herds, a patron of beekeeping, a shepherd of snakes and wolves, a protector from thieves and robbers .

On November 26, in the Winter Palace, at a solemn ceremony at the end of the liturgy, the establishment of the order took place, with the reading of a special prayer and sprinkling of the insignia of the order with holy water. Catherine II, in order to increase the significance of the new order, took upon herself and her successors “this order of the Grand Master”, as a sign of which she placed on herself the signs of the 1st degree, while singing many years and firing a salute of 101 shots from the guns of the St. Petersburg fortress.

Approving the statute of the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, Empress Catherine II indicated that it “should be considered established since 1769 of the month of November, from the 26th day, on which day We placed the signs on ourselves, and after a long time bestowed upon us and the fatherland servants with distinction.”

The Order of George was intended to reward officers, generals and admirals. Anyone from an ensign to a field marshal in the army, from a midshipman to an admiral general in the navy could receive it.

In article three of the statute of the Order of George it was written: “Neither high breed, nor wounds received before the enemy, give the right to be granted this order: but it is given to those who not only corrected their position in everything according to their oath, honor and duty, but Moreover, they distinguished themselves by some particularly courageous deed, or gave wise and useful advice for our military service.” The statute of the order also provided an approximate list of feats that are worthy of being awarded the Order of George, such as: “... the officer who, having encouraged his subordinates by his example and leading them, finally takes a ship, battery or other place occupied by the enemy.” Or “... who was the first to attack, or on enemy soil when disembarking people from ships.”

Awarding the order gave the right to hereditary nobility; holders of the Order of George received special pensions; upon transfer to the reserve or retirement, they had the right to wear a military uniform, even if they had not served the required period. There were other benefits to the job. But this was not what determined the honor enjoyed by the Knights of St. George. The presence of a white enamel cross on an officer or general in itself said - here he is a hero, a valiant defender of the Fatherland, the best of the best.

The establishment of the military order was part of the military reforms carried out at the beginning of Catherine’s reign, which strengthened the Russian army on the eve of wars that stretched in an endless series until the end of the 18th century, allowing it to be led by P. A. Rumyantsev, G. A. Potemkin, A. V. Suvorov to win a number of brilliant victories. The establishment of a military order was supposed to be a moral incentive for the entire officer corps, and not just the generals, as previously established orders.

Initially, proposals for awarding the Order of St. George were made by the Military Collegiums, land and naval, which were given rules for guidance expressing all the essential features of the original statute of the order, and the final decision was made by the Empress. With the establishment of the Order of St. Vladimir on September 22, 1782, the statute of which established an Order Duma to consider submissions for the order of the 3rd and 4th degrees, consisting of gentlemen located in the capital, the same Cavalry Duma was established for the Order of St. George. She was given a room at the Chesme Church of St. John the Baptist to store a seal, a special treasury and an archive. The insignia of deceased cavaliers were to be transferred to the Duma, and lists of cavaliers were to be kept there. Now the lists of military personnel nominated for the Order of St. George of the 3rd and 4th degrees were submitted by the Military Collegiums for consideration by the Cavalry Duma, and then the lists of those awarded the Order by the Duma were approved by the Empress. The awarding of the Order of the 1st and 2nd degrees remained the prerogative of the supreme authority, i.e. the empress herself.

It was initially possible to receive the Order of St. George not only for personal courage and military leadership, but also for impeccable service in the officer ranks, “... just as a not always faithful son of the fatherland is presented with cases where his zeal and courage can shine, then one should not exclude him from this merciful establishments and those who served in the field service for 25 years as a chief officer, and in the naval service for 18 campaigns as officers.” For length of service, officers were given the Order of St. George 4th degree.

This order was ordered never to be removed, “for it is acquired by merit,” and the exact number of its gentlemen was not determined, “for it is supposed to be accepted into it as many as they prove themselves worthy.”

In her decree, the Empress ordered that the ribbon for the order be made of three black and two yellow stripes. In 1833, Count Litta wrote that “The immortal legislator, who founded this order, believed that its ribbon unites the color of gunpowder and the color of fire...” In fact, the colors of the order have been state colors since the time when the black double-headed coat of arms became the Russian national emblem eagle on a golden field.

This is how the Russian coat of arms was described under Catherine: “A black eagle, on the heads of the crown, and at the top in the middle there is a large Imperial crown - gold, in the middle of the same eagle is George, on a white horse, defeating the serpent, the cape and spear are yellow, the crown is yellow , black snake."

Thus, the Russian military order, both in its name and in its colors, had deep roots in Russian history.

Very soon the Order of St. George occupied a completely exceptional position in the Russian award system and retained it until the end of its existence. The historian E.P. Karnovich wrote that in pre-revolutionary Russia “the appearance in society of a Knight of St. George very often draws the attention of those present to him, which does not happen in relation to gentlemen of other orders, even star bearers,” that is, awarded orders of the highest degrees.

For officers who came from non-noble backgrounds, with the establishment of the Order of St. George, a new opportunity opened up for acquiring hereditary nobility. Peter's "Table of Ranks" established the receipt of hereditary nobility (and the rights and benefits associated with it) only upon reaching the VIII class, that is, the rank of second major; published on April 21, 1785, the “Certificate on the rights of liberty and advantages of the Russian nobility” also called the awarding of the “Russian Cavalry Order” one of the fifteen indisputable proofs of the noble status. Thus, a person from the lower classes, having received the Order of St. George, even the 4th degree, became a hereditary nobleman.

The eldest gentlemen in terms of time of award were entitled to an annual order pension: for the 1st class - 12 people for 700 rubles, for the 2nd class - 25 people for 400 rubles, for the 3rd class - 50 people for 200 rubles. and in the 4th class - 100 people for 100 rubles. Upon receipt of the senior degree, the payment of the pension for the junior degree ceased. The widow of the deceased gentleman received the order's pension for another year after his death. Subsequently, when it became clear that the number of surviving cavaliers of the highest degrees was significantly inferior to the number of vacancies for receiving order pensions for these degrees, they were reduced with a simultaneous increase in vacancies for the 4th degree.

Upon the accession of Emperor Paul I to the throne, the “Establishment for the Cavalry Russian Orders” was developed, which included the statutes of the orders of St. Andrew the First-Called, St. Catherine, St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Anna. The orders established by his mother, Empress Catherine II: St. Great Martyr and Victorious George and St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir were not included in this “Establishment” and were not complained about during the entire reign of Paul I. True, during the reading of the “Establishment” in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin during the coronation celebration on April 5, 1797, the Emperor publicly declared that “the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George remains on its previous basis, as well as its Statute,” however, its forms existence during the reign of Pavel Petrovich may seem rather strange: although the order's holiday on November 26 was solemnly celebrated with the participation of the Emperor, and the holders of the order in the order's attire specially established for them in December 1797 participated in all the order's holidays, no one else was awarded the order. Only on December 12, 1801, by the manifesto of Emperor Alexander I, the Orders of St. George and St. Vladimir were restored “in all their strength and scope.”

A kind of continuation of the Order of St. George are the five gold military officer crosses worn on the St. George ribbons, established between 1789 and 1810. They complained to the officers nominated for the Order of St. George or St. Vladimir, but those who did not receive them:

• "For service and bravery - Ochakov was taken in December 1788."
• “For excellent courage - Ishmael was taken on December 11, 1790.”
• “For labor and courage - Prague was taken on October 24, 1794.”
• “Victory at Preussisch-Eylau 27 Gen. 1807."
• "For excellent courage in taking Bazardzhik by storm on May 22, 1810."

Since then, the St. George ribbon has also become a symbol of military glory in Russia. On it, in addition to the crosses of the Order of St. George, gold crosses established especially for officers were worn - for Ochakov, Izmail, Prague, Preussisch-Eylau, Bazardzhik, and also on the St. George ribbon a number of military medals were worn, which were awarded to the lower ranks of participants in battles on land and sea. The lanyard on the golden (St. George) weapon was the color of the St. George ribbon. A gold pectoral cross was worn on the St. George ribbon, which was awarded to military priests. By continuity, these ribbons were included in the Soviet and current Russian award system. The most honorable soldier's award is worn on the St. George's ribbon - the Order of Glory, the medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." The St. George ribbon was part of the design of the guards flag of the Soviet Armed Forces and Navy, the same ribbon is worn on the caps of the sailors of the naval guard, and the very sign of belonging to the guards units or ships of the Soviet navy was initially a St. George ribbon in a special buckle.

The St. George ribbon appeared on the chest of lower ranks much earlier than the establishment of the famous Insignia of the Military Order. On October 18, 1787, the lower ranks of Count Suvorov’s detachment, who especially distinguished themselves in repelling the Turks from the Kinburn Spit, were awarded silver medals with the inscription “Kinburn, October 1, 1787,” worn on the St. George ribbon. Then, on the St. George ribbon, the following medals were awarded to the lower ranks: “For courage on the waters of Ochakov, June 1, 1788”, “For courage shown during the capture of Ochakov, December 6, 1788”, “For courage on the waters of Finland, August 13, 1789” "," For courage during the attack of the Swedish batteries in 1790 at Gekfors "," For excellent courage during the capture of Ishmael, December 11, 1790 "," For labor and courage during the capture of Prague, October 24, 1794." All these medals were given only to those who distinguished themselves in the lower ranks, and not to everyone who took part in battles. So the yellow-black ribbon began to penetrate into the Russian village, and fellow villagers got used to seeing a hero in the old soldier who wore it.

Emperor Alexander I continued the tradition of awarding lower ranks with awards on the St. George ribbon; it was not for nothing that, upon ascending the throne, he declared: “With me, everything will be like with my grandmother”: in 1804, silver medals were distributed to the lower ranks who participated in the capture of Ganja by storm on the St. George ribbon with the inscription: “For labor and courage during the capture of Ganja Genvar 1804.” But this medal was given not only to those who distinguished themselves, but also to everyone who stormed the fortress.

At the beginning of 1807, a project for the establishment of an Insignia for lower ranks was submitted to Emperor Alexander 1 for consideration. The project was highly approved, and on its basis the Statute of the Insignia of the Military Order was drawn up, the establishment of which was announced by the Manifesto issued on February 13, 1807: “In expression of the special Imperial favor to the army and in greater proof of Our attention to the merits of it, which have been marked since time immemorial in in all cases with great experiences of love for the fatherland, loyalty to the Sovereign, zeal for service and undaunted courage.”

There was no special insignia for awarding lower ranks “for military merits and for courage rendered against the enemy” in Russia at that time, but in France Napoleon established the “Honorary Arms” and the Order of the Legion of Honor, which were awarded without distinction of ranks and titles. These awards were accompanied by an increase in salary and pension. So according to the Manifesto of February 13, 1807, “Everyone awarded with this Badge of Distinction, a private, sailor or non-commissioned officer, will receive a salary one third more than usual. When the person decorated with this Badge of Distinction again distinguishes himself with a courageous feat deserving such a reward, he receives another third in addition to his salary. For several such brave deeds, again performed, he receives a full salary in addition. This additional salary will remain with him after his death and after his resignation or dismissal as a disabled person.” In the same year, 1807, the honorary “Golden Arms” was established, which in Russia was granted only to officers.

Incorporated into the Order of St. George, the cross was silver, numbered and worn on the St. George ribbon. It had the same images and initials as the order, but without enamel.

It was a big event. From now on, not only noble officers, but also ordinary soldiers could be Knights of St. George. The insignia of the Military Order spread his glory throughout the Russian land and immediately earned great respect among the people.

The lower ranks awarded by him received many benefits. They were excluded from the tax-paying class, could not be subject to corporal punishment, their allowance was increased, and upon retirement they were assigned a pension. At the same time, such a democratic measure was adopted as the right for lower ranks, in some cases, to elect themselves worthy of receiving a silver cross. In the first years of the existence of this award, after combat operations, a certain number of crosses were assigned to a company, ship or other military unit, and the soldiers or sailors themselves decided who was more worthy of the award. Subsequent exploits of the holders of the Badge of Distinction were rewarded with an increase to the content of the third part of the salary, up to its doubling.

The Insignia of the Military Order was established by Emperor Alexander Pavlovich exactly seventeen days after Preussisch-Eylau, a battle in which Russian troops showed an example of courage and perseverance. However, the Badge of Distinction was awarded to those who distinguished themselves in battles that occurred even before its establishment, for example, in the battle of Morungen on January 6, 1807, the ensign of the 5th Jaeger Regiment (there was no such rank in the Jaeger regiments, perhaps the ensign was seconded to this regiment from the musketeer or grenadier regiment, or, more likely, was transferred to the Chasseur Regiment after the battle) Vasily Berezkin captured the banner of the 9th Light Regiment (presented to him in 1802 by Napoleon himself for his distinction in the Battle of Marengo). For this feat, Berezkin received the Insignia of the Military Order and was promoted to officer.

Initially, those awarded the Badges of Distinction were not recorded in any way; there was no single list or numbering of their badges. When the number of recipients became very significant, the Military Collegium finally decided to include them in one list, although it was not compiled in chronological order, i.e. according to the time of awarding, and according to the seniority of the regiments. As a result, it turned out that the first on the list of those who received the Insignia of the Military Order was non-commissioned officer of the Cavalry Regiment Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin (or according to other sources Mityukhin), awarded for distinction in the battle with the French near Friedland on June 2, 1807. The following six names of the recipients were also from the Cavalry Guard Regiment. Then the list included 172 lower ranks of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, followed by 236 of the Hussar Life Guards, etc. The list was numbered and served as the beginning of the Eternal List of Knights of the Insignia of the Military Order.

By the highest order of January 23, 1809, on the reverse side of each issued Badge, their owners should have taken care of “a clipping... of the number under which someone is placed on the list.” Until this time, more than 9,000 signs had already been issued.

In total, 46.5 thousand people were awarded the Badges of Distinction during the reign of Alexander I; before the beginning of 1812, 12,871 badges were issued. The exact number of badges issued for distinction during the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Foreign Campaigns of 1813-1814. it is impossible to install, because Awards in these years also took place for other feats, and in addition, some of the badges deserved in those years were issued much later. The number of signs issued in 1812 is known - 6783, in 1813 - 8611, in 1814 - 9345, 1815 - 3983, 1816 - 2682, 1817 - 659, 1818 - 328, 1819 g. – 189.

How much the soldiers valued their award is evidenced, for example, by the following fact: during the Battle of Kulm, a private of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, Cherkasov, a holder of the Insignia of the Military Order, was mortally wounded; dying, he tore off his cross from his chest and handed it to his comrades with the words: “ Give it to the company commander, otherwise it will fall into the hands of an infidel.”

Award weapon.

Until 1788, only generals and admirals were awarded such weapons, then the award was extended to officers. The inscription “For bravery” appeared on the gold or gilded hilt of an officer’s award sword, saber or dirk. Since 1807, those awarded with golden weapons began to be classified as holders of Russian orders. Since 1855, officers began to wear a lanyard made of St. George's ribbon on their award weapons. In the year of the centenary of the Order of St. George, those awarded with golden weapons were ranked as knights of this order.

Banners.

The wars between Russia and France gave a fundamental impetus to the development of the Russian award system, especially regarding collective awards. In 1799, during the Swiss campaign of A.V. Suvorov, the Moscow Grenadier Regiment especially distinguished itself. On March 6, 1800, he received a banner with the inscription “For capturing the banner at the Trebbia and Nura rivers. 1799" Also, for the Alpine campaign, the Arkhangelsk and Smolensk infantry regiments received award banners, and the Tauride Regiment - for participation in the expedition to Bergen in Holland. All for capturing enemy banners. These banners became the prototype of the St. George banners.

The first to receive the “St. George” banners proper were the Kiev Grenadier Regiment, to which they were awarded on November 15, 1805 for the famous battle of Shengraben, with the corresponding inscription: “For the feat of Shengraben on November 4, 1805 in the battle of 5 tons of corps with the enemy, consisting of 30 t." The regiment was awarded on June 13, 1806. St. George's banners for the battle of Shengraben were also awarded to other regiments of the prince's detachment. Bagration, including: the Azov and Podolsk musketeer regiments, as well as the grenadier battalions of the Narva and Novgorod musketeer regiments, but they were deprived of award banners for the loss of banners at Austerlitz.

On November 15, 1807, two Don Cossack regiments of Sysoev and Khanzhenkov also received the St. George banners for Shengraben,

St. George's standards for the battle of Shengraben were awarded on June 13, 1806 to the Chernigov Dragoon and Pavlograd Hussar Regiments.

For distinction in the Patriotic War of 1812 and Foreign Campaigns of 1813-1814. St. George's banners were awarded to the regiments of the Life Guards, as well as to the Guards crew, Count Arakcheev's Grenadier regiment, Sevsky, Chernigov, Kamchatka, Okhotsk, Ryazhsky, Odessa, Tambov, Butyrsky and Shirvan infantry regiments, Ataman (together with the St. George's bunchuk), Dyachkin, Zhirov , Vlasov 3rd, Ilovaisky 11th and Grekov 18th Cossack regiments, as well as the entire Don Cossack army.

St. George's standards were awarded to the Glukhovsky, Ekaterinoslavsky, Little Russian cuirassier regiments, the Kyiv, Kharkov, Novorossiysk, Riga dragoon regiments, the Akhtyrsky, Sumy, Izyumsky hussar regiments. St. George's standards were also granted to the Guards regiments, which received them only in 1817 after accepting samples of these Guards standards.

It goes without saying that the St. George’s banners were held in high esteem in the army and they were not given easily, according to the idea of ​​the St. George’s Duma, always by the personal decision of the Monarch, at the end of the campaign. There were, of course, exceptions to this rule. So in 1813, after the Battle of Kulm, Emperor Alexander I personally declared the Life Guards. The Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments received the award of St. George's banners and the Preobrazhensky regiments immediately, without waiting for new banners, hung St. George's ribbons on their simple banners.

The St. George flag for ships was an ordinary St. Andrew's flag, in the center of which, in a red shield, was the figure of St. George slaying a serpent with a spear. The St. George Banners were an honorary award for naval crews. They had the St. George Cross on the pole, the banner tassels were worn on a St. George ribbon, and the inscription on the banner indicated for which battle they were received. For the first time in the navy, the Guards crew received the St. George's Banner for participation in the war of 1812-1814. The banner had the inscription: “For the feats rendered in the battle of August 17, 1813 at Kulm.”

St. George's pipes.

The first to receive the St. George's Trumpets was the 6th Jaeger Regiment (in the future - the 104th Ustyug Infantry Regiment). The rangers then did not have banners, and the trumpets were given to the regiment as if instead of banners. However, soon after this, infantry regiments that had banners began to be awarded the Trumpets of St. George.

For exploits in the Patriotic War of 1812 and Foreign campaigns of 1813-1814. St. George's pipes complained to the guards and army cavalry and infantry regiments, as well as artillery companies.

St. George's regiments.

In the winter of 1774, a peculiar attempt was made to gather officers of the Knights of the Order of St. George in one regiment. On December 14, the following decree of the Empress followed:

“We most mercifully deign to call the 3rd Cuirassier Regiment henceforth the Cuirassier Regiment of the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, instructing Our General and Vice-President of the Military Collegium Potemkin to appoint all staff and chief officers to one of the holders of this order, and distribute those currently in for other regiments, and so that he, having made samples of the uniform and ammunition of that regiment, in accordance with the colors of that order, presented them to Us for approval.”

Replenishing the cuirassier regiment of the Military Order exclusively with St. George's Knights turned out to be impossible in practice, but the regiment, until the end of its existence, retained its original name, “13th Dragoons of the Military Order,” and uniforms corresponding to the order’s colors. This was the only regiment of the Russian army that wore the Star of St. George on its helmet and on the officer's cap.

Another attempt was made in 1790 when on May 16 the Little Russian Grenadier Regiment was named the Horse Grenadier Regiment of the Military Order, but Paul 1 on November 29, 1796 renamed this regiment the Little Russian Cuirassier.

Badges of the order.

The insignia of the Order of St. George looks more modest than the insignia of all other Russian orders: a white enamel cross with a gold border, in the middle of which on the front side there is an image of St. George slaying a serpent with a spear, and on the back - the monogram of the saint; a gold quadrangular star of senior degrees with the saint’s monogram in the center and the order’s motto: “For service and courage,” a ribbon of two yellow and three black stripes. Cavaliers of the 1st degree of the order wore a cross on a wide ribbon worn over the right shoulder and a star on the left side of the chest, 2nd degree - the same cross on the same ribbon on the neck and a star on the chest on the left, 3rd degree - a smaller cross size on a ribbon of smaller width on the neck, 4th degree - the same cross on a ribbon of the same width in the buttonhole of the caftan. Later, the size of the cross and the width of the ribbon became different for each degree: 1st degree - ribbon 10 cm wide, 2nd degree - ribbon 5 cm wide, 3rd degree - ribbon 3.2 cm wide, 4th degree - ribbon wide 2.2 cm.

Celebrations.

The Order holiday, celebrated on November 26, became not only a holiday for the entire Russian army, but also a truly national celebration.

The first holidays took place in the Winter Palace. But gradually they spread throughout Russia and become a holiday for all units awarded for military distinction with St. George's banners and standards, St. George's trumpets and St. George's buttonholes, and all officers and lower ranks who, according to the statute, have earned the Order of St. George, Golden (St. George) weapons and soldiers St. George's Crosses (insignia of the Military Order). In all garrisons, both capital and provincial, this day was celebrated with parades in which St. George's banners, standards and silver trumpets decorated with St. George's ribbons were carried out.

The Feast of St. George was celebrated especially solemnly, almost always in the presence of the Highest, in the capital of the Empire - St. Petersburg. St. George's banners and standards, accompanied by banner companies of infantry and standard platoons of cavalry regiments, were carried to the Winter Palace, where a parade took place, commanded by one of the highest military commanders, who had the Order of St. George, and which was received by the Supreme Leader of the army.

In the last years of Catherine's reign, gentlemen of the order began to be invited to the solemn service. The Empress's attention to them can be seen from the following incident: one day on November 25, the Empress felt sick, and those close to her asked her if she would like to cancel the reception of the gentlemen. “I would rather have myself carried to them on the bed,” answered Catherine, “rather than agree to upset those people who sacrificed their lives to receive this distinction.”

Knights of the Order.

In the 18th century, in addition to Empress Catherine II, the first degree of the Order of St. George was awarded to 8 more people.

During the reign of Emperor Alexander I, 8 people were awarded the first degree, 4 of them were foreigners; 2nd degree - 46 people, 24 of them were Russian citizens awarded for exploits during the Patriotic War of 1812, another 12 were foreign citizens; 260 received the 3rd degree, of which 156 people, 123 Russian and 33 foreign nationals, received the 3rd degree; 2582 were awarded the 4th degree, of which 616 were awarded in 1812, 491 Russian and 127 foreign nationals.

In total, 1st degree of the Order of St. 23 people were awarded George, 124 people received the second, about 640 people received the third, and about 15 thousand people received the fourth. The statistics of awards of the fourth degree of the order are interesting. For military distinction he received over 6,700 awards, for twenty-five years of service - over 7,300, for completing eighteen campaigns - about 600, and twenty campaigns - only 4. All degrees of the Order of St. George were awarded only to M. I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, I. F. Paskevich and I. I. Dibich, however, they cannot be considered full holders of the order. Such a concept in relation to orders that had degrees simply did not exist then. What mattered was not the number of degrees of the order received, but the dignity of the eldest of them. In addition, none of the listed gentlemen could simultaneously have the signs of all degrees of the order: upon receiving the senior degree, the junior surrendered to the Chapter of Orders. This rule was canceled only in 1857, and the last of those awarded all degrees of the Order of St. George - I. F. Paskevich - died a year earlier.

Not quite ordinary, going beyond the framework of the statute, are the awards given to two women: Queen Maria Sophia Amalia of the Two Sicilies in 1861 and sister of mercy Raisa Mikhailovna Ivanova during the First World War. It is difficult to understand what motives guided Alexander II when he awarded the Italian queen a high military award for the courage shown during the siege of the Gaeta fortress, because this historical episode had nothing to do with Russia. But the award to R. M. Ivanova was well deserved: after the death of the officers, she raised the soldiers in an attack that ended with the capture of the enemy position, but she paid with her life for her heroic impulse. In accordance with the Statute of St. George, introduced in 1913, R. M. Ivanova was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, posthumously. During the First World War, the only collective award of the Order of St. George also took place; the 4th degree was awarded to the courage of the defenders of the French fortress of Verdun. In addition, the inclusion of the St. George ribbon in the coat of arms of the Russian city of Sevastopol can be considered a similar award.

Heavenly patron.

As the patron of her military order, Empress Catherine II chose the most militant of the saints of Christianity, who had long been held in high esteem in Russia. A Roman by origin, Saint George belonged to an ancient patrician family that settled in the Asia Minor province of Cappadocia. He was born in Beirut, in the second half of the 3rd century. His father, a secret Christian, died a martyr, bequeathing to his son an example of courage and steadfastness of Christian convictions. Having entered the military field, George showed such outstanding abilities that already in the 20th year of his life he achieved the rank of “military tribune”, and Emperor Diocletian entrusted him with a special detachment during the Egyptian War. Soon after this, George arrived in Nicomedia, at the same time that the emperor was preparing to issue an edict on the persecution of Christians.

At the military council, George, in a brilliant speech, proved the injustice of this edict and immediately declared himself a Christian. For this he was imprisoned and, despite the admonitions of the emperor, who urged him to renounce Christ, he remained adamant, courageously endured a number of the most cruel tortures and torments, after which on April 23, 303 he accepted a martyr’s death, being beheaded.

The Church canonized him as a saint. His troparion is sung:

As a liberator of captives and a protector of the poor, a physician of the infirm, a champion of kings, Victorious Great Martyr George, the might of Christ God the Savior to our souls. Save Thy servants from troubles, passion-bearing George, for all You are the representative imam to God, as an invincible warrior of Christ and a warm prayer book towards Him.”

The legend of the duel between St. George and the serpent first appeared in the 4th century. As a military tribune, George came to the city of Silena, located on the shore of a vast lake, where a monster - a dragon - settled. Every day the citizens brought out a young man or a maiden to be eaten by him. In a short time, no one had children left, with the exception of the ruler’s daughter, Margarita. When she was brought ashore and left in tears, a knight appeared on a white horse, who entered into battle with the monster and defeated him. Since then, Saint George has been called the Victorious and is considered the protector of the weak. This idea was especially firmly adopted by the masses during the era of the Crusades.

The inspirational image of this warrior has always been close to the Russian people. In the iconographic depiction of St. George, which inspired the crusaders in his time, the saint is presented in the image of a beautiful young man in full armor, on horseback, in a symbolic victorious battle with a serpent. This is how Raphael created it, and this is how artists and Suzdal icon painters painted it in Russia.

The cult of St. George came to Russia from Byzantium in the 10th century. Here is how the historian talks about it: “In ancient Russia, it was customary that princes had double names: a secular one, which was given at birth, and a Christian one, at baptism. In 988, Yaroslav received the name George at baptism, which his descendants retained for a long time... Yaroslav attributed his victories to the help of St. George and tried to perpetuate his name. So, after the victory over the Estonians, in 1030, he founded the city of Yuryev (Dorpat). After the victory over the Pechenegs, in 1036, the Grand Duke founded the monastery of St. George in Kyiv. At its consecration, he commanded “to celebrate the feast of St. George on the 26th day of November." Some archaeologists claim that Yaroslav placed the image of St. George on his grand ducal seal. Surviving coins from his time indicate that the image of St. George was used in the minting of coins. One of the coins has an eye, which suggests that it was intended to be worn... During the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich, a silver coin with the image of St. George was distributed to soldiers as a reward for bravery. The princes had it on their seals and helmets, and the troops were given banners with the same image. Finally, John III introduced the image of St. George into the Russian state emblem.

Awarded until mid-1918.

In Soviet Russia, the order was abolished after the October Revolution of 1917. Since 2000, the Order of St. George has been a military award of the Russian Federation.

Order badges were not numbered, but lists of those awarded were kept.

The Order of St. George stood out among other Russian orders as a reward for personal valor in battle, and the merits for which an officer could be awarded were strictly regulated by the statute of the order.

Story

Star and cross of the Order of St. George, 1st class

The Order of St. George was established by Empress Catherine II on November 26 (December 7), a year after the start of the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774. For the first time in Russia, the order was divided into 4 degrees, and was intended to be awarded purely for excellence in military exploits. Another possibility was also envisaged: since “ It is not always that every faithful son of the fatherland has such opportunities where his zeal and courage can shine", those, " koi in the field service for 25 years from a chief officer, and in the naval service for 18 campaigns they served as officers» .

Badge of the Order of the 3rd class. for officers of non-Christian faith, since 1844

Statute of the order

To award the 3rd and 4th degrees, the Military College had to describe the feat in detail and collect evidence before presenting it to the monarch for approval. The highest degrees - 1st and 2nd - were awarded personally by the monarch at his own discretion. The practice of awards in the 19th century roughly developed the criteria by which a general could be awarded the highest degrees. To earn St. George 1st degree, it was necessary to win the war; to be awarded the 2nd degree, it was necessary to win an important battle.

4. Among those who can receive this order are all those who serve in Our land and naval forces honestly and truly as Headquarters and Chief Officers; and from the Generality, those who actually served in the army showed excellent courage or excellent military art against the enemy.

7. The insignia of this military order are as follows:

A quadrangular gold star, in the middle of which there is a yellow or gold field in a black hoop, and on it the name of St. George is depicted as a monogram, and in the black hoop there is the inscription in gold letters: For service and courage.

A large gold cross with white enamel on both sides along the edges with a gold border, in the middle of which is depicted the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Moscow on enamel, that is, in a red field, Saint George, armed with silver armor, with a gold cap hanging on top of them, having a gold crown on his head a diadem, sitting on a silver horse, on which there is a saddle and all the harness of gold, a black serpent in the sole is poured out with a golden spear, on the back side in the middle in a white field is the venerable name of this Saint George.

The cross for Cavaliers of the third and fourth classes is in every way similar to the large one, except that it is somewhat smaller.

Silk ribbon with three black and two yellow stripes.

11. Although it is inconvenient to enter into a detailed description of numerous military exploits, in different cases and in different ways in war, it is no less necessary to lay down some rules by which excellent actions would be distinguished from ordinary ones; for which We have deigned to prescribe certain exemplary feats here for Our Military Collegiums, so that on this basis they may decide their deliberations.

The officer who, having encouraged his subordinates by his example and leading them, finally takes a ship, a battery, or some other place occupied by the enemy, is worthy of being written in the painting presented to Us.

If someone in a fortified place withstood a siege and did not surrender, or defended with excellent courage and made forays, led bravely and wisely, and through this won a victory, or provided ways to acquire it.

If someone introduces himself and takes on a dangerous undertaking, which he will be able to accomplish.

If someone was the first to attack, or on enemy soil, when disembarking people from ships.

Yudenich fought in World War II on the Caucasian Front against the Turks. He received the first St. George's award, the Order of St. George, 4th degree, " for the defeat of the 3rd Turkish Army with the capture of the IX Turkish Corps and the remnants of two divisions of the X and XI Corps"in the Sarykamysh operation (December 1914 - January 1915).

N. N. Yudenich received both of his next St. George's awards for attacks on the same 3rd Turkish army: 3rd degree - for the defeat of the right wing of this army, which amounted to 90 infantry battalions; 2nd degree - " for the assault on the Deve Bein position and the Erzurum fortress on February 2, 1916" Yudenich became the penultimate holder of the Order of St. George, 2nd degree (and the last of the Russian citizens).

Of the foreign nationals, two received the 2nd degree of the Order of St. George in the First World War: the commander-in-chief of the French armed forces, General Joseph Joffre, for the defeat of German troops in the Battle of the Marne in 1914, and the previously mentioned F. Foch.

Awarding the Order of the 3rd degree

In total, about 650 people were awarded. The first cavalier in 1769 was Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor Fabritsian " for the defeat, with a detachment entrusted to him of 1600 people, near the city of Galati, on November 15, 1769, a very large enemy army against the same number».

During the First World War, just over 60 people received the 3rd degree of the Order of St. George, including famous generals F.A. Keller, L.G. Kornilov, A.M. Kaledin, N.N. Dukhonin, N.N. Yudenich, A. I. Denikin. In 1916, after a many-year break, an officer of a small rank was awarded the 3rd degree (posthumously) - Captain S. G. Leontiev (1878-1915), who was simultaneously posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel.

During the Civil War, the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, was awarded to ten people who particularly distinguished themselves in the struggle of the White movement against the Bolsheviks. Among them, in 1919, those awarded were Lieutenant General G. A. Verzhbitsky and V. O. Kappel, Major General S. N. Voitsekhovsky, Admiral A. V. Kolchak.

Awarding the Order of the 4th degree

Major General I. E. Tikhotsky, awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree with a bow - for long service and military merit (a bow was added to the first order)

Sergey Pavlovich Avdeev

Staff captain of the 73rd Crimean Infantry Regiment Sergei Pavlovich Avdeev earned the first Order of St. George, 4th class. February 20, 1916 for capturing enemy machine guns. At that time he was an ensign and was immediately promoted to second lieutenant according to the statute of the order. Then on April 5, 1916 he was awarded the second Order of St. George, 4th degree. Most likely, an error occurred, since Avdeev was introduced to the second order during a temporary assignment from his 9th Army to the 3rd Army. The order was awarded to him in the 3rd Army, then the award, according to the service form, was approved by a special order from the higher command on March 4, 1917, shortly before Avdeev’s death.

It is known that two women were awarded the Order of George (after Catherine II). Orders of the 4th degree were awarded to:

• Maria Sofia Amalia, Queen of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1841-1925) - February 21, “For courage shown during the siege of the fortress of Gaeta from November 12, 1860 to February 13, 1861.”;
• Rimma Mikhailovna Ivanova (posthumously), sister of mercy (1894-1915) - September 17, “For the courage and selflessness shown in battle, when, after the death of all the commanders, she took command of the company; after the battle she died from her wounds". The deceased nurse was awarded the order by decree of Nicholas II, which violated the statute of the order as an exception.

The 4th degree of the Order of St. George was also awarded to representatives of the military clergy of the Russian Empire. The first cavalier among the priests in 1813 was Father Vasily (Vasilkovsky), awarded the order for courage during the battles of Vitebsk and Maloyaroslavets. Then during the 19th century. The order was awarded to 3 more clergy. The first award in the twentieth century. took place in 1905 (Father Stefan (Shcherbakovsky), then the order was awarded to military priests 13 more times. The last award took place in 1916.

For the fight against the Bolsheviks

Soldier's Cross of St. George

Insignia of the Military Order (Soldier George) 4th class

Day of the Knights of St. George

Since the establishment of the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George on November 26, 1769 by Empress Catherine the Great, this day began to be considered the festive Day of the Knights of St. George, which was to be celebrated annually both at the Supreme Court and "in all those places where the Knight of the Grand Cross happens". Since the time of Catherine II, the Winter Palace has become the venue for the main ceremonies associated with the order. Meetings of the Duma of the Order of St. George met in St. George's Hall. Every year, ceremonial receptions were held on the occasion of the order's holiday; the St. George porcelain service, created by order of Catherine II (Gardner factory, - gg.), was used for gala dinners.

The last time in the Russian Empire, the Knights of St. George celebrated their order holiday on November 26.

This day is solemnly celebrated annually in all military units and teams.

In addition to the St. George Hall in the Winter Palace, there is the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, construction began in 1838 in the Moscow Kremlin according to the design of the architect K. A. Ton. On April 11, a decision was made to perpetuate the names of St. George's cavaliers and military units on marble plaques between the twisted columns of the hall. Today they contain over 11 thousand names of officers awarded various degrees of the order from 1769 to 1969.

Restoration of the order in the Russian Federation

The Order of St. George was restored in the Russian Federation in 1992. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation dated March 2, 1992 No. 2424-I “On state awards of the Russian Federation” established:

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council No. 2424-I was approved by the Resolution of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation dated

Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George

A country	Russia
Type	Order
Establishment date	November 26, 1769
First award	November 26, 1769
Who is it awarded to?	Army and Navy officers
Reasons for the award	For military exploits

"For service and bravery"

Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George (Order of St. George)- the highest military order of the Russian Empire, which has no analogues in other countries. Recipients of this award have always enjoyed respect and honor in society. The ultimate dream of every Russian officer.

History of the order

Founder and holder of the order, 1st degree, Empress Catherine II.

The Order of St. George was established by Empress Catherine II on November 26, 1769, as a special reward for military exploits. Saint George the Victorious, who has long been revered in Rus', was chosen as the heavenly patron of the order.
During the solemn ceremony and consecration of the insignia of the order in the Winter Palace, the Empress placed on herself the insignia of the 1st degree order, indicating the significance of this award.

Since this was the first order to reward personal courage and military exploits, Empress Catherine divided it into 4 degrees. This was done in order to note the merits of not only the high command, but also junior officers.
Over its 148-year history, less than 12 thousand officers were awarded the order, which only increased its status among other awards of the Russian Empire.

A total of 25 people received the highest degree of the Order of St. George, of which 23 - for military exploits and 2 - by conferment. 123 awards were made with the 2nd degree of the order and 652 with the 3rd degree. About 11 thousand officers became knights of the 4th degree of the order, of which about 8,000 for length of service, 4 for 20 naval campaigns, about 600 for 18 naval campaigns. As of 1913, 2,504 people received this award for military exploits.
Despite the fact that 25 people became knights of the 1st degree, only four of them were awarded all four degrees of the order. The following became full holders of the Order of St. George: M. I. Kutuzov, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, I. F. Paskevich-Erivansky and I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky.
In 1849, after the construction of the Grand Palace in the Moscow Kremlin, one of the halls received the name of the Order of St. George. On the walls of this hall, on marble boards, inscriptions were made in gold: 11,381 names of holders of the order who were awarded from 1869 to 1885.

Every year on November 26, the Knights of St. George gathered in the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace for celebrations on the occasion of the order's holiday. Knights of the Order of St. George were invited to a festive dinner, for which Empress Catherine ordered a special porcelain service. The St. George service consisted of plates, crackers, and cream bowls and was designed for 80 people. Over the years, the service was constantly replenished with new devices.

The last time the cavaliers gathered to celebrate the order's holiday was November 26, 1916. After the October Revolution, the order was abolished.

Description of the order

Appearance

The 1769 Statute described the order as:

The badge of the Order of St. George was made in the form of an equilateral gold cross, covered with white enamel on both sides, and having a gold border along the edges of the rays. In the center of the cross there was a medallion, on the obverse of which there was an image of St. George slaying a serpent with a spear, and on the reverse there was the monogram “SG”.

The insignia of the order from the 1st to the 4th degree differed only in size.
Thus, the order of the 4th degree had dimensions of 34x34 mm, the order of the 3rd degree had large dimensions, which in different periods of production ranged from 43 to 47 mm.

Badges of the order of the 1st and 2nd degrees also did not have strict frames and were made in sizes from 51 to 54 mm.

The order of the 1st and 2nd degrees was accompanied by a gold Star of the order, which is a diamond-shaped star consisting of 32 diverging rays. Initially, the Star of the Order of St. George was made by embroidery, but since 1854 they began to be made of gold.

The production of order insignia was entrusted to the Chapter of the order, but it is not uncommon to see orders made in private jewelry workshops.

Wearing rules

Rules for wearing degrees of the Order of St. George (from left to right from 4th to 1st).

Like all orders of the Russian Empire, the Order of St. George had its own special order of wearing.
The badge of the order of the 4th degree was worn on the left side of the chest in the buttonhole, on an order ribbon 22 mm wide.
Order of the 3rd degree - on a neck ribbon 32 mm wide.
The badge of the Order of the 2nd degree was also worn on a neck ribbon 50 mm wide, but at the same time the Star of the Order was worn on the left side of the chest.
The badge of the Order of St. George, 1st degree, was worn on a wide order ribbon (100-110 mm) over the right shoulder, at the hip. The star of the order, as for the 2nd degree, was worn on the left side of the chest.
In addition, holders of the order were allowed to never remove the insignia of the order from their military uniform, and also to wear a uniform even after retirement.

Statute of the order

Badge of the Order of St. George, 4th degree, for 25 years of service in officer ranks.

Badge of the Order of St. George, 4th class for 18 campaigns.

Badge of the Order of St. George, 4th class for 20 campaigns.

During its history, the Order of St. George had three statutes.
The first was signed by Catherine II at the solemn ceremony of establishing the order in 1769. The Statute of Empress Catherine stated:

According to the Statute, the awarding of orders of the 1st and 2nd degree was carried out personally by the emperor and at his discretion.
The 3rd and 4th degrees of the order were awarded by the Military and Naval Collegiums, and since 1782 by the St. George Duma, consisting of holders of this order.
The Statute also stipulated the deadline for submitting a proposal for awarding the order - no more than 4 weeks after the accomplishment of the feat.

In cases of awarding the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, the commanders of armies or corps were allowed not to assemble the Duma of St. George, but to award the award at their own discretion. Moreover, each such award had to be approved by the emperor.

There was a separate clause that described the privileges of order bearers.

In addition, every officer awarded the Order of St. George received a promotion in rank.

Despite the fact that it was a military order, the Statute provided for the award of the 4th degree of the order for 25 years of impeccable service in the officer ranks or for participation in 18 naval campaigns. At the same time, 6 months of pure sailing were considered as one campaign. The insignia of these orders had a corresponding inscription on the horizontal rays: “25 years” and “18 camp.”

The terms of service could be shortened. For example, participants in such battles as the assault on Ochakov in 1788 or the capture of Izmail in 1790 had their term of service reduced by 3 years. Also, 3 years were reduced for officers who received the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow, for military exploits, and for those awarded the golden weapon “For Bravery” - 2 years.

Later, holders of the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree, with a bow, for which the period of service was reduced by 1 year, were also included in this list. Naval officers who participated in outstanding naval battles had their term of service reduced by 1 campaign, holders of the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree with a bow - by 2 campaigns, the Order of St. Anna 3rd degree with a bow and the golden weapon "For Bravery" - by 1 campaign .

On December 6, 1833, Emperor Nicholas I issued a new Statute. The statute determined the procedure for awarding the order. Now the awards were made sequentially starting from the 4th degree. The changes also affected the rules for awarding the Order of St. George for impeccable service. Now, in addition to 25 years of impeccable service, to receive the 4th degree of the order, the main condition was mandatory participation in at least one battle. For naval officers who did not take part in battles, the order was awarded for 20 campaigns.

In addition, the new Statute contains a detailed description of the feats that give the right to be awarded the order.

Starting from August 9, 1844, Russian subjects and foreigners, persons of non-Christian religion began to be awarded orders on which, instead of the image of St. George and his monogram, the imperial double-headed eagle was depicted.

Since 1845, officers awarded any degree of the Order of St. George received the right to hereditary nobility, and could also have the right to display the insignia of the order on their family coat of arms.

On May 15, 1855, Emperor Alexander II abolished the award of the order for long service and for naval campaigns.

Badge of the Order of St. George, 4th degree for non-Christians.

The statute was rewritten for the third time under Nicholas II in 1913. However, the main changes affected awards for lower ranks - the Insignia of the Military Order of St. George and the Medal for Bravery.

Examples of awards

First degree

The first award took place on November 26, 1769 - Empress Catherine II awarded herself the insignia of the 1st degree order. On July 27, 1770, the first award of the Order of the 1st degree for military merit took place. For victories over the Turkish army at Larga and Kagul, it was awarded to Field Marshal General Count P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. The last person to be awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree, on November 29, 1877, was Field Marshal Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (senior), for the capture of the city of Plevna.

Knight of the Order of St. George, 1st degree, Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov.

Knight of the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, Admiral S.K. Greig.

GIRL OF THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE, 1st Class

№	Full Name	Title	Rank	Date of delivery
1	ALEXANDER II	emperor	major general	26.11.1869
2	BARCLAY-de-TOLLY M. B.	prince	Field Marshal General	19.08.1813
3	BENNIGSEN L. L.	graph	cavalry general	22.07.1814
4	GOLENISCHEV-KUTUZOV M. I.	His Serene Highness Prince	Field Marshal General	12.12.1812
5	DIBICH-ZABALKANSKY I. I.	graph	Field Marshal General	12.09.1829
6	DOLGORUKOV-KRIMSKY V. M.	prince	general-in-chief	18.07.1771
7	CATHERINE II	empress	Colonel of the Guard	26.11.1769
8	MIKHAIL NIKOLAEVICH	Grand Duke	Field Marshal General	09.10.1877
9	NIKOLAY NIKOLAEVICH (senior)	Grand Duke	Field Marshal General	29.11.1877
10	ORLOV-CHESMENSKY A. G.	graph	general-in-chief	22.09.1770
11	PANIN P. I.	graph	general-in-chief	08.10.1770
12	PASKEVICH ERIVANSKY I. F.	His Serene Highness Prince	Field Marshal General	27.07.1829
13	POTEMKIN-TAURICHESKY G. A.	His Serene Highness Prince	Field Marshal General	16.12.1788
14	REPNIN N. V.	prince	Field Marshal General	15.07.1791
15	RUMYANTSEV-ZADUNAYSKY P. A.	graph	Field Marshal General	27.07.1770
16	SUVOROV-RYMNIKSKY A.B.	prince	generalissimo	18.10.1789
17	CHICHAGOV V. Ya.		admiral	26.06.1790
18	ALBERT OF AUSTRIA	Archduke	field marshal	20.06.1870
19	ANGOULÉMSKY A.A.	Duke		22.11.1823
20	BLUCHER G. A.	prince	Field Marshal General	08.10.1813
21	WELLINGTON A.B.	Duke	Field Marshal General	28.04.1814
22	WILHELM I OF PRUSSIAN	king		26.11.1869
23	CARL XIV JOHAN	King of Sweden and Norway		30.08.1813
24	RADETSKY I.	graph	Field Marshal General	07.08.1848
25	SCHWARZENBERG K. F.	generalissimo		08.10.1813

Second degree

Knight of the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, General of Infantry H.H. Yudenich.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, only 121 people were awarded the 2nd degree of the order. And despite the scale of the battles on the fields of the First World War, only 4 people received this award during this period.
The first to be awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, were generals N.V. Repnin, P.G. Plemyannikov and F.V. Bour. They distinguished themselves by commanding troops at the Battle of Largues in 1770.
The last holder of the order of the 2nd degree was Infantry General H.H. Yudenich, who received all 3 crosses during the period of command of the Caucasian Front in the First World War. 4th degree - for the Sorokomysh operation, 3rd degree - for the defeat of the right wing of the Turkish 3rd Army in 1915 and 2nd degree - for the Erzurum operation.

Third degree

However, the very first military award of the Order of St. George was made precisely in the 3rd degree. Lieutenant Colonel F.I. distinguished himself. Fabritian, for personal bravery during the storming of the Turkish fortress of Galati. The first cavalier received the award on December 8, 1769.

The glorious commander, Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov was awarded immediately the 3rd degree of the order, bypassing the 4th. This is due to the fact that at the time of awarding Suvorov had the rank of major general, and awarding the 4th degree would have been somewhat inconsistent with the rank. He received his award on August 30, 1772.

Fourth degree

On February 3, 1770, the first award of the Order of the 4th degree was made. The first cavalier was Prime Major R. Patkul.
The first person to be awarded the Order for Long Service was Lieutenant General I. Springer. Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I also had the badge of the order for long service.
For “18 naval campaigns” the first to be awarded was Lieutenant Commander I.D. Durov. In addition, admirals V.Ya. had the same order. Chichagov, A.V. Voevodsky, I.A. Povalishin, as well as famous navigators F.F. Bellingshausen, V.M. Golovnin, I.F. Krusenstern, M.P. Lazarev, G.A. Sarychev, F.P. Litke.
Since 1913, the Statute of the Order provided for the posthumous awarding of the Order. Thus, among the first to be awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, pilot P. N. Nesterov was posthumously awarded for committing the first air ram.
Two women received this award. The first was the Queen of the Two Sicilies Maria Sophia Amalia in 1861, the second was the sister of mercy Rimma Ivanova, who replaced the killed officer and led a company into the attack. During this attack she was mortally wounded, so her award was made posthumous.

NUMBER OF ORDERS OF ST. GEORGE AWARDED DURING SOME WARS

	1st Art.	2nd Art.	3rd Art.	4th Art.
Patriotic War of 1812-1814, incl. foreign nationals	7 4	36 12	156 33	618 127
Crimean War 1853-1856	-	3	5	3
Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878, incl. foreign nationals	2 -	11 2	40 3	353 35
Campaign in China 1900-1901.	-	-	2	30
Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905	-	-	10	256
World War I, including foreign nationals	- -	4 -	53 -	3643 8

see also

• Naval officers holders of the Order of St. George for the Campaign in China 1900 - 1901

Notes

List of sources

Literature

1. Gladkov N.N. History of the Russian state in awards and badges. Volume 1. In 2-. St. Petersburg: Polygon, 2004.
2. Durov V.A. Order of the Russian Empire. - M.: White City, 2003.
3. Kuznitsov A.A. Orders and medals of Russia. - M.: MSU, 1985.
4. Shishkov S.S. Russian awards. 1698-1917. T. II.- D.: Art-Press, 2003.

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