Brief History of the Constantinian
Order
The Ancient History and Legend of Saint George
The
symbolic roots of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
are shrouded in ancient history and medieval legend. Saint George(left),
a Christian born in Asia Minor around 270, became a military officer in
the Imperial Army. In 303, he publicly tore down one of the Emperor Diocletian's
edicts against Christians, an act which led to his torture and eventual
martyrdom.
Over the centuries, many legends were told about Saint George. Early Orthodox
iconography depicts him slaying a dragon, and in the Middle Ages he came
to be known as the Patron of Knights. Saint George was venerated in the
East from about 350.
In 312, some years after Saint George's martyrdom, the Emperor Constantine
"the Great," on the eve of his victorious battle at the Milvian
Bridge in Rome, had a vision of the Cross and the words "In hoc signo
vinces" (By this sign you shall conquer). He ordered a labarum (a
square banner suspended from a horizontal bar attached to a vertical spear)
constructed bearing the Greek monogram XP (for "Christos").
His armies defeated those of Maxentius and Christians were no longer persecuted
in Rome. The Christianisation of Italy and the rest of Europe followed.
The Cross of the Constantinian Order of Saint George is
a deep crimson Greek Cross Flory superimposed by the XP monogram in gold.
At the end of each limb of the Cross is one of the letters I, H, S or
V, representing the motto "In Hoc Signo Vinces." The decoration
is suspended from a sky blue ribbon of watered silk.
The fifty soldiers entrusted to protect the Labarum constituted the "Labarum
Guard" represented today by the fifty bailiff knights grand cross
of justice of the Constantinian Order.
The legendary founder of the Constantinian Order of Saint George is the
twelfth-century Eastern Roman ("Byzantine") Emperor Isaac II
Angelus Comnenus. In the fifteenth century, an aristocratic family of
Balkan exiles claiming descent from Isaac's dynasty fought alongside Skanderbeg's
army in Albania. Establishing their residence at Venice, they began to
bestow an honour, which came to be identified as the "Constantinian
Golden Militia." In those days the brotherhood was an actual military
force engaged in the wars against the Turks in the Balkans. In the sixteenth
century, this Comnenus family's claim to the Throne of Constantinople
was recognised with several Papal Bulls, and their Golden Militia was
likewise recognised.
Throughout its history, the Order has been closely linked to the Roman
Catholic Church. To the Angelus grand masters, it was a point of reference
in the wars against Muslim invaders; to the Popes it was part of the Counter
Reformation.
The Constantinian Order’s Farnese Heritage
The Constantinian Order of Saint George as it exists today
has been identified as a dynastic institution since 1698, when the last
Comnenus Pretender ceded it to Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma, Piacenza
and Castro. Pope Innocent XII confirmed this transfer with his Bull, Sincerae
Fide, issued 24 October 1699. The main focus of the Constantinian Order
was, and remains, the propagation of the Catholic Faith, although it supports
charitable works as well, and today enjoys a special role in the preservation
of the culture of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Farnese Statutes were the first formal Constitution of the Order,
setting forth its purpose and mission. On the initiative of successive
Grand Masters, the Statutes evolved over the centuries to reflect the
changing times.
In 1731, the Order passed by dynastic right to Prince Carlo de Bourbon(left),
son of King Philip V of Spain by his second wife, Elisabeth Farnese, who
was the niece and heir of the last Farnese Grand Master, Prince Antonio.
The young Carlo entered Parma as its sovereign ruler in 1732.
Two years later, Prince Carlo de Bourbon ("di Borbone" to Italians)
became King of Naples. For the first time in centuries, the Neapolitans
could boast that their monarch would reign in their city. For centuries,
Naples had been ruled from afar, with local administration overseen by
viceroys who, themselves, were often foreigners.
In 1735, Carlo was crowned King of Sicily at Palermo. His Grand Magistry
of the Constantinian Order was recognised with a Papal Bull in 1738. A
few examples of Carlo's image, such as his statue at Messina [shown here],
are still visible in Italy today. His greatest legacy was the development
of Naples itself. The Royal Palace and the nearby Teatro San Carlo, which
opened on the King's name day in 1737, are lasting testaments to his memory.
The Consolidation of the Constantinian Order under the Bourbon Two Sicilies Dynasty
Two decades later, when Prince Carlo succeeded his elder half-brother to the Spanish Throne, he ceded the Neapolitan and Sicilian Crowns to his son Ferdinando, who became Grand Master of the Constantinian Order. King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies (as his realm was called after 1816) reigned until 1825 and his successors to the Throne, King Francesco I and King Ferdinando II also held the office of Grand Master of the Constantinian Order.
The
Order was bestowed in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until 1861, when
the forces of King Francesco II(left), the son of King Ferdinando
II and Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy, were defeated by invading troops
at the Angevin fortress of Gaeta, on a cape midway between Naples and
Rome.
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed (following that of Parma,
Tuscany and Romagna) to the newly created Kingdom of Italy. As a result
of the loss of the King’s realm, relations between his dynasty and
that of the newly created Italian Royal Family were poor. King Francesco
II lived in exile in Rome and following the annexation of the Papal States
to Italy in 1870 to Trent, where he remained until his death in 1894. His
consort, Queen Maria Sofia, younger sister of Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi")
of Austria-Hungary, lived for many years in Bavaria, which her family
had once ruled, and later died at Paris in 1925.
The remains of the last King and Queen of the Two Sicilies are interred,
with those of their daughter (who died in infancy), in 1984 in the Royal
Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples.
The Constantinian Order’s Relationship with the Savoy Dynasty of Italy
King Francesco II was succeeded as Head of the House of
the Two Sicilies by his brother, Alfonso, Count of Caserta. Relations
between the Royal Houses of Bourbon Two Sicilies and the Savoy dynasty
of Italy remained poor. In 1924 the Italian Minister Boselli, Chancellor
of the Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus of the reigning House of Savoy
of Italy, launched an unprecedented attack against the Constantinian Order
which Pope Pius IX had protected at the time of Italy’s unification.
In the same year the delicate negotiations commenced concerning the compensation
to be paid to the Papacy for the loss of the Papal States and the establishment
of a sovereign state for the Holy See. The Papal Secretary of State, Cardinal
Gasparri, himself a Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Constantinian
Order, had to negotiate with the King of Italy’s Minister, Benito
Mussolini. Cardinal Gasparri, not wishing to jeopardize the delicate negotiations,
yielded to the pressure of Mussolini and temporarily suspended the functions
assigned to the Cardinal Protector of the Constantinian Order until the
Order’s legitimacy had been recognised by the Government of the
Kingdom of Italy.
Despite this act, the Apostolic See maintained excellent working and spiritual
relations with the Constantinian Order. The Order was still being bestowed
by the head of dynasty and Grand Master, Alfonso, Count of Caserta until
his death in 1934 and later by his successor and son, Prince Ferdinando
Pio. The Order also remained internationally recognised as a dynastic
order of knighthood pertaining to the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies.
Many prominent statesmen, cardinals, nobles and citizens were invested
during the Savoy rule in Italy.
It
was only after the abolition of the Italian monarchy in 1946 that the
two former dynasties resolved their differences. Shortly before his death
in 1960, Prince Ferdinando Pio, Duke of Castro and Head of the Royal House,
was invested by Italy’s last monarch, King Umberto II (left),
into the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation. Soon after in 1959,
King Umberto was invested with the Collar of the Constantinian Order by
its Grand Master, Prince Ferdinando Pio. An ancient family feud was finally
put to rest.
Relations between the two dynasties have continued to grow and strengthen
with Prince Ferdinando’s successor, Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro,
who became Head of the dynasty and Grand Master in 1960. When Prince Ranieri
died in 1973 he was succeeded by the current Head of the Royal House and
Grand Master of the dynastic orders, HRH Prince Ferdinando Maria, Duke
of Castro.
King Umberto II wishing to further build on the warm relations, which
had now existed for many years between the two dynasties, honoured the
current Duke of Castro with the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
in 1977. HRH The Duke of Castro returned the honour by awarding and investing
King Umberto with the pre-eminent Order of St Januarius of the Royal House
of Bourbon Two Sicilies.
On
the death of King Umberto in 1983, the Duke of Castro continued the family
relationship by honouring the new Head of the Royal House of Savoy, HRH
Prince Victor Emanuele, Duke of Savoy(left) and Prince of Naples
with the Collar of the Constantinian Order.
The current Heir Apparent of the Royal House, HRH Prince Carlo of Bourbon
Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, has also been invested by HRH The Duke
of Savoy as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus.
As a prerogative recognised in international law, a dynastic
order of knighthood is vested not in the national territory or the headship
of a sovereign state, but in the person of the head of a royal dynasty,
and various royal decrees issued between 1734 and 1861 make it clear that
the Grand Magistry of the Constantinian Order is inseparable from the
Headship of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies. For this reason, the
Constantinian Order survived the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Order continues to have an excellent working and spiritual relationship
with the Apostolic See, recognition from many royal dynasties and governments,
and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. (The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
traditionally enjoyed a close relationship with the Order of Malta, with
which it maintained a treaty granting military protection to the island
of Malta.)
The Constantinian Order and the Italian Republic
Today, the Constantinian Order is fully recognised by the Italian Republic. Italian citizens can seek official approval to wear the Order’s decorations, and the Republic’s military officers may wear its insignia on uniform. Many senior Italian state 
officials, ministers and diplomats have been awarded the decoration including among others the Ambassadors of the Italian Republic to numerous European and Middle Eastern states as well as to the Holy See.
In 1973, by Decree of the President of the Republic, Giovanni Leone (left), the National Italian Association of the Knights of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George was elevated to a non-profit organisation. President Leone, who served as the Italian Head of State from 1971-
1978, was also invested into the Constantinian Order as a Knight Grand
Cross with Gold Star and Collar within the Special Category
In 1986 His Excellency Professor Francesco Cossiga (right), President of the Italian Republic from 1985-1992 was decreed and invested by the Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Castro, as a Knight Grand Cross with Gold Star and Collar within the Special Category; a position he held throughout his term as the Italian Head of State. Since leaving office Professor Cossiga ceased being a member.
The warm and cordial relationship between the Italian Republic and the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies were further cemented in 1996 when His Royal Highness The Duke of Calabria, as Grand Prefect of the Constantinian Order, was invested by decree of His Excellency President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (above) (President 1992-1999) as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Italian Republic. The investiture ceremony was conducted by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Lamberto Dini. During the formal exchange of honours, His Royal Highness The Duke of Calabria, on behalf of his Father, the Grand Master, invested the Foreign Minister as a Knight Grand Cross with Gold Star within the Special 
Category.
In March 2003 in a ceremony at Palazzo Chigi, the President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of the Italian Republic, Silivio Berlusconi, was invested into the Constantinian Order as a Knight Grand Cross with Gold Star and Collar within the Special Category.
The Constantinian Order and the Apostolic See and the Roman Catholic Church
The Constantinian Order continues to have an excellent working and spiritual relationship with the Apostolic See, which has never ceased to recognise the canonical standing of the Constantinian Order andthe Distinguished Royal Order of Saint Januarius. As an independent dynastic Order of Knighthood, the 
Constantinian Order should not to be confused with the Holy See's own state Orders of Knighthood and of Merit, or those religious orders which belong to, or are under the protection of the Holy See, and therefore formally recognised, namely the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to which it maintains diplomatic relations, or the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Currently over 60 cardinals and archbishops are members of the Constantinian Order and who play a very active role in the spiritual development of the Order. His Holiness The Pope is also represented in the Order through the appointment of a personal Ecclesiastical Counsellor.
The position of Grand Prior of the Constantinian Order is currently occupied by His Eminence Albert, Cardinal Vanhoye, who succeeded in 2008 His Eminence, Mario Francesco, Cardinal Pompedda (above right), formerly Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic See and President of the Court of Cassation of the Vatican City State. In November 2003, His late Eminence was appointed by His Holiness Pope John Paul II as Ecclesiastical Counsellor to the Constantinian Order; a position that continued under the pontificate of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI until the Cardinal’s death (above left).
Other prominent Cardinals and Archbishops who are members of the Constantinian Order include: His Eminence Fiorenzo, Cardinal Angelini, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers, His Eminence William Wakefield, Cardinal Baum, Major Penitentiary Emeritus of the Apostolic Penitentiary, His Eminence Giacomo, Cardinal Biffi, Archbishop of Bologna, His Eminence Josip, Cardinal Bozanic, Archbishop of Zagreb, His Eminence Desmond, Cardinal Connell, Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin, His Eminence Godfried, Cardinal Danneels, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, His Eminence Edward Michael, Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York, His Eminence Roger, Cardinal Etchegaray, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, His Eminence Édouard, Cardinal Gagnon, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family, His Eminence Bernardin, Cardinal Gantin, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops, His Eminence Francis Eugene, Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, His Eminence Michele, Cardinal Giordano, Archbishop of Naples, His Eminence Salvatore, Cardinal De Giorgi, Archbishop of Palermo, His Eminence William Henry, Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, His Eminence Renato Raffaele, Cardinal Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, His Eminence José, Cardinal Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, His Eminence Paul Augustin, Cardinal Mayer, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, His Eminence Theodore, Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, His Eminence Dino, Cardinal Monduzzi, Prefect Emeritus of the Papal Household, His Eminence Cormac, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, His Eminence Virgilio, Cardinal Noé, Archpriest Emeritus of the Vatican Basilica, His Eminence Antonio María, Cardinal Javierre Ortas, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, His Eminence Salvatore, Cardinal Pappalardo, Archbishop Emeritus of Palermo, His Eminence Luigi, Cardinal Poggi, Archivist and Librarian Emeritus of the Holy Roman Church, His Eminence Angelo, Cardinal Scola, Patriarch of Venice, His Eminence Crescenzio, Cardinal Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, His Eminence James Francis, Cardinal Stafford, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, His Eminence Alfons Maria, Cardinal Stickler, Archivist and Librarian Emeritus of the Holy Roman Church, His Eminence Dionigi, Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan and His Eminence Alfonso, Cardinal López Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
The Following members were also members of the Order until their recent demise. His Eminence Mario Francesco, Cardinal Pompedda, His Eminence Giuseppe, Cardinal Caprio, His Eminence Silvio, Cardinal Oddi, His Eminence Pietro, Cardinal Palazzini, His Eminence Lucas, Cardinal Moriera Neves, His Eminence Maurice, Cardinal Otunga, His Eminence Vincenzo, Cardinal Fagiolo, and His Eminence Francesco, Cardinal Colasuonno.
Among the many Diocesan and Titular Archbishops in the Constantinian Order are: HE The Most Rev Mgr Ottorino Pietro Alberti, Archbishop Emeritus of Cagliari, HE The Most Rev Mgr Angelo Babnasco, Archbishop for the Military for Italy, HE The Most Rev Mgr Luigi Barbarito, GCVO, Titular Archbishop of Fiorentino and Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Great Britain, HE The Most Rev Mgr Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco, HE The Most Rev Mgr Gaetano Bonicelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino, HE The Most Rev Mgr Antonio Cantisani, Archbishop of Catanzaro and Squillace, HE The Most Rev Mgr Carmelo Cassati, Archbishop Emeritus of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, HE The Most Rev Mgr Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemol, Titular Archbishop of Tuscany, The Most Rev Mgr Maurice Couve de Murville, Archbishop Emeritus of Birmingham, HE The Most Rev Mgr Francesco Cuccarese, Archbishop of Pescara Penne, HE The Most Rev Mgr Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee, HE The Most Rev Mgr Riccardo Fontana, Archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia, HE The Most Rev Mgr Alessandro Maria Gottardi, Archbishop Emeritus of Trento, HE The Most Rev Mgr William Lori, Archbishop of Bridgeport, HE The Most Rev Mgr Giuseppe Mani, Archbishop of Cagliari, HE The Most Rev Mgr Giovanni Marra, Archbishop of Messina, HE The Most Rev Mgr Edoardo Menichelli, Archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, HE The Most Rev Mgr John Michael Miller, Titular Archbishop of Vertara, HE The Most Rev Mgr Gastone Mojaiski Perrelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Sant' Angelo of Lombardi-Conza-Nusc, HE The Most Rev Mgr Giuseppe Molinari, Archbishop of L'Aquila, HE The Most Rev Mgr Vittorio Luigi Mondello, Archbishop of Reggio Calabria-Bova, HE The Most Rev Mgr Gabriel Montalvo, Titular Archbishop of Celene, HE The Most Rev Mgr Cataldo Naro, Archbishop of Monreale, His Grace The Most Rev Mgr Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, HE The Most Rev Mgr Marian Oles, Titular Archbishop of Raziari, HE The Most Rev Mgr Giovanni Battista Pichierri, Archbishop of Trani, HE The Most Rev Mgr Vito Roberti, Archbishop Emeritus of Caserta, HE The Most Rev Mgr Bruno Schettino, Archbishop of Capua, HE The Most Rev Mgr Francesco Pio Tamburrino, Archbishop of Foggia-Bovino, HE The Most Rev Mgr Antonio Maria Travia, Archbishop of Termini Imerese and HE The Most Rev Mgr Alberto Tricarico, Archbishop of Sistroniana.
The Constantinian Order and the Order of Malta
The Constantinian Order enjoys an excellent relationship with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and this dates back to the time when the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies historically enjoyed a close relationship with the Order of Malta, with which it maintained a treaty granting military protection to the island of Malta.
Since 1878, every Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta has been a senior member of the Constantinian Order. The current and 79th Prince and Grand Master, His Most Eminent Highness Frà Matthew Festing has had a long association with the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. Frà Festing was appointed to the Council of the British and Irish Delegation of the Constantinian Order in 2002 having been first invested as a Knight of Justice of the Constantinian Order of Saint George in 1991. In 1994 the Grand Master of the Constantinian Order, HRH The Duke of Castro promoted His Most Eminent Highness to the grade of Knight Grand Cross of Justice.
Until his death in 2008, the 78th Prince and Grand Master, HMEH Frà Andrew Bertie (right), was also longstanding knight having been invested by HRH The Duke of Castro into the Sacred Military Constantinian Order in 1985 as a Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Order. Frà Bertie was later elevated to the rank of Bailiff Grand Cross with Collar in 1988 - the highest distinction within the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George and in 1993 was invested as a Knight of Royal Order of Saint Januarius - the most senior Order of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies.
HRH Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Castro, the Constantinian Order’s Grand Master and Head of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies, until his death in March 2008 was invested as a Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta in December 1968. In 1988, the late Duke of Castro, also received from Frà Andrew Bertie, Prince and Grand Master, the rare award of an Honorary Cross of Profession.
HRH Princess Chantal, Duchess of Castro, was promoted within the Order of Malta to the rank of Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in 1996.
HRH Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, became a Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion.
In the same year , the Duke of Castro, who first entered the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in May 1983, was promoted in February 2004 to the grade and dignity of Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion. HRH The Duchess of Castro was invested as a Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in October 2001.
Many senior officers of the Order of Malta across the world are members of the Constantinian Order and some hold official positions within the Grand Magistry of the Constantinian Order.
The Constantinian Order’s Membership and Grades
The Constantinian Order counts among its ranks much of the old aristocracy of the Two Sicilies, royals and nobles, cardinals, statesmen, industrialists, scientists, parliamentarians, clerics, diplomats, scholars, charity workers and volunteers from across the world.
The Order has delegations in every region of Italy, as well as in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States of America, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Monaco, Hungary, Malta and Poland. In 2006, the Grand Master also created for the first time, a worldwide Delegation for Inter-Church and Inter-Faith relations based within the Grand Magistry in Rome.
Membership of the Constantinian Order is by invitation only and following approval by the Council of the Delegation in which the postulant is resident, is then submitted to the Grand Magistry in Rome for further consideration. Approved postulants are then submitted to the Grand Master for a final decision.
Much like the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Order is divided into four principal categories of Justice, Special, Grace and Merit. Within each category there are numerous grades from Knight of Office to Bailiff Knight Grand Cross with Collar. Bronze, Silver and Gold Benemerenti medals are also awarded for merit purposes although they do not constitute actual membership of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order.
Admission into the Justice category is restricted to those whose four grandparents can all prove 200 years of noble descent in the male line. In the Grace grade, with the exception of clerical members, 200 years of noble descent in the male line is required. Nobility in Great Britain is proved through the possession of a Coat of Arms on record at the College of Arms in London, the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland or the Office of the Chief Herald in Ireland. No proofs of nobility are required for admission into the category of Merit.
