Military Order of Christ
Military Order of Christ Ordem Militar de Cristo | |
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Honorific Order | |
Established |
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Country | Order of Aviz |
Decorations of the Order |
The Military Order of Christ[a] is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910, it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ,[b] and the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ.[c] It was founded in 1319,[1][2] with the protection of King Denis of Portugal, after the Templars were abolished on 22 March 1312 by the papal bull, Vox in excelso, issued by Pope Clement V.[3][4] King Denis refused to pursue and persecute the former knights as had occurred in most of the other sovereign states under the political influence of the Catholic Church.
Heavily swayed by Philip IV of France, Pope Clement had the Knights Templar annihilated throughout France and most of Europe on charges of heresy, but Denis revived the Templars of Tomar as the Order of Christ, largely for their aid during the Reconquista and in the reconstruction of Portugal after the wars. Denis negotiated with Clement's successor, John XXII, for recognition of the new order and its right to inherit the Templar assets and property. This was granted in a papal bull, Ad ea ex quibus, on 14 March 1319.[5]
There exists also a parallel Supreme Order of Christ of the Holy See, the Order of Christ of the House of Orléans-Braganza, and the Order of Christ of Kongo.[6]
History
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Catholic Church portal |
The order's origins lie in the
In 1789, Queen
Grades and badges
The Order of Christ, as awarded by the Portuguese government today, comes in six classes:[9]
- Grand Collar (GCol), which wears grand collar, the badge of the Order on a sash on the right shoulder, and the star of the Order in gold on the left chest. This rank was introduced in 2021.[10][11]
- Grand Cross (GCC), which wears the badge of the Order on a sash on the right shoulder, and the star of the Order in gold on the left chest;
- Grand Officer (GOC), which wears the badge of the Order on a necklet, and the star of the Order in gold on the left chest;
- Commander (ComC), which wears the badge of the Order on a necklet, and the star of the Order in silver on the left chest;
- Officer (OC), which wears the badge of the Order on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
- Knight (CvC) or Dame (DmC), which wears the badge of the Order on a plain ribbon on the left chest.
Insignia
- The grand collar is formed by simple crosses of the Order, alternating and linked with armillary spheres, gilded, suspended by a double chain of simple links, gilded; in the center, two interlocked branches of quercus coccifera, gilded; the necklace, all in gold, has the cross of the Order hanging, profiled in gold, surrounded by a festoon, of open cut, of laurel leaves with its fruits, tied with crossed ribbons on the tops and sides, also in gold.
- The badge of the Order is a palm; the central disc was in white enamel, with a miniature of the modern badge in it; the badge was topped by a gilt crown.[9]
- The star of the Order has 22 asymmetrical arms of rays, in gilt for Grand Cross and Grand Officer, and in silver for Commander. The central disc is in white enamel, with a miniature of the modern badge in it. During the monarchy the Sacred Heart of Christ was placed at the top of the star.[9]
- The ribbon of the Order is plain red.[9]
Bars of the Military Order of Christ | |||||
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Grand Collar |
Grand Cross |
Grand Officer |
Commander |
Officer |
Knight |
People associated with the Order of Christ
Grand Masters
- Henry the Navigator(Grand Master)
- Manuel I (Grand Master)
- Infante Ferdinand (Grand Master)
- Sebastian of Portugal(Grand Master)
Others
- John Alexander Fladgate (Commander)
- Order of Santiagobefore)
- Pedro Álvares Cabral
- João Gonçalves Zarco
- Gonçalo Velho Cabral
- Bartolomeu Dias
- D. Beatrice
- Francisco de Almeida
- Miguel Corte-Real
- Gaspar Corte-Real
- Tristão da Cunha
- Martim Afonso de Sousa
- João de Castro
- Cristóvão da Gama
- Tomé de Sousa
- Fernão de Magalhães, also known as Ferdinand Magellan (also to the Order of Santiago)
- Vicente Sodré
- Damião de Góis
- Pedro Teixeira
- Alexandre de Gusmão
- Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira
- Henrique Dias
- António Filipe Camarão
- Jácome Ratton
- Albert Coyette
- Louis-Nicolas Davout
- Jean-Baptiste Bessières
- Albert Guille
- Guillaume Delcourt
- Ângelo Moniz da Silva Ferraz, Baron of Uruguaiana
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Grand Cross)
Locations associated with the Order of Christ
- Castro Marim (seat of the order before 1357)
- Convento de Cristo
- Belém Tower
- Castle of Almourol
- Castle of Monsanto
- Castle of Castelo Branco
- Sagres(death place of Prince Henry)
Entities using the cross of the order in their insignia
- Brazilian Football Confederation
- Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses(Portugal)
- Futebol Clube Cesarense
- Madeira
- National Corps of Scouts - Portuguese Catholic Scouting
- Olympic Committee of Portugal
- Portuguese Air Force
- Portuguese Athletic Federation
- Portuguese Football Federation
- Portuguese Navy
- Portuguese Roller Sports Federation
- Flag of the city of São Paulo (Brazil)
- Clube de Desportos de Vasco da Gama (Goa, Índia)
- CR Vasco da Gama (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
See also
- History of the Order of Christ
- Honorific orders of Portugal
- Order of Christ (Holy See)
Explanatory notes
Citations
- ISBN 978-0268003074.
- ISBN 978-0-313-32685-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7524-6977-5.
- ISBN 978-1-4094-8102-7.
- ^ F. A. Dutra, "Dinis, King of Portugal", in Medieval Iberia: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 2003), p. 285.
- ISBN 978-1-59102-153-7.
- ^ a b Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ "ANTIGAS ORDENS MILITARES". Bem-vindo a pagina oficial do Grao-Mestre das Ordens Honorificas Portuguesas (in Portuguese). Presidência da República Portuguesa. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d "GRAUS E INSÍGNIAS DA ORDEM MILITAR DE CRISTO". Bem-vindo a pagina oficial do Grao-Mestre das Ordens Honorificas Portuguesas (in Portuguese). Presidência da República Portuguesa. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ "Decreto-Lei n.º 55/2021 de 29 de junho". Diário da República (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Governo aprova integração da Ordem de Camões na Lei das Ordens Honoríficas" [Government approves the inclusion of the Order of Camões into the Law of the Honorific Orders]. Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
General and cited references
- Guimarães, J. Vieira, A Ordem de Cristo, Lisboa, I.N., 1936
- Olival, Fernanda, The Military Orders and the Portuguese Expansion (15th to 17th Centuries), Portuguese Studies Review Monographs, Vol. 3, Peterborough: Baywolf Press and The Portuguese Studies Review, 2018.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Order of the Knights of Christ". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.