Order of Pius

Order of Pius Ordine Piano
Awarded by the Pope
Art	Order of knights
Awarded for	Services to the Catholic Church
status	is awarded
Data
Foundation year	June 17, 1847
Benefactor	Pius IX
Precedence
Next higher award	Order of the Golden Spur
Next lower award	Order of Gregorius

The Pius Order (other spelling Pius Order ) is the third highest order for services to the Roman Catholic Church . It is awarded directly by the Pope .

Creation and award

It is a papal award commonly known as the Ordine Piano .

This order of merit refers to the Collegio dei Cavalieri Pii , whose members were called Piani or Partecipanti , which was founded in March 1560 by Pope Pius IV with the papal decree Pii patris amplissi . Such knights were the Laienhof the Pope and were therefore a group of nobles assimilated to the knights with sword and cape or the Noble Guard , the noble papal guard. The membership of the college of the Piani included the admission into the nobility, combined with the title of a count palatine . Over time, this institution lost a large part of its privileges, and those awarded the Cavalierato Piano distinction retained only the title of Ufficiale della Camera Apostolica .

The Order of Pius as an award is one of Pope Pius IX. donated on June 17, 1847, by Pius XII. Renewed order in 1939 and 1957, donated in commemoration of the first anniversary of his ascent to the chair of Peter as a reward for “man's virtue and merit”. With the Breve Cum Hominum Mentes of June 17, 1849, Pope Pius IX confirmed. all the noble privileges that belonged to this outstanding distinction by making it the only one with which the title of nobility of the Holy See ( nobilitante ) was bestowed. The insignia is an eight-pointed, golden-framed dark blue star with golden flames between the arms. In the center there is a white shield with the name PIVS IX in gold. A golden border with the motto virtuti et merito (Latin for "for virtue and merit") runs around the shield . On the back there is the year MDCCCXLVII.

With another breve dated November 11, 1856 Pope Pius classified the order in three classes:

• 1 ° Knight of the Great Cross ( Gran Croce )
• 2nd Comturians ( Commendatori )
• 3 ° Knight ( Cavalieri )

The nobility privilege was only reserved for the first two classes ( Gran Croce with the hereditary nobility and therefore transferable, and Commendatori with personal nobility). For the third class of knights, no indication of the nobility was given in the apostolic letter.

Through reform and restoration of the papal order of knighthood ( Ordini Equestri Pontifici ) under Pius X with Breve Multum ad excitandos took place on 7 February 1905 was for the Ordine Piano additional class of Komturen with placca introduced, which are usually in the order of knighthood corresponds to the class of the great Ufficiali .

The first class knights wear the Order of Pius on a blue ribbon around their necks, edged with double purple, and a small silver breast star in the same shape. The other classes receive the Order of Pius as a breast order.

The Ordine Piano was later in turn with the bull of December 25, 1957 by Pius XII. remodeled. Since awards of the Order of Christ ( Ordine Supremo del Cristo ) and the Order of the Golden Spur ( Ordine dello Speron d'Oro ) were very rare, the class of Knights of the Collar ( Cavalieri di collare ) was founded.

With the motu proprio of Pope Paul VI. From April 15, 1966, the award of the Ordine Piano stabilized to the rulers and heads of state who took part in an official visit to the Pope.

How to wear the order, 5th to 1st class (from left to right)

According to the reform that Pope John Paul II carried out in 1993, the Ordine Piano is now divided into the following classes (all for women and men):

• 1 ° Collane ( di collar , knights and ladies)
• 2 ° Grand Cross
• 3a ° Grand Commander ( di Commenda con placca , Commander and ladies)
• 3b ° Komtur ( di Commenda , Komture and Damen)
• 4 ° Knight's Cross (Knights and Ladies)

The order of Pius can nowadays be received by laypeople as well as clergy on the basis of personal merit and within the framework of diplomatic practice. The bearers of the Pius Order no longer enjoy any special privileges.

Knight (selection)

• In 1851 the Order of Pius was awarded to Johann Peter Joseph Monheim from Aachen;
• In 1885 the Prussian envoy Kurd von Schlözer , a Protestant, received the order's Grand Cross
• 1901 to Field Marshal Count Alfred von Waldersee , who had successfully led the international troops in China during the Boxer Rebellion .
• 1956 awarded Pope Pius XII. the Order of Pius to the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman .
• In 1971 Pope Paul VI awarded the knight with collar of the order of Pius IX. to the commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard , Robert Nünlist .
• In 1994 Kurt Waldheim (Federal President of Austria 1986–1992) received the Order of Pius from John Paul II.
• In 2004 Johannes Rau (Federal President Germany 1999-2004) was awarded the highest rank of the Order of Pius during his visit to John Paul II.
• On July 11, 2005, Silvio Berlusconi was born by Pope Benedict XVI. appointed Knight of the Order of Pius.

See also

• List of papal orders and decorations

Web links

Commons : Order of Pius IX  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Order decorations