St. Alexander Order
The Order of St. Alexander ( bg : Свети Александър ) was founded on December 25, 1881 by Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria and could be awarded to nationals and foreigners for special state services, bravery and personal goodwill of the monarch.
Order classes
The order initially consisted of five classes, a silver Merit Cross reserved for officers and the affiliated St. Alexander Merit Medal.
By statute of August 2 and 14, 1888, Prince Ferdinand I of Bulgaria extended it to six classes, and a collar for the Grand Cross was introduced for sovereigns . The collar is made up of lions that alternately hold a medallion with and without a crown.
For military merit, the medal could also be awarded with crossed swords from this point in time, here the swords were led through the cross angles, but also with swords on the ring (for owners who had a lower level with swords) here were two crossed swords between Cross and carrying ring attached.
Order decoration
The medal is a silver- gold-plated, white-enamelled cross that in the first three classes up to 1908 is surmounted by a golden round crown (1st model). After the proclamation to the kingdom, a square crown (2nd model) was used. The words St. Alexander can be read in old Cyrillic script in the red enamelled medallion . The medallion is enclosed by a white enamelled ring with the golden inscription God with us . In the lower semicircle there are two laurel branches tied in the middle . The reverse of the medallion is enamelled in white and bears the three-line date August 19, 1878 (the day the state was founded) in gold letters .
In 1918 the color of the medal was changed. The cross was now red enamelled and in the red enamelled medallion the Bulgarian lion turned to the left can be seen.
Carrying method
The grand cross was carried on a sash from the left shoulder to the right hip as well as with an eight-pointed breast star. The grand officer and commander decorated the cross as a neck medal , while grand officers additionally decorated the cross with a smaller breast star. All other classes, the Cross of Merit and the Medal of Merit were worn on the ribbon on the left side of the chest.
The ribbon is light red.
literature
- Ernst August Prinz zur Lippe: Orders and awards in the past and present . Keysersche Verlagbuchhandlung, Heidelberg-Munich 1958.
- Dimitri Romanoff: The Orders, Medals and History of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Balkan Heritage, Rungsted Kyst 1982, ISBN 87-981267-0-9 .