Order of St. George

Statute of the Imperial St. George's Order

The current Order of Saint George is awarded to highest and senior military officers for the conduct of military operations to protect the Fatherland from attack by an external enemy which resulted in the complete defeat of the enemy, for the execution of combat and other operations in other states aimed at restoring international peace and security, or for being a model of military science with feats that exemplify military prowess; the Order is also conferred upon officers who were previously awarded state awards of the Russian Federation for distinction in combat.

Description of the Order

The Order of Saint George is divided into four classes, from the First Class to the Fourth class; the highest degree being the Order First class. The four classes are awarded sequentially from the fourth to the first. These four classes are individually identified by the size and manner of wearing the two principal insignia of the Order, the cross and the star.

Cross: A white enamelled cross pattée with a central medallion bearing the image of Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon. The cross measures 60mm across in the case of the Order first class and is worn on a sash in the colours of Saint George (orange and black). The same 60mm cross is worn around the neck on a 45mm wide ribbon also in the colours of Saint George for the Order second class. The cross is 50mm across for the Order third class and is also worn around the neck but from a 24mm wide ribbon in the same colours. The Order fourth class is a 40mm cross worn on the left breast hanging from a pentagonal mount covered with a 24mm wide ribbon of Saint George.

Star: A four-pointed silver gilt star with a gold central medallion bearing the cipher of Saint George "SG" topped by a crown and surrounded by a black enamelled band bearing the motto of the order "For Service and Bravery" ("Za Sluzhbu i Khrabrost"). The star is worn on the left breast for both the Order first and second classes.

Ribbon: The ribbon of the Order of Saint George is orange with three black stripes, commonly called "George's Ribbon". It symbolises fire and gunpowder: the Russian "colors of military glory", and is also thought to be derived from the colours of the original Russian imperial coat of arms (black eagle on a golden background). It was subsequently associated to the colors of the Russian Guard units. Unlike the other classes, the Order of Saint George fourth class can be awarded to junior officers while the rest is for senior and flag officers.

The ribbon bar for the Order first class is adorned with a miniature golden star. The ribbon bar for the Order second class is adorned with a miniature silver star. The ribbon bar for the Order third class is adorned with a miniature white cross. The ribbon bar for the Order fourth class has no device.

Recipients of the Order second class

General of the Army Nikolay Yegorovich Makarov

Colonel General Alexander Zelin

General of the Army Vladimir Boldyrev

Recipients of the Order fourth class

Colonel Lambros Katsonis, Greek 18th century revolutionary

Colonel General Sergei Makarov

Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov

Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Lebed

British Captain Albert Ball, World War I fighter pilot

Dutch War Correspondent Louis Grondijs, World War I, White Army, Russian Civil War

Major General Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Imperial Russia, WWI

General Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Imperial Russia, World War I, White Army, Russian Civil War

Brigadier John Alexander Sinton, Indian Army, WWI

Field Marshal Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary