Harman Patil (Editor)

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana

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Country
  
Estonia

Established
  
1995

Type
  
six class order

Awarded for
  
To honour the independence of the Estonian state. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is bestowed by the President of the Republic on foreigners who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia.

Next (higher)
  
Order of the National Coat of Arms

Next (lower)
  
The Order of the White Star

The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonian: Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary’s Land) was instituted in 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state by president Lennart Meri. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is bestowed upon the President of the Republic. Presidents of the Republic who have ceased to hold office shall keep the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. The Collar of the Order was used de facto as the badge of office of the President of the Republic, since the original Presidential collar, that of the Order of the National Coat of Arms was taken from Estonia to the Kremlin after the Soviet occupation of the country in 1940, where it remains to this day. However a new collar of that order was made in 2008. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is also given as a decoration of the highest class to foreigners who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia. As such it is the highest and most distinguished order granted to non-Estonian citizens.

Contents

Classes

The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana comprises six classes:

  • One special class – The Collar of the Cross of Terra Mariana;
  • Five basic classes – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th class.

    • The crosses and shields of all the classes of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana have the same design and are of the same size.

    The blue colour tone of the moiré ribands belonging to the decorations of all the classes of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is determined according to the international PANTONE colour-table as 300 C.

    Recipients of the Collar

    The recipients are :

    Estonian presidents

  • President Lennart Meri (1992–2001), 10.09.1995 (Serie 5 – n° ?)
  • President Arnold Rüütel (2001–2006), 08.10.2001 (Serie 270 – n° 1138)
  • President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2006–incumbent), 09.10.2006 (Serie 692 – n° 1071)

    • Recipients of the First Class

    The recipients are :

    Former foreign heads of state and government

    These decorations are awarded for targeted reasons :

    Recipients of the Fourth Class

  • Robert Fripp, 2008

    • References

    Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA