The Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester (, ), sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five

orders of knighthood An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and pai ...

awarded directly by the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

Supreme Pontiff The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

and head of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and as the

Head of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

. It is intended to honour Catholic laypeople who are actively involved in the life of the Church, particularly as it is exemplified in the exercise of their professional duties and mastership of the different arts.

History

This Order was at one time united with the Order of the Golden Militia.

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

in his ''

motu proprio In law, (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on h ...

'' of 7 February 1905, entitled ''Multum ad excitandos'', divided the Sylvestrine Order into two Orders of Knighthood, one retaining the name of St. Sylvester and the other taking the ancient name of the Order, i.e. Order of the Golden Militia, or Order of the Golden Spur.Rock, P.M.J. "Pontifical Decorations." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 9 November 2022 It is intended to honour Catholic laypeople who are actively involved in the life of the Church, particularly as it is exemplified in the exercise of their professional duties and mastership of the different arts. It is also conferred on non-Catholics and in the UK current recipients include prominent Anglicans, Muslims and Jews. The Knights of Saint Sylvester used to have the privilege of riding a horse inside Saint Peter's in Rome, the same privilege accorded to the other major pontifical orders.
/ref> Awards of the Order are generally made on the recommendation of

Diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s or of

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

s (nominations may be made by parish priests to their bishop for his consideration). Awards are also granted on recommendation of the Papal Secretary of State. In 1994

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

extended membership in the Order to ladies as well as gentlemen.

Regulations of Gregory XVI

Prior to 1841, it was known as the ''Militia of the Golden Spur'' or ''Golden Militia'', and though it is not historically established who among the many supposed founders is the true one, yet it undoubtedly is the oldest and, at one time, was one of the most prized of the papal orders. Faculties granted to the

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

family, to the College of Abbreviators, and to bishops assistant at the throne to create Knights of the Golden Militia resulted in lavish bestowal and diminished prestige of the decoration.

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

in his

Papal Brief A papal brief or breve (from the Latin "''breve'', meaning "short") is a formal document emanating from the pope. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 March 1431 – 23 Februa ...

of 31 October 1841, entitled ''Quod hominum mentes,'' retained the ancient name of the Order and placed it under the

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of St. Sylvester (one of its alleged founders). He withdrew all faculties to whom and by whomsoever given, and forbade the use of the title or the decoration to all knights created by any means other than a Papal Brief. To restore the Order to its ancient glory and splendour, he limited the number of Commanders to 150 and knights to 300 (for the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

only), and appointed the Cardinal of Apostolic Briefs as Chancellor of the Order, with the duty of preserving the name, grade, number and date of admission of each knight. Pope Gregory divided the Order into two classes: *''Commander'' wore a large-sized decoration suspended at the neck, on a wide ribbon. *''Knight'' wore a small-sized decoration on the left side of the breast, on a smaller ribbon.

Regulations of Pius X

The Order currently has four classes. In order of seniority, they are: *''Knight/Dame Grand Cross'' (GCSS) – wears a large cross suspended from a broad ribbon (sash) over the right shoulder across the breast to the left hip, along with the breast star. *''Knight/Dame Commander with Star'' (KC*SS/DC*SS) – wears the star of the Order on the lower left breast. *''Knight Commander'' (KCSS) – wears a smaller cross suspended by the ribbon of the Order encircling the neck. ''Dame Commander'' (DCSS) – wears the same cross suspended from a bow on the left breast. This class is divided into two categories. *''Knight/Dame'' (KSS/DSS) – wears the smallest cross on a ribbon attached to the left breast of the tunic. Each recipient may illustrate their Papal knighthood with post-nominal lettering as seen above.

Insignia

The current ''decoration'' or ''cross'' of the Order is a gold cross of white enamelled surface, in the centre of which is impressed the image of St. Sylvester, surrounded by a blue enamelled circle bearing the inscription in letters of gold ''SANC. SYLVESTER P. M.'' Others state ''SANC. SILVESTER. PONT. MAX.'', indicating the title Pontifex Maximus. On the obverse, in the centre, are the

papal tiara The papal tiara is a crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid–20th century. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963, and only at the beginning of his reign. The name ''tiara'' refers t ...

and crossed keys with the dates of the Order's restoration under Gregory, MDCCCXXXXR, and that of the Pius X renovation, MDCCCCV, impressed in characters of gold upon a blue circle. The ''ribbon'' of the decoration is black silk with three narrow red stripes. The ''star'' or ''badge'' is the cross of the Order attached to a silver star.

Uniform

The official ''uniform'' is a black coat ornamented with one row of gilt buttons, black velvet, gold-embroidered collar and cuffs, black gold-striped trousers, a bicornered cocked silk (

bicorne The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...

) hat with a cockade of the papal colours to which is added a white plume when worn by a Knight Grand Cross, a black plume when worn by a Commander, and a sword. Knights Grand Cross wear a sash and a badge or star on the left side of the breast; Commanders wear a cross around the neck; and Knights wear a smaller cross on the left breast of the uniform. The uniform is considerably more embroidered for the higher ranks and white gloves are usually worn.

Heraldry

In ecclesiastical heraldry, laypersons awarded the rank Grand Cross display a blue enamelled circle bearing the inscription in letters of gold SANC. SYLVESTER P. M around the shield in their coat of arms, while other ranks place an appropriate ribbon below the shield.

Obligations

Papal knights and dames do not have any specific obligations by virtue of their having been given the personal honour of membership in an Order. However, it is customary for them to be invited to participate in major events of their diocese, such as the

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

of bishops, the

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

of priests, and the introduction of a new bishop into his diocese. On such formal occasions, they would wear the uniform of the Order.

Notable members

Chick Parsons Charles Thomas "Chick" Parsons Jr. (April 22, 1902 – May 12, 1988) was an American businessman, diplomat, and decorated World War II veteran. Pre-war years Parsons was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee, moved frequently, and spent part of his yo ...

, American WWII intelligence operative in Southeast Asia, businessman. * Junichi Paul Cho/ Jang Soon Il ,Korean-Chinese Indonesian Scholar,Fellow Founder of

Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (, abbreviated as ''Unika Atma Jaya''), also known as Atma Jaya University or Atma Jaya, is an institute of higher learning in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was founded by the Atma Jaya Foundation on 1 J ...

, Silver Medal, 1989 *Archduke

Otto von Habsburg Otto von Habsburg (, ; 20 November 1912 4 July 2011) was the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in November 1918. In 1922, he became the pretender to the former thrones, head of the House of Habs ...

, Crown Prince of Austria and Hungary and former MEP. *

Oskar Schindler Oskar Schindler (; 28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian, and member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and amm ...

, German industrialist and

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

, Knight Grand Cross. * Joseph Ee Peng Liang, Singaporean businessman and philanthropist, Knight Grand Cross, 1992 * Ken Harada, Japanese envoy to the Holy See, into the order. *

William Joseph Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to ...

, U.S. Army Major General and father of the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

, Knight Grand Cross. *

Frans Seda Franciscus Xaverius Seda (4 October 1926 – 31 December 2009), popularly known as Frans Seda, was an Indonesian finance minister in the early days of Suharto's presidency. He also served as a minister during the final days of Indonesia's foundin ...

, Minister Transportation of Indonesia, Knight Grand Cross, 1964 *

George Borg Olivier Giorgio Borg Olivier () (5 July 1911 – 29 October 1980) was a Maltese politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Malta (1950–1955 and 1962–1971) as the Leader of the Nationalist Party. He was also Leader of the Opposition between ...

, Prime Minister of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, Knight Grand Cross. *

George, Duke of Mecklenburg George, Duke of Mecklenburg (; – 6 July 1963) was the head of the House of Mecklenburg, House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1934 until his death. Through his father, he was a descendant of Emperor Paul I of Russia. Early life He was born in Oran ...

, head of the

House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Polabian origin that ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1909–2004), ...

, Knight Grand Cross * Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, German Prince, Knight Grand Cross. * Joseph Flores, Governor of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. *

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

, entertainer. * Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala Maharaja of Khapurthala. * Sir Burton Hall Chief Justice of The Bahamas and Justice of the UN International Court at The Hague, Knight. * Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Knight Commander. * Charles Delporte, Belgian artist, Knight. *

Shūsaku Endō was a Japanese author who wrote from the perspective of a Japanese Catholic. Internationally, he is known for his 1966 historical fiction novel ''Silence'', which was adapted into a 2016 film of the same name by director Martin Scorsese. He ...

, Japanese author, Knight Commander. * José Patricio Guggiari, president of Paraguay. *

Arthur Schneier Arthur Schneier (born March 20, 1930) is an Austrian American rabbi and human rights activist. Rabbi Schneier has served for over 50 years as the Senior Rabbi of New York City’s Park East Synagogue. While being honored with the Presidential Citi ...

, Austrian-American Holocaust survivor,

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and activist. *

Lorenz Weinrich Lorenz Hubert Weinrich (born 20 August 1929) is a German historian. Life Weinrich was born in Salzwedel, Altmark. He started studying history and classical philology at Freie Universität Berlin in 1948, and he earned his doctoral degree in ...

, German historian, Knight Commander with Star. *

Martín Marciales Moncada Martín Marciales Moncada, known as Martín Marciales, hijo (January 18, 1912 – March 6, 2001) was a Venezuelan visionary, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He critically contributed to the development of the city of San Cristóbal during the 20 ...

, Venezuelan philanthropist, Knight. * Austin Mardon, Canadian author, community leader, and advocate for the disabled. * Catherine Mardon, Canadian author, activist, and lawyer. *

Maria Nowak-Vogl Maria Nowak-Vogl (9 April 1922 – 23 November 1998) was an Austrian child and adolescent psychiatrist who directed the Kinderbeobachtungsstation in Innsbruck. A 2013 expert commission condemned her authoritarian and abusive methods, which inc ...

Disgraced Austrian psychiatrist who abused disadvantaged children, Knight Grand Cross. * Count Maurice de Patoul, Grand Marshall of the Royal Court. *Count Pierre Ryckmans, Governor-General of the Belgian Congo. *

Ludwig Pollak Ludwig Pollak (14 September 1868, Prague – circa October 23, 1943, Auschwitz concentration camp) was an Austro-Czech classical archaeologist, antiquities dealer, and director of the Museo Barracco di Scultura Antica in Rome. Biography He is per ...

, Czech-born Art historian, museum director in Rome, Knight Commander. * Dewan Bahadur Chevalier Ignatius Xavier Pereira, Ceylonese businessman and politician, Knight Commander. * Stanislav Zachar, Slovak builder, co-founder of Matica Slovenska, Knight, 1928. *John Charles Buckley,

Irishman The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhab ...

who served in the army of the Papal State in the 1860s. * Jan Count Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz, 50th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, Knight, 2016. * Charles Columbe, Author and papal historian, Knight Commander. * Anthony Bailey, inter-faith campaigner, Knight Grand Cross. * General Sir Richard Lawson, Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe, Knight Commander. * Professor David Khalili, art collector, Knight Commander. *

Mahmoud Khayami Mahmoud Khayami, CBE, KSS, GCFO (7 January 1930 – 28 February 2020) was an Iranian industrialist and philanthropist. Life Mahmoud Khayami was born in 1930 in Mashhad, Persia where he attended elementary and high school. In 1951 he transfe ...

, businessman and interfaith campaigner, Knight. * Don Maclean, entertainer, Knight. *

Peter Obi Peter Gregory Obi (; born 19 July 1961) is a Nigerian politician and businessman who was the Governor of Anambra State under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 17 March 2006 to 3 November 2006, when he was impeached. He was reinstated on 9 Febru ...

, politician, businessman. *

Michael Otedola Michael Agbolade Otedola KSS (16 July 1926 – 5 May 2014) was a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Lagos State during the Nigerian Third Republic. He was born on the 16 July 1926 into a Muslim family at Odoragunsin, Epe Local G ...

, politician who served as

Governor of Lagos State The governor of Lagos State is the head of government of Lagos State in Nigeria. The governor leads the executive branch of the Lagos State Government. This position places its holder in leadership of the state with command authority over the ...

during the

Third Nigerian Republic The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1992 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution. In the Third Republic, there were to be state governors, state assemblies, and the National Assembly, a ...

. *Lorenzo Balbi, Maltese philanthropist. *

Hifumi Katō is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-Dan (rank)#Modern usage in shogi, dan. He is a former Meijin (shogi), Meijin, Ryūō#History, Tenth Dan, Ōi (shogi), Ōi, Kiō and Ōshō (shogi), Ōshō major title hold ...

, retired

professional shogi player A professional shogi player (将棋棋士 ''shōgi kishi'' or プロ棋士 ''puro kishi'' "professional player") is a shogi player who is usually a member of a professional guild of shogi players. There are two categories of professional playe ...

References

Bibliography

*Rock, P.M.J. (1908
Pontifical Decorations
''

The Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'', New York, Robert Appleton Company *Moroni, ''Diz''., XI, 6 sqq.; XVIII, 210 sqq.; XLIX, 81 sq q.; LXIV, 91 sqq.; LXVIII, 238 sqq. *Giobbio, ''Lezioni di diplomazia ecclesiastica'' (Rome, 1899), Part I, lib. I, cap. x, art. iv, 514 sqq. *André-Wagner, ''Dict. de Droit Canonique'', III, 83, 501; IV, 361 *Battandier, ''Ann. Pont. Cath''., 1901, 483 sqq.; 1902, 468 sqq.; 1908, 646 sq. For a list of knights of all the decorations see Ann. for 1905. 1907, and 1908; ''Pii IX P. M. Acta'', Part I, 43 sq., 195 sq.; IV, 391 sq. *Bernasconi, ''Acta Gregorii papæ XVI'', 48; III, 179 sq.; ''Analecta Ecclesiastica'' (Rome, 1905), 99 sq.; 1907, 189; ''Leonis XIII Pont. Max. Acta'' (Rome), VIII, 259, 282; XXI, 74

External links

Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain
{{Orders of Italian States before unification Awards established in 1841 1841 establishments in the Papal States Orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See