Cross of the Mount of Olives
Encyclopedia
The Cross of the Mount of Olives (German: "Ölberg-Kreuz") was founded on the 24th. of December 1909 by the Prussian Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
as a decoration to commemorate the foundation of a hospital, the "Kaiserin Auguste Victoria-Stiftung" (Augusta Victoria Hospital) on the biblical Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem. His very religious mother Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was fond of charitative works and built several churches.
Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany and his wife Auguste Victoria had visited Jerusalem in 1898. They had pledged to build a hospital for christian pilgrims suffering from malaria.
On the 27th of January 1907 the entire imperial family, parents and seven children, signed the charter of the "Ölbergstiftung". The foundation stone was placed in that same year.
The Cross of the Mount of Olives was awarded to gentleman and ladies that contributed to the foundation. A formidable sum of 2.5 million mark
was pledged by the German population.
The hospital opened its doors in 1910. The elaborate Protestant Ascension Church ("Himmelfahrtkirche"), usually subsumed under the hospital's name as "Augusta Victoria", was finished in 1914.
" in red and black enamel with a white Maltese cross
in the centre. It is suspended from a monogram
of the empress's initials "AV". The ribbon is plain white. The deserving were awarded golden crosses or crosses of gilded silver.
Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
Prince Eitel Friedrich was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein...
as a decoration to commemorate the foundation of a hospital, the "Kaiserin Auguste Victoria-Stiftung" (Augusta Victoria Hospital) on the biblical Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
in Jerusalem. His very religious mother Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was fond of charitative works and built several churches.
Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany and his wife Auguste Victoria had visited Jerusalem in 1898. They had pledged to build a hospital for christian pilgrims suffering from malaria.
On the 27th of January 1907 the entire imperial family, parents and seven children, signed the charter of the "Ölbergstiftung". The foundation stone was placed in that same year.
The Cross of the Mount of Olives was awarded to gentleman and ladies that contributed to the foundation. A formidable sum of 2.5 million mark
German gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
was pledged by the German population.
The hospital opened its doors in 1910. The elaborate Protestant Ascension Church ("Himmelfahrtkirche"), usually subsumed under the hospital's name as "Augusta Victoria", was finished in 1914.
The cross
The cross is a "Jerusalem crossJerusalem cross
The Jerusalem cross, also known as Crusaders' cross, is a heraldic cross or Christian symbol consisting of a large Greek cross surrounded by four smaller Greek crosses, one in each quadrant....
" in red and black enamel with a white Maltese cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
in the centre. It is suspended from a monogram
Monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a...
of the empress's initials "AV". The ribbon is plain white. The deserving were awarded golden crosses or crosses of gilded silver.
Literature
- André Hüsken: Katalog der Orden, Ehrenzeichen und Auszeichnungen des Kurfürstentums Brandenburg, der Markgrafschaften Brandenburg-Ansbach und Brandenburg-Bayreuth, des Königreiches Preußen, der Republik Preußen unter Berücksichtigung des Deutschen Reiches, vol. 3, Hamburg: 2001, ISBN 3-89757-138-2
- Jörg Nimmergut, Katalog Orden & Ehrenzeichen von 1800 bis 1945, Munich: 2008