Order of Christ (Brazil)
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ , simply named Order of Christ, is an order of chivalry instituted by emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 7 December 1822, on the basis of the Portuguese Order of Christ
founded by King Dom Dinis and Pope John XXII
in 1316-1319. Knights of the Order of Christ were part of the untitled nobility
of the Empire of Brazil. The order was awarded for exceptional services that resulted in notable and proven utility to religion
(Roman Catholicism), to humanity
and the state
.
On 22 March 1890, the order was cancelled as national order by the interim government of United States of Brazil
.
However, since the deposition in 1889 of the last Brazilian monarch, Emperor Pedro II
, the order is claimed as an house order being awarded by the Heads of the House of Orleans-Braganza, pretenders to the defunct throne of Brazil. The current Brazilian Imperial Family is split into two branches Petrópolis and Vassouras, and the Grand Mastership of the Order is disputed between those two branches.
” transmitted by his father King Dom João VI of Portugal. His right extended to conferring titles of nobility and also the three ancient Portuguese orders of chivalry: Order of Christ
, Order of Aviz
and the Order of Saint James of the Sword. Dom Pedro I became the first Grand Master of the Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ. According to historian Roderick J. Barman, Dom Pedro I stated in a decree that his right originated in: “Sovereign Kings my Predecessors, … and especially by my August and Sovereign Father D. Joao VI.” After the death of his father, Dom Pedro I also became the Grand Master of the Portuguese Order of Christ as King Pedro IV of Portugal.
Description of the Order of Christ in the Almanak Laemmert, court
almanac
published in 1889:
and Queen Maria II (sister of Emperor Dom Pedro II). The order lost its military prerogatives with the reform and became a national order. As such the Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ was the only branch that maintained its military status. In 1843 the Brazilian branch was also reformed by Emperor Dom Pedro II and became a national order with decree N. 2853. As such the Order of Christ ended its existence as a military order
both in Portugal and Brazil; however the order remained highly regarded by the nobility of Brazil
and Portugal as a result of its importance to history and the prestige that it provided to knights. Members of all Brazilian orders of knighthood were part of the untitled nobility
regardless of grade, depending on the knight's grade they also received military honors, salutes and honorific styles
.
Basically all services that resulted in notable and proven utility to religion, to humanity
and the state
, that were provided during public, ecclesiastical or military functions; be it in science
, letters, arts
or industry
.
of a criminal offence; if the individual lost his post in the Guarda Nacional as a result of a criminal offence; and if the individual committed a political crime
that resulted in the loss of political rights.
The order had a limit of 12 Grand Crosses, not included in this numbers the members of the Brazilian Imperial Family (grand crosses) and the princes and foreign citizens. There was no maximum numbers set for Commanders and Knights.
to the badge and a different ribbon to distinguish it from the Portuguese Order.
Order of Christ (Portugal)
The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
founded by King Dom Dinis and Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
in 1316-1319. Knights of the Order of Christ were part of the untitled nobility
Fidalgo
Fidalgo , from Galician and Portuguese filho de algo—sometimes translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some "—is a traditional title used in Portugal to refer to a member of the titled or untitled nobility...
of the Empire of Brazil. The order was awarded for exceptional services that resulted in notable and proven utility to religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
(Roman Catholicism), to humanity
Humanity
Humanity may refer to:* The human species**The total world population* Human nature, psychological characteristics that all normal humans have in common**Compassion**Empathy**Altruism**Aggression**Fear...
and the state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
.
On 22 March 1890, the order was cancelled as national order by the interim government of United States of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
However, since the deposition in 1889 of the last Brazilian monarch, Emperor Pedro II
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
, the order is claimed as an house order being awarded by the Heads of the House of Orleans-Braganza, pretenders to the defunct throne of Brazil. The current Brazilian Imperial Family is split into two branches Petrópolis and Vassouras, and the Grand Mastership of the Order is disputed between those two branches.
Origin
After the Independence of Brazil emperor Dom Pedro I continued his inherent authority as the “fount of honorsFount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
” transmitted by his father King Dom João VI of Portugal. His right extended to conferring titles of nobility and also the three ancient Portuguese orders of chivalry: Order of Christ
Order of Christ (Portugal)
The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
, Order of Aviz
Order of Aviz
The Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1910 Royal Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1789 Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz , previously Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz or Friars of Santa Maria of Évora, is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry...
and the Order of Saint James of the Sword. Dom Pedro I became the first Grand Master of the Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ. According to historian Roderick J. Barman, Dom Pedro I stated in a decree that his right originated in: “Sovereign Kings my Predecessors, … and especially by my August and Sovereign Father D. Joao VI.” After the death of his father, Dom Pedro I also became the Grand Master of the Portuguese Order of Christ as King Pedro IV of Portugal.
Description of the Order of Christ in the Almanak Laemmert, court
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
almanac
Almanac
An almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables, containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc...
published in 1889:
Created by King Dom Dinis, in 1316. Preserved as a Brazilian order by the law of October 20, 1823. Regulated by decree n. 321 of September 9, 1843. Also decree n. 2853 of December 7, 1861. This order has 12 Grand crosses (treatment of ExcellencyExcellencyExcellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
), not included in this numbers the members of the Imperial family and the princes and foreign citizens; Commanders and Knights are without a set number. The Emperor is the Grand Master; the heir of the Crown is the Major-Commander.
Reform of 1843
In 1834 the Portuguese Order of Christ was reformed by the Liberal government of PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Queen Maria II (sister of Emperor Dom Pedro II). The order lost its military prerogatives with the reform and became a national order. As such the Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ was the only branch that maintained its military status. In 1843 the Brazilian branch was also reformed by Emperor Dom Pedro II and became a national order with decree N. 2853. As such the Order of Christ ended its existence as a military order
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
both in Portugal and Brazil; however the order remained highly regarded by the nobility of Brazil
Brazilian nobility
Brazilian nobility refers to the titled nobles and fidalgo families of Brazil, which began in the early 19th century during Colonial Brazil and lasted until the end of the Empire of Brazil in 1889.-History:...
and Portugal as a result of its importance to history and the prestige that it provided to knights. Members of all Brazilian orders of knighthood were part of the untitled nobility
Fidalgo
Fidalgo , from Galician and Portuguese filho de algo—sometimes translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some "—is a traditional title used in Portugal to refer to a member of the titled or untitled nobility...
regardless of grade, depending on the knight's grade they also received military honors, salutes and honorific styles
Style (manner of address)
A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...
.
Admission
It was considered relevant and extraordinary services for admittance into all imperial orders after 1861 the following services:- Services provided for the maintenance of the public order and for preservation of the national independenceIndependenceIndependence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
, integrityIntegrityIntegrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...
and dignityDignityDignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. It is an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights...
. - Services provided during public calamityCalamityCalamity may refer to:* A disaster, a terrible event* Al-Qaria , the 101st sura of the Qur'an* Calamity Jane, a nineteenth century American frontierwoman** Calamity Jane , a 1953 film based on the person...
. - Services provided for the benefit of the parish churchParish churchA parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
(Roman Catholic), roads, waterways and other works or establishments for the public goodCommon goodThe common good is a term that can refer to several different concepts. In the popular meaning, the common good describes a specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all members of a given community...
.
Basically all services that resulted in notable and proven utility to religion, to humanity
Humanity
Humanity may refer to:* The human species**The total world population* Human nature, psychological characteristics that all normal humans have in common**Compassion**Empathy**Altruism**Aggression**Fear...
and the state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
, that were provided during public, ecclesiastical or military functions; be it in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, letters, arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
or industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
.
Forms of Admission
There were two ways to be admitted to the Order of Christ after the reform of 1861, they were:- The Order was given by the Emperor after review by the Minister of Internal affairs for extraordinary services recognized by the Empire. Members of the Imperial administration, such as ministers of state, the Imperial family and high ranking foreigners were excluded from any requirements.
- A citizen could file a petition to the Emperor, the individual had to prove extraordinary services; the process was very complex and involved the approval of different authorities, including the state attorney, the provincial president, the Emperor and sometimes the Bishop.
Requirements for admission
If filing a petition, the following requirements had to be completed:- Art 1. Nobody was admitted to the Empires honorific orders without a request that proved at least 20 years of distinct services. The only exception was for members of the clergyClergyClergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
of the Catholic Church, they were admitted with 10 years of service and also members of the military, they had the years of service counted twice for each year required. - Art 2. The request had to be signed by a representative especially authorized and the following documents had to be added to the request: Authentic documents that proved the services provided; criminal recordCriminal recordA criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history, generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to assess his or her trustworthiness. The information included in a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country...
proving that the individual was not involved as a defendantDefendantA defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
in a criminal procedureCriminal procedureCriminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated criminal law.-Basic rights:Currently, in many countries with a democratic system and the rule of law, criminal procedure puts the burden of proof on the prosecution – that is, it is up to the...
; letters from superior authorities with whom the individual had served attesting to the records; other documents necessary to prove 20 years of service. - Art 3. The provincial attorneys had to give their opinion regarding the individual and after it send the recommendation to the provincial presidentState governmentA state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...
and the president sent the request to the Imperial government. If the individual was a member of the clergy the Church superiors also had to authorize the request. The provincial president and the bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
had to be explicit about their opinion of the individuals entering the order. - Art 4. The person that petitioned for entrance into the order could use his record of service only once, if a new petition was made he could use only the services provided after the first petition.
- Art 5. Admission for any applicant if approved was always in the first grade of the order, individuals could not be promoted without proof of 4 extra years of service after admission to the previous grade.
Loss of Knighthood
Membership into the order was given for life, however, members could be expelled from the order if: a member lost his Brazilian citizenship for breaking articles 2, 3 or 7 of the Imperial constitution; if guiltyGuilty
Guilty commonly refers to the feeling of guilt, an experience that occurs when a person believes that they have violated a moral standard.Guilty or The Guilty may also refer to:-Law:*Guilty plea, a formal admission of legal culpability...
of a criminal offence; if the individual lost his post in the Guarda Nacional as a result of a criminal offence; and if the individual committed a political crime
Political crime
In criminology, a political crime is an offence involving overt acts or omissions , which prejudice the interests of the state, its government or the political system...
that resulted in the loss of political rights.
Grades
The Order of Christ was issued in three grades:- Grand Cross, who wore the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left side of the chest;
- Commander, who wore the badge on a necklet;
- Knight, who wore the badge on a ribbon on the left side of the chest.
The order had a limit of 12 Grand Crosses, not included in this numbers the members of the Brazilian Imperial Family (grand crosses) and the princes and foreign citizens. There was no maximum numbers set for Commanders and Knights.
Insignia
The insignia were basically the same as the Portuguese Order of the same name, with the addition of a stylized Imperial Crown of BrazilImperial Crown of Brazil
The Imperial Crown of Brazil, also known as the Crown of Dom Pedro II, was the Crown manufactured for the second Brazilian Emperor, Pedro II....
to the badge and a different ribbon to distinguish it from the Portuguese Order.
- The badge was entirely different for civil and military knights: the civil knights wore a cross that was a silver gilt and red enamel cross potent formy with decorative chiseled border and with inset white enamel Latin cross. The military knights had a different insignia, this being a gilt, white enameled Maltese Cross with ball-tipped finials, with laurel wreath between the arms. The central disc was on the front a golden rayed disc and on the back a white enameled disc, with a miniature of the above described cross in it; the badge was topped by a gilt imperial crown.
- The star of the Order has 22 asymmetrical arms of rays, in gilt for Grand Cross, and in silver for Commander. The central disc was in white enamel, with a miniature of the above described cross in it. The Sacred Heart of Christ was placed at the top of the star.
- The ribbon of the Order was red with small blue stripes at each edge.
External links
- The Brazilian Order of Christ - website Medalnet
- The Imperial Order of Christ - website of the Brazilian Imperial Family