On 5 December 2019, the exhibition “For Service and Bravery”. 250 Years of the Military Order of St George begins its run in the St George Hall of the Winter Palace.
The Hermitage possesses one of the most impressive collections of items connected with the Order of Saint George. First and foremost, there are insignia of the various classes, decorations of the Military Order and medals “For Bravery”. As well as that, the museum’s stocks contain awards of a special type – the Saint George Weapon: swords, cutlasses or sabres embellished with the badge of the order. One of the largest collections of Saint George banners and standards (a collective award) is also in the Hermitage.
This exhibition brings together more than 400 items from the stocks of the State Hermitage. Besides the insignia of the order and other phaleristic items and examples of the medallist’s art, the display also includes the statutes of the order, Saint George weapons, paintings, works of graphic art, sculptures and photographs, pieces of decorative and applied art, numismatic items, elements of uniforms and printed publications. The display is arranged as a detailed account of the history of the Military Order of Saint George the Great Martyr and Bringer of Victory, but in contrast to previous exhibitions it includes a larger number of items and brings the history right up to the present day.
On 26 November (7 December New Style) 1769, on the Orthodox feast day of Saint George the Bringer of Victory, Catherine II established an order of chivalry in his honour. On that day in the Great Church of the Winter Palace, the Empress placed upon herself the insignia of the 1st class of the new order. The order had four classes, the badges of which differed in size, the presence of a star and how they were to be worn. According to the 1769 Statute of the Order, it was to be awarded to staff officers and company officers for personal valour on the field of battle. Up until 1855, the 4th class was also awarded for 25 years of army service or 18 campaigns at sea. The Statute lists the following criteria for the award of the order:
“Neither high birth nor wounds received in the face of the enemy give the right to be awarded this order, rather it is given to those who not only performed their assignment in complete accord with their oath, honour and duty, but beyond that also distinguished themselves by some particular act of courage or provided wise counsel useful to our military service. … This order is never to be removed, for it is acquired by merits.”
After the October Revolution, the Order of Saint George was abolished like other awards of the Russian Empire. However, the presentation of Saint George Crosses and Medals continued in the White army until 1922. In Soviet Russia, the symbols of the Order of Saint George were not used until the Great Patriotic War. The Saint George ribbon, which over the years of its existence has become a sort of symbol of military valour and glory, was attached to the Order of Glory and the medal For Victory over Germany. The ribbon was also a distinguishing mark of the elite guards units. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation of 2 March 1992, the Order of Saint George as the highest military award and the badge of the Cross of Saint George were reinstated. On 8 August 2000, the Statute of the Order and the Regulations on the Decoration of the Cross of Saint George were approved. On 2 March 1994, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Decoration “For Impeccable Service” for officers was established. The Order of Saint George is Russia’s highest military honour.
The image of Saint George is important for the Hermitage. The Winter Palace is a symbol of Russian statehood and military glory. The Large Throne Room was consecrated in 1785, on Saint George’s Day and in his honour. The exhibition will be held in the Saint George Hall and it will itself become one of the chief exhibits.
The scholarly consultant and co-author of the exhibition concept is Georgy Vadimovich Vilinbakhov, Deputy General Director of the State Hermitage for Research and State Herald Master of the Russian Federation.
The exhibition curators and other co-authors of its concept are Lidia Igorevna Dobrovolskaya, Head of the Sector of Numismatic Items from European and American Countries, and Alexandra Mikhailovna Lukyanchikova, a researcher in the Department of the History of Russian Culture and Keeper of the State Hermitage’s Precious Metal Stocks.
A scholarly illustrated catalogue in Russian has been brought out for the exhibition – Za sluzhbu i khrabrost’. 250 let so dnia uchrezhdeniia ordena Sviatogo Georgiia (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2019). It has a foreword by Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the Hermitage, and texts by Lidia Dobrovolskaya and Alexandra Lukyanchikova.
The General Sponsor of the exhibition is the Smolensk Diamonds Jewellery Group.
