History

This Order was founded by Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria, and he named it to honour St. Alexander Nevsky.

The Order was awarded by the Bulgarian sovereign to Bulgarians and foreign citizens in recognition of loyal service within civil and military spheres that benefited Bulgaria and the Monarch.

In 1886 crossed swords were added to the Order awards to reward wartime merit, and courageous acts rendered in peacetime. The crossed swords for wartime merit were added through the centre of the cross, while the swords for peacetime courage were added to the surmounting suspension ring.

In 1888 an official Decree was passed which added the IV Class silver cross, the Grand Master’s Collar, and the Lesser Collar. This Decree also amended the upper classes, allowing the Monarch to confer them with diamonds as a sign of his favour and to recognize special merit.

The Order was discontinued on June 15, 1948.

The obverse features inscriptions which translate to "God with Us", and in the centre of the medallion “St. Alexander”.

The reverse features an inscription which translates to "18 February 1878".

The I-III Class Type I grades feature a surmounting Princely crown suspension.

In Type I the awards issued by Alexander I were manufactured in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the awards issued by Ferdinand I were manufactured in Vienna, Austria, or Paris, France.

The lower grades of IV Class Officer, V Class Knight, and VI Class do not feature a surmounting Princely crown suspension.

The IV Class Officer was awarded to scientists, military personnel with a minimum rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and lower ranked officials.