History

This Order was formed by the combination of two Orders of Knighthood, the Order of St. Maurice and the Order of St. Lazarus. The Order of St. Maurice was established in 1434, and the Order of St. Lazarus originated in the early 12th century. Members of these two Orders were charged with preserving and protecting Catholicism.

The merged Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus was founded by Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savory, and approved by Pope Gregory XIII in 1572. The new, combined honour was primarily awarded to foreign and Italian Catholics who had provided extraordinary military and civil services to the State.

Originally, the Order only consisted of the Knight grade, and members were classified as Knight of Justice or Knight of Grace.

Recipients of the Knight of Justice had to demonstrate that they were in possession of a four-generation long aristocratic heritage.

While recipients of the Knight of Grace were chosen due to their long and faithful military service, or for their exceptional civil service within charities. They were also required to be of legitimate birth, practitioners of Catholicism, and have good moral standing.

On December 27, 1816, new Order Statues were issued by Victor Emmanuel I, wherein he separated the Order into two grades, Grand Cross and Knights. The Knight grade continued to be divided into two sub-classifications, Knight of Justice and Knight of Grace.

Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, also amended the Statutes on December 9, 1831, in which he added the grade of Commander.

There were several changes to the Order made by Victor Emmanuel II between 1855-1857, including the addition of the grades of Grand Officer and Officer. During this restructuring, he also discontinued the subcategories of Knight of Justice and Knight of Grace.

This Order was officially discontinued in 1951, but it continues to be awarded as an unofficial hereditary Order by the House of Savoy.

The Grand Cross is also known as the Great Cross, and the early Grand Cross grades are not surmounted by a crown.

The Grand Cross grade was limited to 30 members.