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Originally the Order was part religious and part military. The combined Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus prospered from the support given by the House of Savoy and the Papacy. The galleys of the order subsequently took part in various expeditions against the Turks and the Barbary pirates. As one community, the members devoted themselves to the defense of the Holy See and to fight its enemies as well as to continue assisting lepers.

Grand Mastership of the Order was granted by the Pope in perpetuity to the head of the House of Savoy by Magistral letters patent of January 12, 1573.

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Under the Grand Mastership of Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy (1553-1580), the Order of Saint Maurice and the Order of Saint Lazarus were united by the Papal Bull Pro Commissa Nobis of Pope Gregory XIII on November 13, 1572. Attempts at unification with other orders by Popes Pius II and Sixtus IV did not succeed until 1572 with the intervention of Pope Gregory XIII and the Savoy Order of St.

Lazarus hospital near Capua. Dissensions during this period broke out among the knights and the Order declined until following Giannotto Castiglioni, the position of Grand Master went to Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy in 1571. Lazarus by Pope Gregory XIII.ĭuring the 15th and part of the 16th centuries, its main seat was the St. In 1572, the Order was combined with the Order of St. Maurice declined until, under the leadership of Emmanuel Philibert (1553-1580), fourth Duke of Savoy and great-grandson of Amadeus VIII, it was revived in 1571 with a military and religious character by Pope Pius V.

Over a century after the death of Amadeus VIII, the Order of St. Maurice was an “ordine combattente” (military order), whose aims were to serve God, promote a monastic life, and to assist the State in its needs. He was also the patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire, of Austria as well as of the Papal Swiss Guards in the Vatican-the protector whose sword, when held by the blade, becomes a cross. Maurice’s martyrdom figured among the highest acts of faith venerated by Christians. Hundreds of parish churches and towns were named after him. Maurice, the Knight of the Holy Lance, has been the inspiration for the ideals of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table because he was pure of heart and blameless in spirit. He has been portrayed in many sculptures and paintings, sometimes as an African.ĭuring the Middle Ages, his shrine drew hordes of pilgrims on his feast day, celebrated today on September 22. Maurice d'Agaune at the eastern end of Lake Geneva) for refusing to worship the Roman Emperor, offer sacrifices to pagan gods and persecute his fellow Christians.įor more than 1,000 years, St. He was martyred together with his legionnaires circa 286 A.D. The Order was named after the patron saint of the House of Savoy, Mauricius (sometimes written as Mauricianus or Mauritius), an early Christian who was the military leader of the Roman Empire's Theban Legion in Alpine Gaul. It was founded as a society of noble monks to accompany him on his retreat from secular life. Maurice was established in 1434, at the Castle of Ripaille (on the southern shore of Lake Geneva) by Amadeus VIII, first Duke of Savoy (reigned 1391 - 1440). He describes this as “forest green” or a “cloth of the darkest green. The Order of St. According to Noonan the tradition of green as the colour for bishop’s heraldry was also the colour of their vesture. It was also the tradition in many places to upholster the cathedra in green. Galero so that his cardinals would stand out in council processions. The Second Council of Lyons, 1274, Pope Gregory X granted the red The Fourth Lateran Council required the colour green for patriarchs in 1215. tells how green, had by theĮleventh century, become the colour for bishops and archbishops.

In his book on the ceremonial life and protocol of the Roman Catholic Church, The Church Visible,