Order pro Merito Melitensi

The Order of Merit (Italian: Ordine di Merito; Latin: Ordo pro Merito Melitensi) is the order of merit of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, established in 1920. It is awarded to recipients who have brought honour to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted Christian values and for charity as defined by the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike Knights or Dames of the Order of Malta (which is a military order of chivalry), those decorated with the Order are not invested in a religious ceremony, do not swear any oath or make any religious commitment. It may therefore be bestowed upon non-Catholics. Conferees include prominent statesmen, such as Presidents Ronald Reagan, who received it while still in office, and George H. W. Bush.

Order pro Merito Melitensi
Cross of the order
Awarded by Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Type	Order of merit
Established	1920
Status	Currently constituted
Grades	Collar Grand Cross, Special Class Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Cross
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Saint John
Military ribbon Civil ribbon

Its grades are grouped in three categories: the Collar, the Cross, and the Medals, including Commander at the Cross level, now rare in the Order of Malta, and has no nobiliary grades, thus being comparable to numerous orders of merit around the world, including the Papal orders, France's Order of National Merit and Britain's Order of the British Empire.

The medals are inscribed with the abbreviated Latin: Militaris Ordo Equitum Melitensum Bene Merenti, which translates roughly as Military Order Knight of Merit Well Deserved. By the medieval period both milites (from which derives the word militaris) and equites are terms for knights, even though the original distinction was foot soldiers and cavalry respectively.

Order pro Merito Melitensi

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  Cross pro Merito Melitensi
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  Commander pro Merito Melitensi neck decoration
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  Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi breast star
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  Cross Pro piis meritis Pro merito melitensi

Collar of the Order pro Merito Melitensi

Pro Merito Melitensi Collar – Military Class

Pro Merito Melitensi Collar – Civilian Class

Single grade, usually bestowed to Heads of State only.

Cross of the Order pro Merito Melitensi

Military Class

Grand Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi – Special Class

Grand Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Grand Officer Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Commander Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Officer Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Cross with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Civilian Class

Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi – Special Class

Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi

Grand Officer Cross pro Merito Melitensi

Commander Cross pro Merito Melitensi

Officer Cross pro Merito Melitensi

Cross pro Merito Melitensi

Ecclesiastics Class

Grand Cross pro Piis Meritis Melitensi

Cross pro Piis Meritis Melitensi

Medal of the Order pro Merito Melitensi

Old style (1920–1960)

Gold Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Silver Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Bronze Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Military Class

Gold Medal with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Silver Medal with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Bronze Medal with Swords pro Merito Melitensi

Civilian Class

Gold Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Silver Medal pro Merito Melitensi

Bronze Medal pro Merito Melitensi

The Order pro Merito Melitensi

Classes of the Order pro Merito Melitensi

The Order pro Merito Melitensi comprises the following classes:

• Collar
• Cross
• Medal

The Collar pro Merito Melitensi

The Collar only has a single grade, but is separated into two divisions, namely "Collar pro Merito Melitensi" for Civilians and "Collar with Swords pro Merito Melitensi" for the Military. The Collar is only awarded to Heads of State.

The Cross pro Merito Melitensi

The Cross is bestowed upon both civilians and military personnel, comprising several grades:

• Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi – Special Class
• Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi
• Grand Officer pro Merito Melitensi (with Badge for women)
• Commander pro Merito Melitensi (with Crown for women)
• Officer pro Merito Melitensi (with Coat of arms for women)
• Cross pro Merito Melitensi

N.B: these decorations are "with Swords" for serving military and "without Swords" for civilians.

The Cross "pro piis meritis" pro Merito Melitensi

When awarded to ecclesiastics, it has the same cross as awarded to civilians and military personnel. Nevertheless, this ribbon is black crossed with two thin red lines and comprises only two grades :

• Grand Cross "pro piis meritis" pro Merito Melitensi,
• Cross "pro piis meritis" pro Merito Melitensi.

The Medal pro Merito Melitensi

This class has three grades: Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals (including the corresponding grades with Swords) are grades of the Order within the Medal category and are not external decorations.

Ribbons

There are only three different types of ribbons for both the medal and the crosses.

Cross of Merit, Ecclesiastical	Cross of Merit, Civil	Cross of Merit, Military
Ribbon
Black ribbon with thin red stripes	White ribbon with large red stripes	Red ribbon with large white stripes

See also

• Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Further reading

• Orders of Knighthood, Awards and the Holy See, by H.E. Cardinale and Peter Bander-van Duren, 3rd ed. 1985

External links

• Official Website Archived 4 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
• Sovereign Military Order of Malta in the United Kingdom - Order pro Merito Melitensi Archived 24 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine
• Two examples for the ribbons of the Order pro merito Melitensi