Folia historica 27
I. TANULMÁNYOK - Pallos Lajos: A Magyar Királyi Szent István Rend jelvényei a Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum Éremtárában
cross there is a red enamelled medallion bearing an element of the Court of Arms of Hungary: a white patriarchal cross issuing from a coroneted green mound. In the red field, the letters M.T. (the monogram of the Queen) are placed at either side of the cross. The surrounding letters shows the Latin devise of the order: PUBLICUM MERITORUM PRAEMIUM (Public reward of the merit). The white enamelled obverse of the medallion shows the legend STO. ST. RI. AP, the abbreviated form of SANCTO STEPHANO REGI APOSTOLICO (to the Apostolic King Saint Stephen). The colours of the ribbon, green-crimson-green, also reflected the Hungarian character of the order. The order was the highest civil award of the Kingdom of Hungary, and the second highest one (next to the Order of the Golden Fleece) in the Habsburg Empire and after 1867 in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Its grand cross was awarded to state and church notabilities of the highest rank, to diplomats and sovereigns of foreign countries. The knight commander's cross was awarded to various personalities of higher ranks in the public life, like state, military or church officers. The knight's cross was awarded to citizens of different professions showing excellence at their respective fields of work, also to artists. After the split of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, from autumn 1918 the order suspended its activity, no new badges were awarded. In 1938, Miklós Horthy, Governor of the Kingdom of Hungary renewed the order. The siege of Budapest during World War II caused great losses in the archives of the order. The material guarded in the palace of Buda, the badges and robes were lost. Part of them was destroyed, while another part may have come to the Soviet Union as war booty. The Order of Saint Stephen was abolished in 1946, when Hungary became republic. Since according the statutes of the Order the insignia were to be returned to the Chancery on the death of the holder, we know nothing of the badges that were guarded there during the years of World War II. What could be acquired by private and public collections are the badges possessed by their holders after 1918 and 1945. Even today, badges of the order still appear in family heritages as a patrimony of an ancestor once awarded. Among the Hungarian collections, the largest set of relics of the Order of Saint Stephen is held by the Hungarian National Museum, being, however, a rather scarce material. From the badges preserved in the Department of Coins and Medals of the museum, the most important one is the unique exemplar worn by the Queen Maria Theresa, foundress of the Order. The legs of the golden cross of the small badge are set with emeralds, the centre is made of rubies, the charge and the monogram of diamonds. In addition to this, we have a collar and a textile star from the earliest badges of the history of the order. From the metal stars belonging to the grand cross, three exemplars are held by the collection, and one possessor of each are known: one of the stars made in the second half of the 19 t h century was received by the Count Ferenc Haller, General of the cavalry in 1860, while the last holder of another star was Governor Miklós Horthy, who wore it as Grand Master of the order. We only have one exemplar of the badges of the grand cross. It is one of the latest pieces, made at the beginning of the 20 t h century. The "small decor" belonging to the grand cross awarded to István Tisza, prime minister (1903-1905 and 1913-1917) in 1912. Only one badge of the - relatively less frequently awarded - knight commander's cross belongs to the collection; it was manufactured at 62
