The Order of Saint Joachim

For our members' information, here are very exciting illustrations from 1803 of our Order's insignia published by the Order in a handbook for members.

Interestingly the same illustrations ... or very similar are in a German 'Gesetze und Verfassungen des weltlichen Stifts-Ritterordens de heiligen Joachimi'. Grünstadt, im Jahr Christi 1787, der Ordenstiftung aber in 33sten Jahr. Though, in the copy I have the first plate of the Grand Cross is missing. So it is great to see it here.

The original shape of the medals apparently goes back to 1755 in it's first days as the Jonathan Order. A 1760 illustration in another source shows the Grandmaster wore a blue collar embroidered with golden flowers. From this hung a medal of a similar shape to our Grandcross. It had an all-seeing eye in the middle. On the back was a letter 'I' (=J, Jonathon) in a circle, which itself was in a triangle. Around the centre was a kind of laurel and at the short ends of the cross arms are the letters FSCV (Fide sed cui vide). The words Junxit Amicus Amor were on a kind of scroll between the collar and the medal.

I still have much more to learn about the early history of the order to from this newly discovered source.

Incidently the 'Gesetze und Verfassungen des weltlichen Stifts-Ritterordens de heiligen Joachimi'. 1787, describes the uniform as a light-grey green, or dark olive colour, for jacket, waistcoat and trousers with a green collar, with silver buttons containing green pattee crosses. On the jacket are two silver epaulets - with embroidered crosses, four for Grandmaster, three for Grandcross knights, two for Commanders, knights. They wear a black hat with a white feather and black cockade. The Grandmaster's hat has gold brocade or a so-called Pointe d'Espagne. In the court of the Grandmaster you are expected to wear the uniform including spurs and stick, and an extra green cockade. Expectants may not wear the uniform, but everyone else should try to get the uniform from the same supplier to be as similar as possible.

Fraternally
Malcolm Davies