1st-class Order of St. Stanislaus

King Stanislaus August Poniatowski established the Order of Saint Stanislaus in 1765. Until the third partition of Poland, it enjoyed prestige and occupied second place in the hierarchy, after the Order of the White Eagle. The nobility proven by three generations emphasised the knightly character of the Order. The defeat of the November Uprising ended the Polish history of the Order. In 1831, the Order of Saint Stanislaus was incorporated into the Russian decorations and took the last place in the hierarchy. After regaining independence, due to its ruin and degradation, it was not resurrected. The presented Order of Saint Stanislaus 1st Class belonged to the Polish General Franciszek Dzierżykraj-Morawski (1783-1861), a poet, translator, participant in Napoleon's expedition to Moscow, Minister of War during the November Uprising (1831). Morawski received this decoration on 25 June 1829 on the occasion of the coronation of Tsar Nicholas I as King of Poland. The Order has the form of the Maltese Cross with corners ending in balls. Four silver eagles are set between the arms of the cross, covered with red enamel. In the central shield surrounded by a laurel wreath, the figure of Saint Stanislaus, dressed as a bishop with a pastoral in his hand, is painted in enamel. On either side of the figure, there are the letters SS (Sanctus Stanislaus). A stylised royal monogram SAR (Stanislaus Augustus Rex) on the reverse side in a round white enamelled shield is surrounded by a laurel wreath. The Order of Saint Stanislaus 1st Class was worn on a red ribbon tied at the hip and slung from the right shoulder to the left side. The ribbon was the primary visual distinguishing feature of the decoration. The General's legacy of four orders (St Stanislaus with two stars, a miniature and a ribbon, St Vladimir 3rd class, St Anne 2nd class and Virtuti Militari 3rd class with a miniature) and the Mark of Honour for 20 years of military service, was acquired by the National Museum in Szczecin in 1974 from a resident of Szczecin, Mrs Anna Morawska.

Genowefa Horoszko