Order of Saint Equal to the Apostles of Prince Vladimir|The 3rd-classOrder of Saint Vladimir|The Order of Saint Equal to the Apostles of Prince Vladimir

The Order of Saint Vladimir was established by Tsarina Catherine II in 1782, in honour of the Grand Duke of Kiev, Vladimir. This ruler was baptised in 988 and introduced Christianity. The order was the second in the hierarchy, after the Order of Saint Andrew. It was awarded to military men for meritorious combat service, and civilians (4th class) for impeccable service. The presented Order of Saint Vladimir belonged to General Franciszek Dzierżykraj-Morawski (1783-1861), a Knight of the Order of Saint Stanislav, Virtuti Militari and the Legion of Honour. As a subject of the Romanov dynasty, Morawski was also awarded Russian decorations of Saint Anne of the 2nd Class and Saint Vladimir of the 3rd Class (before 1825). The Order Cross of Saint Vladimir was made of gold and covered with red enamel with black border and gold edge. The monogram CB (Svyatyj Vladimir, Володимѣръ Свѧтославич) was placed in an ermine toga in a black round shield. There is the date of the order's establishment on the back in the shield, 22/sentabra/1782. The cross was worn suspended from a ribbon of red and black mora around the neck. It can be seen on the portrait of the General in a gala parade uniform with all the decorations mentioned above (the picture is in the collection of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw). The General's portrait was copied many times, but the original is in the possession of an inhabitant of Szczecin, Mr Andrzej Morawski. The cult of General Franciszek Morawski, nurtured by generations, continues to this day. Family reunions are held, and on the 150th anniversary of his death an honorary award 'Dzierżykraj' was established for the promotion of his character and work. In 1997, a monograph entitled 'The Morawski of the Nałęcz I Coat of Arms - 600 Years of Family History' by Sławomir Leitgeber was published.

Genowefa Horoszko