Order Of Saint Andrew The First Called

The first Russian Order of Saint Andrew the First Called was created on the initiative of Tsar Peter the Great. Apostle Andrew was chosen as the patron saint for the order, who, according to legend, was the first to preach Christianity to the Slavs. Although conceived by Peter I as the highest order bestowed by the Emperor for outstanding merits, it would later become more of a symbol of nobility or royal blood. The current movement in Russia is to restore the order as an award for outstanding merit.













Order of Saint Andrew the First Called. Petersburg, 19 c. Master Johan Wilhelm Keibel. One of two complete Orders from the Lviv History Museum, Lviv, Ukraine. Formerly, from the Princes Lubomirski Museum in Lviv. [Click image for greater detail.]