This weekend, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy presided over the annual chapter of the dynastic orders of the Royal House of Savoy in Rome. His eldest daughter and dynastic heir, Princess Vittoria, stood by his side. For the first time, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert, grandson of King Humbert II, perpetuated centuries of traditions, as the new grand master of the orders. The Grand Master of the Order of Malta as well as members of the Savoy family were present to witness this historic moment.
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Prince Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy leads his first general chapter as grand master of the orders of the Royal House of Savoy
This Saturday, October 5, 2024, ladies and knights of the dynastic orders of the royal House of Savoy gathered in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, a city which in 1870 became the capital of the new kingdom of Italy formed around the king Victor-Emmanuel II a few years ago. Hundreds of members of the orders of the Savoy family attended a mass, a solemn moment of the annual chapter, which for the first time was presided over by the new grand master, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy, descendant of King Victor-Emmanuel II, first king of Italy and grandson of King Humbert II, last king of Italy. 551 years ago, his ancestor, Duke Amédée VIII of Savoy, was invested hereditary grand master and sovereign of the order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus by Pope Gregory XIII.
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This weekend, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy, 52, met members of his family’s dynastic orders in Rome. Delegations from around the world met in the Italian capital to attend the various events of the 452nd general chapter. Since the death of King Humbert II in 1983, it has been his only son, Prince Victor-Emmanuel, who has headed the Italian royal family and the family dynastic orders. Prince Victor-Emmanuel died last February, at the age of 86, leaving his only son, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert, with the heavy task of perpetuating family traditions. Around the year 1000, White-handed Humbert received the county of Savoy from Emperor Conrad II, the beginning of a thousand-year-old and expansionist saga of the sovereigns of Savoy.
Now guarantor of maintaining the traditions of his thousand-year-old family, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert carried out his task throughout the weekend. The new grand master is already experienced in the exercise. In recent years, due to his father’s declining health, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert already frequently represented him in public engagements. This Saturday, the new grand master was assisted by his dynastic heir, Princess Vittoria, Princess of Carignan. The 20-year-old young woman, eldest daughter of Prince Emmanuel-Philibert and Clotilde Courau, will one day succeed her father and a woman will thus lead this ancestral royal family for the first time.
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The Order of Malta honored by the Royal House of Savoy
The head of the royal family is guarantor of the maintenance of dynastic orders, namely the supreme order of the Most Holy Annonciade, the order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the civil order and Merit of Savoy. The supreme order of the Most Holy Annunciade was founded by Count Amédée VI of Savoy during the marriage of his sister Bianca to Galeazzo II Visconti in 1362. Duke Charles III of Savoy gave it its current form and its current full name in 1518. Between these two dates, the counts of Savoy became dukes. They then became princes of Piedmont, then kings of Sardinia and finally kings of Italy in 1861. This is the highest reward within the House of Savoy. This distinction is only awarded to heads of state or sovereigns. This Saturday, at the chapter mass, Frà John T. Dunlap, prince and grand master of the sovereign order of Malta, was present and wore the necklace of the Most Holy Annunciade which he received last year from the hands of the prince Emmanuel-Philibert, in the name of his father.
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The main dynastic order in which the Grand Master receives his members today is the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. The order of Saint-Maurice was founded in 1434 by Count Amédée VIII of Savoy. The count ruled Savoy from his capital at the time, Chambéry. Amadeus VIII was an important ruler for the dynasty. Under his reign, his states experienced significant expansion by capturing the county of Geneva and the principality of Piedmont. Emperor Sigismund I then elevated his county to the rank of duchy. He was the first Duke of Savoy, who after abdicating in 1440 in favor of his son, retired and lived a monastic life. He was even proclaimed anti-pope under the name Felix V. A few years earlier, he had founded the order of Saint-Maurice, bringing together six middle-aged nobles who had promised loyalty to him.
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Princess Vittoria of Savoy, worthy heir to a thousand-year-old dynasty
The order which brought together these faithful knight-hermits took the name of Maurice, patron saint of the Savoy family. In the 3rd century, under the Roman Empire, Maurice led a legion of the Theban army from Egypt. Maurice and his men had retained their Christian faith and refused to massacre the inhabitants of Agaune, in Valais, whose only crime was being Christians. Emperor Maximian ordered the execution of the entire legion, including Maurice. As early as 449, the bishop of Lyon speaks of crowds who have been coming, for decades, on pilgrimage to the church of Agaune, to pray in memory of the legionnaire martyrs who were executed there. Saint Maurice became the patron saint of the infantrymen of several armies around the world as well as of the Savoy family.
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The order of Saint-Maurice merged in 1572 with a branch of the order of Saint-Lazare from France. The order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus was created by a papal bull from Gregory XIII on November 13, 1572. A few months later, on January 15, 1573, Duke Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy received the office of grand master. and hereditary sovereign of this order. The order of Saint-Lazare, for its part, takes its origins from the hospital knights who came to the aid of the sick in the leprosariums of Jerusalem. In 1146, King Louis VII of France participated in the Second Crusade and witnessed the remarkable work of these knights. He brought back to France knights of Saint-Lazare, whom he installed in Boigny to open a commandery there. Quickly, the knights were emulated and other commanderies were established all over Europe. The Priory of Capua broke away from Boigny, gained its independence then united in 1572 with the order of Saint-Maurice, hence the creation of this new order.
During the historic mass, which took place this Saturday, October 5 in Rome, Prince Emmanuel-Philibert was surrounded by other members of his family, in addition to the Princess of Carignan. Princess Hélène of Yugoslavia, daughter of Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, who is the first cousin of the new grand master, was accompanied by her husband, Stanislas Fougeron. Princess Hélène was also accompanied by her son, Léopold Gaubert. Note also that the grand chancellor of the orders, Johannes Theo Niederhauser, is none other than the uncle of the new grand master. His wife was the sister of Princess Marina, widow of Prince Victor-Emmanuel.
During the chapter, two personalities received the grand necklace of the order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, including the grand chancellor of the sovereign order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo. The Grand Chancellor of the order is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Order of Malta, responsible for representing the order during diplomatic missions abroad. For the occasion, new necklaces were created with links bearing the initials of the new grand master, “EF”.
In addition to the Saturday mass, the general chapter included its traditional charity gala, an opportunity to materialize the values and missions of each knight. This year, the gala was organized for the benefit of the Peter Pan association. The association, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is a shelter in Rome for families of children undergoing cancer treatment at the Bambino Gesù hospital, forced to leave their city to seek the best therapies in Rome .
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
