THE SOVEREIGN GREEK ORDER OF ST. DENNIS OF ZANTE - The following infor- mation is quoted with the solicitation of orders of the 1966 "Greek Zante Proof Set", offered by International Numismatic Underwriters, Inc. 2500 sets have been commissioned by Grand Master Pericles Voultsos~ con- sisting of the i00 Aspra Croton and 50 Aspra half-crown. The former coin has the effigy of the Saint and the latter has the legendary flight of Jason and the Herpes. The common reverse is the rendering of the her- aldic coat of arms of the Order.

The.Sovereign Greek Order of St. Dennis of Zante is a famous an- cient chivalric group which traces its roots to the Golden Age of Peri- cles, some 1200 years before Christ. At that time warriors of Zante, southernmost of the Ionian Islands of Greece, followed Jason and his Argonauts in the search for the Golden Fleece. Distinguishing them- selves for valor during the Crusades, the knights achieved fame under the leadership of Fauvius Segur. During the American Revolution they fought alongside Colonial patriots and have been commended in the Con- gressional Record for their patriotic exploits.

Now this Order is transformed from a military Organization to a Legion of charity and philanthropy, devoting their full energies to helping the Greek Isle of Zante, which was all but obliterated by earth- quakes and floods in 1953. The Order includes among its knight-brothers former Presidents Eisenhower, Truman, and Kennedy as well as many of the world’s heads of state.

John Holloway

THE GOLDEN ROSE

by W.C. E.H. O’Toole

Mention of the Golden Rose in the January 1966 issue of the MEDAL COLLECTOR prompts me to submit a few notes on this unusual object, to- gether with a photograph. I do this not because it is in any way con- nected with decorations and medals, but because, for many years, it has been mistakenly referred to by the uninformed as a Pontifical decora- tion. This mistake seems to be repeated in the extract quoted by Frederic yon Allendorfer where it is stated that Mr. Eugene Kelly was given the Order of the Rose. I am not aware of any such Papal award.

The Golden Rose certainly predates all existing Orders of Chivalry, having had its origins in the 8th or 9th centuries at least. It was the custom for the Pope, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, to ride from the Lateran Palace in Rome to the Church of the Holy Cross and there to cel- ebrate Mass. His horse was led by the Prefect of Rome and at the end of

the journey the Pope, as a mark of special favour, gave that worthy a rose - not a golden one, just a rose. The fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday from the opening words of the Introit of the Mass for that day - "Be glad, Jerusalem - - ". In the middle of the solemnity of Lent the Church rejoices because "Jerusalem, the Holy City, is in sight" and as a mark of joy the altars may be adorned and priests may wear rose eoloured vestments.

Like many another simple gesture this one developed and by the l0th century the rose had become a single bloom of gold and was being sent to princes and others in high station as a special mark of Papal favour. By the 15~ century it had become a small bush and so it remains to the present day. Although normally given to Catholic Queens and virtuous noble ladies, men were occasionally favored; one recipient of no less than three Roses was England’s Henry VIII, a defender of the faith in his youth but a bit of a disappointment later!

I have had the privilege of examining two Golden Roses. The first was at Farnborough, England, where one can see the mausoleum of Napoleon III and his family. Kept there is the Golden Rose given to the Empress Eugenie to mark the birth of her sen, the Prince Imperial, an unhappy young man who was to die under Zulu spears as an officer in the British Army. The second Rose, at Brussles, was given to the late Queen Eliza- beth of the Belgians on the occasion of her 254 wedding anniversary. In each case the Rose is a bush, 12 to 16 inches in height, containing up to ten blooms and many leaves, all fashioned in pure gold. In two of the larger blooms are small receptacles containing musk and balsam, placed there by the Pope when he blesses the Rose prior to its presenta- tion. The bush is mounted in an ornate silver-gilt urn bearing the Papal Arms, the Arms of the recipient and a suitable inscription.

A recent recipient was the Grand Duchess Charlotte of LuXemburg and in recent times the Rose has been given to notable churches and religious institutions. It would be of interest to know if it has ever gone to America as is suggested in the quote mentioned above. There is no doubt that the Golden Rose is an extraordinary work of art, highly prized by the recipients, but, gazing upon it, I wondered at the vanity of men, Popes included, who have the temerity to try improving upon a rose.

ORDER OF 0MAYYAD - To exclude any misunderstandings and to add to the book review by G. C. Krug (see Oct. ’65 issue, p. 10), the following should not be omitted. The star of the Syrian Order of 0mayyad (Fig. 931, page 296) illustrated in "0rders and Decorations of All Nations", by R. Werlich (Washington, 1965), is 180° out of position.

Charles E. Trefzer

(Ed. Note - We thank Mr. Trefzer for pointing this out, as because this star is very uncommonly seen and is inscribed in the Arabic language, probably neither the author or his readership would notice this inver- sion. The correction would then put the one 5-pointed star, point up, at the apex of the center medallion.)

LONG SERVICE BUT NOT GOOD CONDUCT - In July, 1929, young William Baldwin took off from an English airfield in a Royal Air Force bomber. Nothing unusual in that except that 21 year old William was no pilot but a flight mechanic who, while running up engines, got an uncontrollable urge to fly. He flew all right, for more than an hour, but when he landed back at base he crashed and caused damage to the tune of ~3150.

A court martial sent "Crasher" Baldwin to the glasshouse for six months for that little jolly but he went on to serve for nineteen blame- less years when he came out and retired as a Flight Sergeant. But the RAF refused to give him the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, and now Mr. Baldwin, aged 58, is petitioning to get it~ He asserts that he served the requisite 18 years with good conduct. "What annoys me" says he "is the imputation that I committed a terrible crime".

E. H. O’Toole

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