Vatican - Avvocati di San Pietro medal

[Paul L Murphy]

I cannot find this in any of my reference books, but having said that I am not particularly good on Vatican awards. Anyone here able to identify what it is ? Unfortunately it came without a ribbon so if you know what the ribbon is that would also be a great help.

Here is the obverse

and the reverse

Regards,

Paul

[Jacky]

Hi Paul,

No one seems to know this order, but a little search on the internet gave his brother as a result;

to be found at this site

the ribbon appear something like the order of the dutch lion (netherlands) or the order of adolph of nassau (luxembourg)

I couldn't find any more information on this order, no name, no further information.

But I know that this order isn't one of the official orders, i.e. St Sylvester, St. George, etc

Would like to know more.

Kind regards,

Jacky

Edited December 19, 2006 by Jacky

[Hendrik]

I cannot find this in any of my reference books, but having said that I am not particularly good on Vatican awards. Anyone here able to identify what it is ?

Hello Paul,

I'm not good at Vatican awards either but the legend on yours seems to stand for "Lawyers of St. Peter" ... hence, possibly a badge of office for the Vatican's lawyers.

Cheers,

Hendrik

[peter monahan]

Hello Paul,

I'm not good at Vatican awards either but the legend on yours seems to stand for "Lawyers of St. Peter" ... hence, possibly a badge of office for the Vatican's lawyers.

Cheers,

Hendrik

Good call, Hendrick! The "Advocati di San Pietro" or "Lawyers of St Peter" is an association for catholic lawyers who have been involved in legal work / cases to the benefit of the Catholic Church. Apparently the order was formed in 1877, with the "warm approval" of Pope Leo XIII and now has chapters throughout Europe and the Americas. (see entry from the Catholic Encyclopedia below).

Paul

I'd guess that the members of this group are self-selected, as it is not an official "order" of the Vatican state, and the quality of this particular badge is not good, unlike Vatican knightly orders in general. Origins? Again, see the list below. Nice curiosity piece, though.

Peter

***********************

A body of jurists constituting a society whose statutes were confirmed by a brief of Leo XIII, 5 July, 1878. As the name indicates, its main object is the defense of the Holy See in its rights and privileges, both in the spiritual and temporal order. It binds its members to refute calumnies of enemies of the Church, whether derived from distortions of history, jurisprudence, or dogma, but above all are they to devote their legal knowledge to a defense of the Church's rights before civil tribunals. The society was formed in 1877, on the occasion of the Golden Episcopal Jubilee of Pope Pius IX, and the Advocate Count Cajetan Agnelli dei Malherbi, of Rome, became its first president. Pope Pius IX warmly approved of the undertaking, and desired a wide extension of the society, as the immunities of the Church need defense everywhere, and under every system of government. It has spread rapidly over the Catholic world, and branches of the society are found among the principal nations of Christendom. The ordinary members must be jurists, but the society also enrolls as honorary members distinguished ecclesiastics or laymen who have made it a practice to defend Church interests along the lines of this organization. Colleges of the Advocates of St. Peter, numbering many hundred members, exist in Italy, England, Austria, France, Spain, Germany, Canada. and South America. All of there bodies are affiliated to the directory in Rome.

[Paul L Murphy]

Gentlemen,

Excellent and many thanks. A friend of mine has it at the moment and asked for my help in identifying it. The quality of manufacture is mediocre, not at all in line with the official Vatican orders. As Peter said, a nice little curiosity.

Best regards,

Paul