Kingdom of Serbia: Order of Saint Sava, 3rd Class, Commander, Silver-gilt and enamels, Saint with Green robes, hence post 1921 production. A good quality example housed in an unmarked wooden case.
Condition: chipping and staining to the enamel on both sides, Very Fine.
The Order was established by King Milan I Obrenović on 23 January (4 February) 1883 and named for St. Sava (1175/6-1235/6). St Sava was the son of Stefan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serb state, and was the first Serb archbishop (1219-1233), most important saint of the Serbian Orthodox Church and patron saint of Serbia. The Order was a civil decoration, to be awarded especially for services to the Church, to the arts and sciences, as well as to the royal house and the state. After the overthrow of the Obrenović dynasty in 1903, King Milan’s cipher was replaced on the reverse with the date (1888) of the founding of the Order. From 1921, the saint’s robe is green rather than red. The Orders were mainly manufactured by G. A. Scheid of Vienna until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, after which they were manufactured by Arthus Bertrand of Paris and Huguenin Frères of Le Locle (Switzerland), and, after 1918, also by local workshops, such as Sorlini of Varaždin and Griesbach & Knaus of Zagreb).
