Order of St. Catherine the Great Martyr, or the Order of Liberation
The Order was founded in 1713 by the Highest Decree of the Tsar and Autocrat of All Russia Peter I.
The order is divided into two degrees.
Signs of the Order:
- a silver eight-pointed star decorated with diamonds for ladies awarded with 1 degree of the Order, in the center of which there is a silver cross on a silver semi-circle, along the circle of the star its medal motto is depicted;
- an oval medallion in the center of which is depicted St. Catherine, resting on a silver cross with one hand, and the other holding a palm branch. On the sides of the medallion are rays, forming a cross. The order of the 1st degree is decorated with diamonds, the 2nd degree with diamonds. A sign of the 1st degree is worn on a moire ribbon of pink color, a width of 10 cm, trimmed with a silver rim. A sign of the 2nd degree is worn on a shoulder bow of the same color as the shoulder band, on the left shoulder of a cavalier lady.
The motto of the order is "For love and Fatherland".
The total number of people awarded from 1714 is 724. Only women were awarded the Order.