The Order of Maternal Glory (USSR)

• Time Period: Post-WW2
• Year of Institution: 8 July 1944
• Country: Russia & USSR

The Order of Maternal Glory (or Орден «Материнская слава», Orden «Materinskaja slava» in Russian) was established on 8 July 1944 and awarded to all mothers bearing and raising 9 children. It was awarded upon the first birthday of the last child, provided that eight other children (natural or adopted) remained alive. Children who had perished under heroic, military, or other respectful circumstances were also counted.

The order was divided into three classes: first, second and third class. It was conferred to:

• First class: mothers bearing and raising nine children.
• Second class: mothers bearing and raising eight children.
• Third class: mothers bearing and raising seven children.

The award was created simultaneously with the Mother Heroine order and the Maternity Medal and it was situated in between them. The first decree for bestowing the award was issued on 6 December 1944, when the first class order was conferred to 21 women, the second class to 26 and the third class to 27. In total the order was awarded in the first class to 753,000 women, 1,508,000 received the second class award and 2,786,000 received the third class award.

The Order of Maternal Glory Design

The first class medals were made of silver in a convex egg-shape and measured 36 mm (1.4 in) high and 29 mm (1.1 in) wide.

The upper part of the medal contained a red enamel flag with the phrase “Материнская слава” (“Maternal Glory”) and the Roman number showing the order’s class. Below the flag, there was a white enamel shield with the CCCP (USSR) inscription. The upper part of the shield was decorated with a five-pointed star and the lower part with the hammer and sickle symbol. On the left side, there was a figure of a mother holding a son in her arms covered with roses on her lowest part. The lower part of the medal contains a flag and gilded lettering.

In second class medals, the flag’s enamel was dark-blue and there were not gilded parts while in the third class ones enamel disappeared from the flag, shield, and star. The back of the medals was in white enamel. First-class medals were suspended to a single light-blue fringe while second class had two light-blue fringes and third-class three of them.