The Order of the Starry Cross

• Time Period: Pre World War I
• Institution: 1668
• Country: Austria, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The Order of the Starry Cross (or Sternkreuz-Orden in German) is an imperial Austrian dynastic order founded in 1668 and awarded to Catholic noble ladies. Only high-born ladies could be invested with the Order, including princesses, countesses, and other high nobility. Once invested, members were to “devote themselves to the service and worship of the Holy Cross, and to lead a virtuous life in the exercise of religion and works of charity.”

The Order was founded in 1668 by Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, dowager empress of the Holy Roman Empire and confirmed by Pope Clement IX on 28 June 1668, who placed it under the spiritual management of the Prince-Bishop of Vienna.

According to legend, the Habsburg dynasty owned a piece of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified. In the aftermath of a fire at the Hofburg on 2 February 1668 the relic was discovered in near-perfect condition. The dowager empress founded the Order in celebration that the relic had survived the fire, believing it to be a true miracle.

The order still exists under the House of Habsburg, though the Austrian Empire no longer exists. It was conceived with only one class.

The Order of the Starry Cross Design

Members of the Order wore en insignia consisting of an oval medallion, with a broad blue enameled border, inclosing a black enameled Eagle with two heads and claws. On it lies a Gold Cross, enameled green, and bordered with brown wood. Over this, on an entwined wreath in black letters, on a white ground, is the motto of the Order, “Salue et Gloria” (“Hail and Glory“).

The insignia was worn, pendent to a strip of black band, on the left breast.