The Vatican Cross of Mentana - Obverse.
The Cross of Mentana, also known as the Cross Fidei et Virtuti, was a military decoration established by the Holy See during the Italian unification period.
Pope Pius IX established the cross on November 14, 1867, following the victory of French-Papal troops in the Battle of Mentana. Although initially associated with that battle, it was later awarded to all participants in the campaign against Garibaldi’s volunteers.
On March 3, 1868, the Imperial French government permitted the wearing of the medal with French uniforms.
The Vatican Cross of Mentana is a silver cross featuring a cross pattée design with concave ends on the arms.
The obverse is a circular center medallion displaying the Papal coat of arms surrounded by the words ‘FIDEI ET VIRTUTI’. The upper, left, right, and lower arms bear the inscriptions ‘PP’, ‘PIUS’, ‘IX’, and ‘1867’ respectively. The reverse features a Latin cross encircled by a laurel wreath, with the inscription ‘HINC VICTORIA’ above it.
It hangs from a white ribbon with two light blue stripes in the center. Medal bars were affixed to the ribbon to denote the various battles for which each cross was bestowed.
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