The Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called is one of the main symbols of the Russian state. Not only is he the very first of the awards established in our country, he still for a long time - until 1917 - held the highest level in the hierarchy of state orders and medals. In 1998, this status was returned to him by decree of Boris Yeltsin.
The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called was established at a very difficult time for the country: active preparations were underway for the Northern War, Russia was preparing to be on a par with the mighty European powers. The first order in the Russian state was to symbolize the country's prestige, its right to respect from other states. It is no coincidence that the protector of this award was elected one of the closest disciples of Peter - Andrew the First-Called, who at one time played a huge role in the formation of Kievan Rus.
The draft statute, which described the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, was prepared, among other things, by the active efforts of Peter I. According to one version, it was he who proposed making two crossed white stripes in a blue field a symbol of this award, and handing the order to those who rendered “great services to the Fatherland ". The decree on the establishment of the order was signed by the future emperor in late March 1699.
For the first time, the cavalier ribbon, on which the order of St. Andrew the First-Called was strengthened, was tried on by Admiral F. Golovin, but the second cavalier was a problem: he became the well-known ataman I. Mazepa, who soon surrendered to Charles XII, for which he was not only anathematized, but also lost the highest Russian award. Peter himself, by the way, became only the sixth holder of this high order.
Cavaliers of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called received the order badge, which was a silver cross, erected on the background of a two-headed eagle of golden color and an eight-pointed star. This sign itself was painted in blue and had the image of St. Andrew the First-Called in the center. The order was to be worn on a blue ribbon, gracefully thrown over the right shoulder, while the eight-pointed star was to adorn the left chest.
Subsequently, the circle of applicants for this order was limited to the highest elite of the state, and the award itself gave them the right to the rank of lieutenant general. In addition, it has become a tradition to award the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called at birth to members of the imperial family.
At the same time in Russia, the owners of this award could be no more than twelve people. In total, at the time of the February Revolution, the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called was awarded, according to various estimates, from 900 to 1100 people, including such famous people as A. Suvorov, G. Potemkin, P. Rumyantsev, Napoleon. The last owner of this award in tsarist Russia was the representative of the imperial family, Prince Roman Petrovich.
In modern Russia, the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called again took its rightful place as the country's main award in 1998. Its appearance was created according to preserved sketches, so it completely copies the order that was before 1917. The first to receive this award was the famous academician D. Likhachev. Subsequently, he was awarded another 12 people, including N. Nazarbayev, M. Kalashnikov, A. Solzhenitsyn, Alexy II, S. Mikhalkov.
