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Cross of St. George
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cross of St. George, or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George.
Established in the Russian Empire in 1807, it was granted to non-commissioned officers, soldiers and sailors for their military heroism. In 1856 it was split into four degrees. A person initially received the fourth degree, and would subsequently be promoted to higher degrees for further acts of bravery; one who received all four degrees was called polniy Georgievskiy kavaler (full Cavalier of St. George).
The Cross of St. George was a cross pattée in plain gold or silver (later to be replaced with non-precious metals of similar colours), with a central disc bearing the image of St. George on horseback slaying the dragon. It was worn on the left chest with the ribbon of the Order of St. George, which was orange with three black stripes.
The Cross of St. George was abolished after the Russian Revolution, but was re-established on August 8, 2000 by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Moreover, during the Soviet times there was an equivalent decoration known as the Order of Glory.
The Cross of St. George should not be confused with St. George's Cross, the flag of England, or the George Cross, a British award primarily for civilian bravery.