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  • May 2, 1868
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    Article THE ORDER OF ST. CONSTANTINE. Page 1 of 3 →
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Order Of St. Constantine.

THE ORDER OF ST . CONSTANTINE .

LONDON , SATURDAY , MAY 2 , 1868 .

INSTITUTED A . C . 313 . As the subject oftlie Order of Constantino has been for some time past prominently before the readers of the Freemasons' Magazine , the following extract from the history of the Imperial Order

of St . Constantino will prove of interest . It has been taken from an " Accurate Historical Account of all the Orders of Knighthood at present existing in Europe / ' which was published about the year 1813 ., and compiled "by an officer of the Chancery of the Equestrian , Secular , and Chapteral Order of St . Joachim . "

Want of space on the present occasion precludes us from entering into minute detail , or giving other extracts from the same work , which , though relating to other chivalric orders , bear upon the present subject : — -

Constantino the Great is by some historians considered as the founder of this Order . The motives which induced the first of the Christian emperors to create an order of chivalry are ascribed to the following causes .

Constantino was requested by the Senate to assist them against the tyrant Maxentius ; and he solemnly engaged to espouse their cause . When encamped in face of the enemy , he was apprehensive of hazarding a general engagement , as the forces which Maxentius had under his command

were numerous . Nevertheless , a celestial meteor appearing in the air , in the form of a luminous cross , on which were displayed the words , " In hoc signo vinces !" he was thereby encouraged to attack the enemy ,

and a victory equally memorable and glorious crowned the efforts of this Heaven-inspired and adventurous commander .

Providence having thus manifestl y declared itself in favour of the Emperor , he , after a success so unhoped for and so miraculous , was pleased to grant to the Christians the free exercise of their religion , and when drawing towards his latter end

he was baptised by Eusebius , in 337 . It is asserted by some that after the above-mentioned victory the Emperor not only had this cross embroidered in his standards and colours , but that he likewise created a military order in honour thereof A . C . 313 .

But as vain and credulous men imagine , when advanced in years , that they will be the more honoured if they can induce others to believe they are older than they really are , so likewise do we find the same principle exist with Orders of

Knighthood , each endeavouring to make its origin remount as high as possible , and thinking to acquire precedency by such imaginary antiquity . Such , in fact , is the true state of the case with

respect to the equestrian Order of Oonstantine , which has at certain periods been denominated the Illustrious Order of the Golden Angel , and at others of St . George . The Abbe Giustiniani , who intitl ' ed himself a Knight and Grand Cross oftlie Order , asserted at Venice in 1692 that it is the most ancient of all

others . It is , however , a vain ^ attempt to endeavour to discover any traces of modern Knighthood previous to the 12 th century ; and the learned Father Papebrock says of the Order of which we are

speaking , and the origin of which is ascribed to the Emperor Oonstantine the Great , that" Those who wish to impose upon themselves , or those who study to impose on others by the means of flattery and superficial knowledge , will

alone endeavour to discover and ascertain the existence of this Order previous to the twelfth century . " To prove the antiquity of this Order , they produce letters from Pope Leo , in date 456 , which

were addressed ( it is said ) to the Emperor Marcian , whereby that Pontiff confirmed the Order under the rule of St . Basil ; and likewise other letters from the Emperor Leo the 1 st , of the year 489 are quoted to the same purpose . It is true such letters exist in the archives of the Court of

Eome- but on that account they are not less spurious and supposititious , having been first deposited in the archives in 1533 , together with other documents and charters of a nature equally suspicious . The truth is , that these are copies of

the identical pieces ; they were made out by order of the Emperor Isaac-Angelus Comnenus in 1190 , and were afterwards renewed at Rome . This Emperor , whom Giustiniani calls the Reformer of the Order , might , on the contrary , have

very probably been the founder of it , and have intitled it the Order of Constantino , on account of the Emperor of that name , from whom the Com » nenian family considered themselves as lineally

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1868-05-02, Page 1” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 9 July 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_02051868/page/1/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
THE ORDER OF ST. CONSTANTINE. Article 1
EARS OF WHEAT FROM A CORNUCOPIA. Article 3
(No. 7).—THE MASONIC TEMPLE, ST. HELIER. Article 4
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. Article 8
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 10
MASONIC EXCHANGE. Article 10
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 11
THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. Article 11
THE TENDENCY OF SOME LATE CORRESPONDENCE. Article 11
MASONIC LIFEBOAT FUND. Article 11
MASONIC MEMS. Article 12
GRAND LODGE . Article 12
METROPOLITAN. Article 13
PROVINCIAL. Article 16
CHANNEL ISLANDS. Article 17
SCOTLAND. Article 18
ROYAL ARCH. Article 18
MARK MASONRY. Article 18
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. Article 19
Poetry. Article 20
MASONIC LIFEBOAT FUND. Article 20
MEETINGS OF THE LEARNED SOCIETIES FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 9TH, 1868. Article 20
METROPOLITAN LODGE MEETINGS, ETC., FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 9TH, 1868. Article 20
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Order Of St. Constantine.

THE ORDER OF ST . CONSTANTINE .

LONDON , SATURDAY , MAY 2 , 1868 .

INSTITUTED A . C . 313 . As the subject oftlie Order of Constantino has been for some time past prominently before the readers of the Freemasons' Magazine , the following extract from the history of the Imperial Order

of St . Constantino will prove of interest . It has been taken from an " Accurate Historical Account of all the Orders of Knighthood at present existing in Europe / ' which was published about the year 1813 ., and compiled "by an officer of the Chancery of the Equestrian , Secular , and Chapteral Order of St . Joachim . "

Want of space on the present occasion precludes us from entering into minute detail , or giving other extracts from the same work , which , though relating to other chivalric orders , bear upon the present subject : — -

Constantino the Great is by some historians considered as the founder of this Order . The motives which induced the first of the Christian emperors to create an order of chivalry are ascribed to the following causes .

Constantino was requested by the Senate to assist them against the tyrant Maxentius ; and he solemnly engaged to espouse their cause . When encamped in face of the enemy , he was apprehensive of hazarding a general engagement , as the forces which Maxentius had under his command

were numerous . Nevertheless , a celestial meteor appearing in the air , in the form of a luminous cross , on which were displayed the words , " In hoc signo vinces !" he was thereby encouraged to attack the enemy ,

and a victory equally memorable and glorious crowned the efforts of this Heaven-inspired and adventurous commander .

Providence having thus manifestl y declared itself in favour of the Emperor , he , after a success so unhoped for and so miraculous , was pleased to grant to the Christians the free exercise of their religion , and when drawing towards his latter end

he was baptised by Eusebius , in 337 . It is asserted by some that after the above-mentioned victory the Emperor not only had this cross embroidered in his standards and colours , but that he likewise created a military order in honour thereof A . C . 313 .

But as vain and credulous men imagine , when advanced in years , that they will be the more honoured if they can induce others to believe they are older than they really are , so likewise do we find the same principle exist with Orders of

Knighthood , each endeavouring to make its origin remount as high as possible , and thinking to acquire precedency by such imaginary antiquity . Such , in fact , is the true state of the case with

respect to the equestrian Order of Oonstantine , which has at certain periods been denominated the Illustrious Order of the Golden Angel , and at others of St . George . The Abbe Giustiniani , who intitl ' ed himself a Knight and Grand Cross oftlie Order , asserted at Venice in 1692 that it is the most ancient of all

others . It is , however , a vain ^ attempt to endeavour to discover any traces of modern Knighthood previous to the 12 th century ; and the learned Father Papebrock says of the Order of which we are

speaking , and the origin of which is ascribed to the Emperor Oonstantine the Great , that" Those who wish to impose upon themselves , or those who study to impose on others by the means of flattery and superficial knowledge , will

alone endeavour to discover and ascertain the existence of this Order previous to the twelfth century . " To prove the antiquity of this Order , they produce letters from Pope Leo , in date 456 , which

were addressed ( it is said ) to the Emperor Marcian , whereby that Pontiff confirmed the Order under the rule of St . Basil ; and likewise other letters from the Emperor Leo the 1 st , of the year 489 are quoted to the same purpose . It is true such letters exist in the archives of the Court of

Eome- but on that account they are not less spurious and supposititious , having been first deposited in the archives in 1533 , together with other documents and charters of a nature equally suspicious . The truth is , that these are copies of

the identical pieces ; they were made out by order of the Emperor Isaac-Angelus Comnenus in 1190 , and were afterwards renewed at Rome . This Emperor , whom Giustiniani calls the Reformer of the Order , might , on the contrary , have

very probably been the founder of it , and have intitled it the Order of Constantino , on account of the Emperor of that name , from whom the Com » nenian family considered themselves as lineally

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