History

This Order was founded to compensate for the degradation of the Order of the Golden Militia. Amendments were made to the Order of the Golden Militia in 1841 that restricted the number of members, and these new statutes were the foundation of the Order of St. Sylvester. In 1905, Pope Pius X reorganized the Holy See’s honours and divided the Order of the Golden Militia into two separate Orders, the Order of St. Sylvester and the Order of the Golden Militia/Golden Spur.

The Order of St. Sylvester is awarded by the Pope to Catholics who are actively involved in the everyday activities of the church. It is also conferred upon individuals who have rendered professional and civil service in the realm of art, science, and literature that have benefited the church. The modern Order may also be awarded to non-Catholic recipients and women.

The Order is composed of four grades, Grand Cross with Grand Cross Breast Star, Grand Officer with Grand Officer Breast Star, Commander, and Knight.

Recipients are bestowed with a prefix after being emitted into the Order, with Knight for men and Dame for women.

See Order of the Golden Militia in the Orders of the Vatican for more information.

The Grand Officer is identical to the Commander grade, the only difference is that the Grand Officer is awarded with an associated Breast Star. The Grand Officer may also be known as the Commander with Star.