- Time Period: Pre World War I
- Institution: 9 March 1807
- Country: Italy (Grand Duchy of Tuscany)
The Order of Saint Joseph was instituted in 1807 by Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (during his reign as Grand Duke of Würzburg), and transformed in 1817 into a Tuscan Roman Catholic Dynastic Order. It is awarded for services towards Tuscan culture and civilization and to the Grand Ducal House as a whole.
The order was originally divided into civil and military categories, although these are now defunct. It is now divided into three levels:
- Knights Grand Cross (30 members),
- Commander (60 members), and
- Knights (150 members).
Sovereigns, Heads of State, and Princes of the Grand Ducal House and other Royal Houses, Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church and Tuscan Metropolitan Archbishops were excluded form the count. All members had to be Catholics and the number of women could not exceed fifty (excluding Princesses of the Grand Ducal and other Royal Houses, wives of Heads of State and Dames of the Order of Saint Stephen).
The Order of Saint Joseph Design
The medal is struck in gold with white enamels. It measures 38.02 mm (w) x 57.01 mm (h – inclusive of ring suspension) and weighs 14.7 g. The shape of the medal is a six-armed cross with ball finials and exhibits three delicate red-enameled gold rays between in each quadrant. The cross is surmounted by a classic royal crown in gold.
The obverse depicts, in gold, a figure of St. Joseph surrounded by the Latin inscription “Ubique Similitus” (or “Everywhere the Same”) with a red-enameled border. The reverse, also in gold, bears the inscription “S J F 1807”(the date of institution).
The ribbon is red with white edges.
