Order of the Holy Spirit

This article is about the French dynastic order of chivalry. For the Catholic religious order, see Order of the Holy Ghost. For the Catholic congregation, see Holy Ghost Fathers.
Order of the Holy Spirit
Ordre du Saint-Esprit
Badge of the Order
Awarded by the Kingdom of France King of France
TypeDynastic order
Established31 December 1578
Royal houseHouse of France
Religious affiliationCatholicism
RibbonLight blue
MottoLatin: Duce et Auspice
StatusAbolished in 1830 after the July Revolution
Recognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC
FounderHenry III of France
Grand MasterDisputed:
Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou
Jean, Count of Paris
Precedence
Next (lower)Order of Saint Michael

Ribbon of the Order

The Order of the Holy Spirit (French: Ordre du Saint-Esprit; sometimes translated into English as the Order of the Holy Ghost),[1] is a French order of chivalry founded by Henry III of France in 1578. Today, it is a dynastic order under the House of France.[2]

It should not be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost or with the religious Order of the Holy Ghost.[1] It was the senior chivalric order of France by precedence, although not by age, since the Order of Saint Michael was established more than a century earlier.

Although officially abolished by the government authorities in 1830 following the July Revolution, its activities carried on. It is still recognised by the International Commission for Orders of Chivalry.[3]

  1. ^ a b Moeller, Charles (1910). "Orders of the Holy Ghost". The Catholic Encyclopedia. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 21 December 2012. A distinction must be drawn between this order and the Royal Order of the Holy Spirit founded in France by King Henry III, in 1578, to supersede the Order of St. Michael of Louis XI, which had fallen into discredit, and to commemorate his accession to the throne on Pentecost Sunday. This was a purely secular order of the court.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cardinale-1984 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ http://www.icocregister.org/2016.ICOCRegister.pdf [bare URL PDF]