Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

Imperial Military Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Импepaтopcкий Boeнный Opдeн Cвятитeля Hикoлaя Чyдoтвopцa
Star of the Order
Awarded by Head of the House of Romanov
Type	Dynastic Order
Royal house	House of Romanov
Religious affiliation	Russian Orthodox
Ribbon	Three stripes in order of Black, Orange and White Three stripes in order of Red, Blue and White.
Motto	For Duty, Honour and Fatherland
Status	Rarely constituted
Sovereign	Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
Grades	Knight Grand Cordon Knight Commander Knight Officer Knight
Statistics
Established	1929 1929 - 2001 (Military Decoration) 4 August 2001 (Reformed Military Order)
Precedence
Next (higher)	Imperial Order of St. Anna
Next (lower)	Imperial Order of St. Anastasia
Grand Cordon, Officer and Knight Commander The Ribbons of the Order

The Imperial War Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (in Russian: Импepaтopcкий Boeнный Opдeн Cвятитeля Hикoлaя Чyдoтвopцa) was originally a medal, instituted in 1929 by the Russian pretender, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich and conferred on Russian veterans who had fought in the First World War. A similar order was established by General Wrangel as Order of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus

According to the eminent Soviet specialist I.G. Spasskiy, an order with this name was planned already in 1915, during the last year of the reign of Nicholas II, but the project was never completed because of the political development. Fourteen years later the idea was adopted by Russians living in exile and the order was founded on 19 July 1929 by a cousin to the last Czar, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich, who had assumed the title of the Emperor of All the Russias in 1924. Originally the order had only one class and all Russian veterans of World War I were entitled to receive it. There exist, however, enamelled and unenamelled badges, and one can assume that the enamelled ones were awarded to officers and the simpler ones to NCOs and privates.

On 4 August 2001 Grand Duke Cyril's granddaughter, the present pretender Maria Vladimirovna raised the old medal to the rank of a House Order of the Imperial House of Russia, adding a Grand Cross to be worn on a sash and a Commanders neck cross. The old medal became the lowest class of the order, worn on a chest riband.