Order of Saint Vladimir

Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir Орден Святого Владимира
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	Black with a Red stripe in the middle.
Motto	Benefit, Honour and Glory
Status	Currently awarded
Sovereign	Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
Grades	Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame Officer
Post-nominals	GCSTV; KSTV/DSTV; KCSTV/DCSTV; OSTV
Statistics
Established	22 September 1782 1782–1918 (National Order) 1918–present (House Order)
Precedence
Next (higher)	Imperial Military Order of St. George
Next (lower)	Imperial Order of St. Anna
The Ribbon of the Order

The Order of Saint Vladimir (Russian: Орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II (r. 1762-1796) in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus'.

The order had four degrees and was awarded for continuous civil and military service. People who had been awarded with the St.Vladimir Order for military merits bore it with a special fold on the ribbon - "with a bow". There was a certain hierarchy of Russian Orders. According to this, the St. Vladimir Order, 1st Class was the second one (the first - St. George Order) by its significance. According to the Russian Law about the Nobility, people who were awarded with the St. Vladimir Order (each class) had had the rights of hereditary nobility until the Emperor's Decree of 1900 was issued. After this only three first classes of the Order gave such a right. Today, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, pretender to the Russian throne, and Head of the Russian Imperial House continues to award the Russian Imperial Order of Saint Vladimir as a dynastic order of knighthood. This is disputed by some historians and by some members of the Romanov Family Association.

First class of the order - A red cross with black and golden borders. The badge of the Order depended from a sash worn over the right shoulder, and a gold-and-silver eight-rayed star was fastened on the left chest.
Second class - The red cross on the neck and the star on the left chest.
Third class - The red cross of a smaller size on the neck.
Fourth class - The same on the left chest.

Recipient Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal letters "GCStV", Knights and Dames use the post-nominal letters "KStV" and "DStV" respectively, Knights and Dames Commander use the post-nominal letters "KCStV" and "DCStV" respectively, Knights and Dames Officer use the post-nominal letters "OStA". When an individual is entitled to use multiple post-nominal letters, those of the Order of Saint Vladimir appear before all others, except "Bt" or "Bart" (Baronet), "KA" (Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called), "GCSG", "KSG", "KCSG", "OSG" (Imperial Order of Saint George).