Sash of the Three Orders

Sash of the Three Orders Banda das Três Ordens
Insignia of the order in 1918
Awarded by Portuguese Republic
Type	Presidential Sash and Breast Star
Eligibility	President of the Republic in office
Awarded for	exclusive use of the President of Portugal in office
Grand Master	President of the Portuguese Republic
Grades	Grand Cross
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Next (lower)	Order of the Tower and Sword
Sash of the Three Orders

The Sash of the Three Orders is the insignia of the Portuguese presidential magistracy, therefore it cannot be used outside the exercise of office of the President of the Portuguese Republic. It is a decoration that distinguishes the President as Grand Master of the Portuguese Republic honours system.

The Sash is constituted by three bands, one of each with the following colors: the purple color represents the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword; The green represents the Military Order of Aviz and red represents the Military Order of Christ. As prerogative of the head of state, its use began to be popularized in the reign of Maria I of Portugal, bringing together in one insignia the three orders (Christ, Aviz and Sant'Iago da Espada), of which the monarchs were Grand Masters. After 1910 this same prerogative passed to the Presidents of the Republic.

During the Portuguese constitutional monarchy it was customary to granted the Sash to foreign monarchs and heads of state. After the restoration of the Three Orders Band in 1918, after being extinguished in 1910 in conjunction with the Ancient Military Orders, the Grand Cross was awarded to eleven foreign Heads of State:

In 1962 the Band of the Three Orders became exclusive to the President of the Portuguese Republic, and thus could no longer be attributed to foreign Heads of State

In the official portraits of many of the Portuguese Heads of State from the 19th and 20th centuries, the Sash of the Three Orders, is one of the main piece represented:

Maria I of Portugal, the Pious

John VI of Portugal, the Clement

Peter IV of Portugal & I of Brazil, the Soldier King