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The Order of Saint Stanislaus (Polish: Order św. Stanisława, Russian: Орденъ св. Станислава) was an order in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Order existed between 1765 and 1917.

There are three or four orders of Saint Stanislaus today. These different Orders and Grandmasters do not recognize each other as legitimate successors or revivals of he Order of Saint-Stanislaus.

• The International Order of Saint Stanislaus was founded in 1979 by the President of Poland, Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki head of one of the two governments that claimed to be the successor to the exiled Polish government that fled to London in 1939. The International Order of Saint Stanislaus is very active in humanitarian service in several countries on five continents.

This is the point of view given by a contributor about the order that was established in London in 1979:

"On 9 June 1979, the Order of Saint Stanislas was re-established in five classes by the legitimate Polish Government (In Exile) which was based in London. From the 9 June 1979 until the 20 December 1990 the Polish Government (In Exile) used the Order of Saint Stanislas as an effective weapon against Communism. The Order was bestowed upon worthy individuals who had been at the forefront in the struggle against Communism and as well the Order gave a very high profile to the struggle for independence and the work being done by the European Central Council which was a group of Freedom Fighters made up of the following Governments.

In 1990, following the withdrawal of Soviet Forces from Polish soil and the free election of a new and democratic President, “both” (In Exile) Polish Government's were merged with the now legal Government in Warsaw on the 20 December 1990. Control of all Polish decorations was returned to Warsaw, but by a decree that was signed by the President and all Ministers of the Polish Government (In Exile) the Order of Saint Stanislas was made an Independent Charitable Order of chivalry, entrusted with a special role to assist the poor in Poland and Eastern Europe.

The Order of Saint Stanislas is now a worldwide organization with Priories established in most countries. The Order is a true international Brotherhood made up of Honorable men and women who have a very real concern for their fellow human beings and wanting to make a difference. Membership into the Order is by invitation from a member in good standing."

Another contributor wrote:

"An organization of a similar name claiming to be the continuation of the legitimate Order was established in 1979 by Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki, the Polish government in exile President of Poland in exile. In 1990 Nowina-Sokolnicki made the order to be of independent character, established worldwide. However, there is some controversy made by President Sokolnicki’s more ignorant and/or unscrupulous detractors if the renewed award is a legitimate one.

In mid 1990, the Polish Government (In Exile) of President Sokolnicki was informed that the soon to be democratically elected government of Poland had no intention of any form of continuation of the Order of Saint Stanislas. Knowing this the members of the Government (In Exile) decided to give the Order an independent character; (it had been used with tremendous success as a weapon against communism and had established a great many secure networks in Eastern Europe); on the 15 September 1990 an amendment to that effect was drawn up and signed by the President and all members of the legitimate Polish Government (In Exile).

The Order was, on that date, transferred from a Polish decoration into a charitable Order of chivalry, and so as not to cause confusion a name change to: The Sovereign Order of Saint Stanislas. The word Sovereign was used for a period of five (5) years and then discarded. *sovereign - one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere; an acknowledged leader - Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.

At the same time the Order discarded the Insignias design that had been used during the “Exile” period (which featured an upraised crusaders sword between the initials SS, surmounted by a Corona Civica), and began having the decorations struck from the original dies of the Order which had gathered dust in a Warsaw museum for a period of 200 years. These featured Saint Stanislas as the decorations centerpiece.

With the fall of Communism the Order of St. Stanislas swung into action and in the first five critical years of Poland's newfound freedom the Order provided financial aid to Poland. This aid was out of all proportion to the size of its membership. Funds were raised and distributed through the Saint Stanislas Foundation to Parish Priests, in Poland, for allocation to the needy. Weekly shipments of ex. US Army medical supplies were distributed to hospitals and rural medical clinics.

Educational materials from the many schools and libraries of the closed military bases in Germany were sent to Poland to assist in education programs. A medical sponsorship program was begun at the Medical University of South Carolina (the first student being Doctor Dorota Kopanska from the Warsaw University). This sponsorship program was arranged by Doctor J. Richard Sosnowski GCStS, Dean Emeritus of the Medical University of South Carolina. In 1994, with the assistance of General William C. Westmoreland GCStS, Lieutenant General George Seignious GCStS, and Colonel James Leach GCStS the American Grand Priory of the Order of Saint Stanislas delivered to Poland thirty-five (35) surplus military ambulances and a large quantity of medical equipment to the Polish Government. Since then the Order has sent aid, on a monthly basis, to Poland. Within these sealed containers are the following types of a medical supplies: wheelchairs, crutches, bandages, and the like. Now the Order of St. Stanislas has become involved in sending aid into other parts of impoverished Eastern Europe."

• The Ukrainian chapter of the International Order of Saint Stanislaus founded in 1979 declared itself independent.

History

Stanislaus II Augustus Poniatowski, King of Poland established the Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr on May 7, 1765 to honor the service to the King.

After the partition of Poland it was recognized in the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. Since 1815 in the Polish (Congress) Kingdom, the order, originally in a single class, was retained and divided into four classes. After the downfall of the November Uprising, the order was added to the awards system of the Russian Empire in 1832, where it remained until 1917. In 1918 Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic, the order was not renewed and replaced by the Order of Polonia Restituta.

The Order of St. Stanislas was re-established by the President of the Polish Government in Exile, Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki. The Order of St. Stanislas was reintroduced in Poland 1990 after the fall of the communist government.

External links

• http://www.saintstanislas.com/index.html The Homepage of the Order of St. Stanislas (with pictures)

• Awards and decorations of Poland