Members of the San Luigi Orders: King Peter II of Yugoslavia

H.M. King Peter II of Yugoslavia (1923-70) reigned as the third and last King of Yugoslavia between 1934 and 1945, when the monarchy was illegally abolished by the Communists. In his later years he was resident in the United States.

King Peter first met the future Prince-Abbot Edmond II in 1959, and subsequently the two men developed a friendship. King Peter accepted the Grand Cross and High Protectorship of the Order of the Crown of Thorns, and this position has been left vacant in his memory since his death in 1970. In 1962, King Peter issued Letters Patent to Prince-Abbot Edmond II creating him Marquis de Valjevo as well as recognizing him as Prince of San Luigi.

>>Biography (Royal Family of Serbia)

>>Biography (Wikipedia)

Members of the San Luigi Orders: Halima Nalecz

Halima Naleçz (1914-2008) was a Dame d’Honneur of the Order of the Lion and the Black Cross. She was a noted artist and promoter of the modern art movement, and her Drian Galleries in London’s Bayswater were the location for several receptions for the members of the San Luigi Orders during the 1960s.

>>Commemorative website

>>Obituary in The Guardian

>>In Memoriam (in Polish)

>>Artist Biographies

Insignia of the Order of the Crown of Thorns

The Insignia of the Order of the Crown of Thorns pictured below belonged to the late Mgr. George F. Tull, who was Grand Prior for England and Wales and Vice-Chancellor for Europe of the San Luigi Orders, and a member of the Supreme Council. It subsequently passed to his successors in office and is currently in the possession of Mgr. Weston-Smart, who is the present Grand Prior for the United Kingdom. No manufacturer is indicated, but it is believed that it was made in Italy.

San Luigi Gazette Notice 2012/16

BLAZON OF THE ARMS OF THE ABBEY-PRINCIPALITY

A new blazon of the arms of the Abbey-Principality has recently been prepared. The Arms of the Abbey-Principality were first registered under Prince-Abbot Edmond I at the Polish Heraldic College at Warsaw in 1923 and subsequently with the American Heraldic College.

Quarterly azure and gules; 1st and 4th: the device of the Abbey-Principality of San Luigi as recorded from its foundation in 1883; 2nd and 3rd: a crowned lion rampant or holding an axe in sinister chief a star sable.

The arms are surmounted by a princely coronet or and surrounded by a blue, gold and ermine great mantle surmounted by a royal crown.

Motto: Quid Non Deo Juvante – What can we not do with God’s aid.