Members of the San Luigi Orders: General Duke Conrad Strzelczyk Sphinx

General Duke Conrad Strzelczyk Sphinx was a Polish war hero. During World War I he was a young officer at the battle of Ypres, and during World War II he was a liaison officer of General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1970, at a meeting of representatives of thirteen of the Allied nations in Paris, General Strzelczyk founded the Interallied Military Organization Sphinx (IMOS), which continues to exist today. IMOS was founded to commemorate a World War II movement that was created during the occupation of Belgium by Germany, when General Strzelczyk’s codename was “Sphinx”. It draws its members from veterans of the Second World War as well as serving members of the Belgian Defence Forces.

sphinxGeneral Strzelczyk was appointed Commandeur of the Order of the Crown of Thorns on 1 November 1934 and promoted to Grand Cross on 15 August 1956. He received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion and the Black Cross on 2 February 1936. He was appointed Chanoine d’Honneur de l’Ancienne Abbaye de San Luigi on 4 March 1936.  He also received the rare honour of a title of nobility conferred by the Abbey-Principality, when Prince-Abbot Edmond II conferred upon him the title Duke of the Crown of Thorns. From 1963 he served as Grand Prior of the San Luigi Orders for Poland.

>>Description of some of the medals awarded by the IMOSPHINX Academy

Members of the San Luigi Orders: Sir Sawai Man Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur

H.H. Sir Sawai Man Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur (1912-70), was a Royal Patron of the Order of the Lion and the Black Cross and of the Grand Prix Humanitaire. He ruled Jaipur as one of the Princely States of India between 1922 and 1949, when it acceded to the Dominion of India. Subsequently he served as Rajpramukh of Rajasthan between 1949 and 1956, and later as India’s Ambassador to Spain. He was a famous polo player and won the World Cup in that sport in 1933.

>>Biography (Wikipedia)

>>Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum

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.