On Monday, 14 September 2026, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the volume The Insigne Real Order of Saint Januarius, by Alfonso de Ceballos-Escalera and Fabio Cassani Pironti, was presented in the Sala Catasti of the State Archives of Naples, with the support of the Naples and Campania Delegation.
In 1738, King Charles of Bourbon established the Insigne Real Order of Saint Januarius on the occasion of his marriage to Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony. This young monarch wished to create a new order of chivalry which, in addition to promoting the Catholic faith, would serve to strengthen his ties with the high nobility of his kingdoms. King Charles drew inspiration from the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece and the French Order of the Holy Spirit. This prestigious collar was awarded to 665 knights during his reign and to a further 218 thereafter, the most recent recipient being invested in 2026.
This study provides a thorough institutional history of this highly prestigious Bourbon order and, for the first time, presents a fully documented and comprehensive list of all 883 knights invested between 1738 and 2026. The research is based on documents held at the State Archives of Naples, where a large proportion of the sources used in compiling the volume are preserved and where the authors examined no fewer than 26,000 pages, as well as on materials from the National Historical Archive of Madrid, the General Archive of Simancas and the Order’s Chancellery.
Following the opening remarks by Dr Ferdinando Salemme, Director of the Archives, the speakers took the floor. Francesco Chiarizia de Molise, Secretary of the Magistral Heraldic Commission, spoke first, followed by Emiddio de Franciscis di Casanova, lecturer at the School of Archival Science, Palaeography and Diplomatics. The presentations concluded with Gaetano Damiano, former archivist at the same institution and also a lecturer at the School. The authors concluded the event with heartfelt words of thanks. This study is an excellent resource for gaining an in-depth understanding of the honours system of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It is also the first volume devoted to the principal Royal Orders to be published.
Alfonso de Ceballos-Escalera and Fabio Cassani Pironti, INSIGNE REAL ORDER OF SAINT JANUARIUS. Foreword by H.R.H. Prince Don Carlo of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies. Naples and Madrid, 2026. ISBN 978-84-121896-6-7. 328 pages, illustrated in colour.
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