Grand Cross of Isabella the Catholic, circa 1900.
The Diplomat. Madrid
The Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, inaugurated a commemorative exhibition about the bicentenary of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, one of the most relevant distinctions in Spain, on Tuesday in Madrid. García-Margallo said that this is a decoration that helps to strengthen friendship and cooperation relations with the international community.
The minister added that the Order of Isabella the Catholic is hierarchically considered to be the second one in Spain, after that of Charles III, but it is valued as “the first one in the field of foreign affairs”. More than 71,000 people in the world have been granted this distinction in some of its degrees, among them, military men such as Espartero; politicians such as Adolfo Suárez, Felipe González or François Mitterrand; painters such as Joan Miró; or writers such as Camilo José Cela.
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Margallo points out that it contributes to favour Spain’s international relations
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Established by King Ferdinand VII on 14 March 1815, under the name of “Royal and American Order of Isabella the Catholic”, with the objective of “rewarding pure loyalty and merits to favour the prosperity of those territories”, it was reorganized in 1847. Then, it was named “Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic” to distinguish –according to its regulations- those “extraordinary behaviours of civil character, of Spanish and foreign people that benefit the Nation or contribute, significantly, to favour the friendship and cooperation relations of the Spanish Nation with the rest of the International Community”.
The King holds the position of Grand Master of the Order; the Foreign Minister holds that of Chancellor, being the one to bring award proposals before the Cabinet, which are granted by Royal Decree.
The exhibition, under the slogan “To pure loyalty”, has been organized by the Foreign Minister and the Fábrica Nacional de la Moneda y Timbre and it can be visited at the Santa Cruz Palace of Madrid until 28 February. It includes a selection of portraits, diplomas, decorations, gowns, documents and medals, among other objects related to the history of the order throughout its two hundred years.
