Order of Saint Januarius
| Order of Saint Januarius | |
|---|---|
Star and badge of the order | |
| Awarded by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies | |
| Type | Dynastic order |
| Established | 3 July 1738 |
| Country | |
| Motto | IN SANGUINE FOEDUS (English: Union in Blood) |
| Founder | Charles of Bourbon |
| Grand Master | Disputed: |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George |
Ribbon of the order | |
The Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius (Italian: Insigne Reale Ordine di San Gennaro) is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood founded in 1738 by Charles of Bourbon, king of Naples and Sicily (as Charles VII and III, respectively) from 1735 until 1759, and later king of Spain (1759–1788).
Named after saint Januarius, patron of Naples, it was the last great dynastic order to be constituted as a chivalric fraternity, with a limitation to Roman Catholics and a direct attachment to the dynasty rather than the state. Since 1960, the grand magistery of the order is disputed among claimants to the headship of the formerly reigning House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.