Legion of Honour
Highest French order of merit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur [ɔʁdʁ nɑsjɔnal də la leʒjɔ̃ dɔnœʁ]), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre royal de la Légion d'honneur), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes.
| National Order of the Legion of Honour Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur | |
|---|---|
,_ontvangen_door_Willem_Drees,_NG-2003-50.jpg) Current version of the Grand Cross of the order given by President René Coty to Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees | |
| Awarded by President of France | |
| Type | Order of merit |
| Established | 19 May 1802 |
| Country | France |
| Motto | Honneur et patrie ("Honour and Fatherland") |
| Eligibility | Military and civilians |
| Awarded for | Excellent civil or military conduct delivered, upon official investigation |
| Founder | Napoleon Bonaparte |
| Grand Master | President of France |
| Grand chancelier | Benoît Puga |
| Classes |
|
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 15 July 1804 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) |
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Ribbon bars of the order | |
The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ("Honour and Fatherland"); its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur next to the Musée d'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris.[lower-alpha 1]
The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand officier (Grand Officer) and Grand-croix (Grand Cross).