The Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella (''Orden al Mérito de Duarte, Sánchez y Mella'') is the principal order of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. It was established on 24 February 1931 as the ''Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit'' (''Orden al Mérito Juan Pablo Duarte'') and renamed on 9 September 1954. The

Head of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

confers the order both to civilians and military personnel for distinguished services.

Division of the Order

The order is divided in seven grades: * Collar is awarded to the President of the Republic * Grand Cross with Gold Breast Star is awarded for foreign chiefs of state and to former presidents and vice presidents * Grand Cross with Silver Breast Star is awarded to members of legislatures and supreme court, ministers of state, ambassadors and the metropolitan archbishop * Grand Officer is awarded to service chiefs and high officials of government and church * Commander is awarded to governors of provinces, directors general of instruction, directors of academies, dean of universities, authors and others of similar importance * Officer is awarded to professors and heads of schools, officers of the rank of colonel and above and civilians of equal importance * Knight is awarded to others

Accoutrements

The collar of the Order will be solid, of

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

, formed for various parts, compound each one of a laurel's coronet and of the Duarte, Sánchez and Mella's bust; in the center of the collar will have (in a big size and enameled in natural colors) the Coat of Arms of the Republic, which above will be adorned with twelve brilliant. Below, will suspended the order's badge. The laurel's coronet, the coat of arms and the badge will be adorned with precious stones.

References

* Law 1113 of the * Regulation No. 187 of the 16 February 1939 (G. O. 5277 18 February 1939

External links

Secretaría de Estado de Relaciones Exteriores (Law)
(In Spanish)
Secretaría de Estado de Relaciones Exteriores (Reglament)
(In Spanish)
Medals of the Dominican Republic
Orders, decorations, and medals of the Dominican Republic {{Orders-medals-stub