The Order of Saint Blaise was an order founded in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

in the 12th century. It took its name from Saint Blaise,

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the Armenian kingdom. The order was divided into religious, who were charged with the holy offices and missionary work among the unbelievers, and the fighters, who defended the country against the attacks of the

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. It rendered great services for a century and only disappeared when Armenia was conquered by the Turks. The name has also been used by various pseudo-chivalric orders and in games such as '' Vampire: The Masquerade''. According to Thomas Robson (''The British Herald'', 1830), the order was also called the Order of St. Bass.

References

Bibliography

* '' La Grande Encyclopedie'' ''s.v.'' Saint-Blaise (Ordre de). Religious organizations established in the 12th century Military orders (monastic society) {{Orders-medals-stub