The Order of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus was instituted during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

on April 30, 1920, by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian White Army,

General Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (russian: Пётр Никола́евич барон Вра́нгель, translit=Pëtr Nikoláevič Vrángel', p=ˈvranɡʲɪlʲ, german: Freiherr Peter Nikolaus von Wrangel; April 25, 1928), also known by his ni ...

, to replace the highest military award of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

was considered the

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 White Army.Michael A. Protopopov (2006) "A Russian Presence: A History of the Russian Church in Australia",
p.73
/ref>

Description

The order is an iron cross, in the center of the cross is a circle with an image of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus on dark-blue enamel. Around this image is a laurel wreath, the symbol of glory. Around the wreath is the motto of the order: "Russia Will Be Saved Through Faith" (Вѣрой Спасётся Россія, "Věroy spasyotsya Rossiya"). On the reverse side of the cross is a circle half of dark-blue enamel and half of white, with the date "1920." The order is worn on a ribbon of the Russian

national colors National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

(white-dark blue-red)." Russkaya Armiya 1917-1920; Obmundirovanie, Znaki Razlichiya, Nagrady i Nagrudnye Znaki, by O. V. Kharitonov and V. V. Gorshkov (1991), '' Karavella'' Publ.,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

References

Military awards and decorations of Russia Orders of chivalry of Russia 1920 establishments in Russia Awards established in 1920 {{Russia-stub