The Order of the National Coat of Arms ( et, Riigivapi teenetemärk, french: Ordre du Blason National) was instituted by

Konstantin Päts Konstantin Päts (; – 18 January 1956) was an Estonian statesman and the country's president in 1938–1940. Päts was one of the most influential politicians of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia, and during the two decades pri ...

on 7 October 1936 to commemorate 24 February 1918, the day on which

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n independence was declared. The Order of the National Coat of Arms is bestowed only on Estonian citizens, as a decoration of the highest class for services rendered to the state.

Classes

The Order of the National Coat of Arms comprises six classes: * One special class – the Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms; * Five basic classes – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th class. The greater national coat of arms as part of the decorations of all the classes of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, goldplated on both sides, bears on its reverse the embossed date "24. II 1918". The colour tone of the blue moiré ribands belonging to the decorations of all the classes of the Order of the National Coat of Arms is determined according to the international

PANTONE Pantone LLC (stylized as PANTONE) is a limited liability company headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, notably graphic ...

colour-table as 285 C.

Collar

The collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms is a badge of the office of the

President of Estonia The president of the Republic of Estonia ( et, Eesti Vabariigi President) is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid. Estonia is ...

. Until 2008, the collar was unique. As, however, Russians during the Soviet occupation had taken that collar to the Armory Chamber (''Оружейная палата'', ''Oruzhejjnaja palata'') in the

Moscow Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...

as a trophy and never have returned the collar to Estonia, a newly made copy is again worn by the President of Estonia as a badge of office.

Special sash

Special sash (Riigivapi teenetemärgi erisuurpael) was received by

after his accession to the post of the President of the Republic.

Gallery

File:EST Order of the National Coat of Arms 1st class badge star.jpg, First-class badge, sash and star File:Orde van het Rijkswapen Estland.jpg, Fifth-class medal

References

External links