The Medal Pro Petri Sede, also referred to as Castelfidardo Medal, was a

decoration Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

for military merit bestowed by the Holy See in the Second Italian War of Independence during the

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

History

The medal was instituted by Pope Pius IX on 12 November 1860 after the defeat of the

Papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

troops in the Battle of Castelfidardo. It was not limited to the Battle of Castelfidardo and given to the participants of the campaign.

Appearance

The decoration consists of a medal with an inverted cross - the

Cross of Saint Peter The Cross of Saint Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used as an anti-Christian and Satanic symbol. In Christianity, it is associated with the martyrdom of Pete ...

- in the centre. The inscription is On the obverse side of the medal the inscription is (). The medal is suspended from a red

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...

with two narrow white stripes edged in yellow. Medal bars were attached to the ribbon to indicate the different battles that each individual medal was awarded for. It was issued in four classes: * Enameled gold: For officers in command. * Gold: For special acts of valor by commissioned officers. * Silver: For commissioned officers. * White metal: For non-commissioned officers and enlisted ranks.

References

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See Awards established in 1860 1860 establishments in the Papal States 1860 disestablishments in the Papal States