The Order of Camões () is a Portuguese
order of knighthood
An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and pai ...
originally created in 1985 but only fully integrated into the Portuguese honours system on 30 June 2021.
It commemorates
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões (; or 1525 – 10 June 1580), sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns ( ), is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of William Shakes ...
, considered Portugal's national poet.
It is a six-tier order, whose titles are awarded for relevant services to the
Portuguese language
Portuguese ( or ) is a Western Romance language of the Indo-European language family originating from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is the official language of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tom� ...
and its international promotion, and to the strengthening of cultural relations between
Portuguese-speaking peoples and communities.
The number of members in each grade is restricted by its constitution, and titles are conferred by special decree by the Grand Master of the Order, i.e., the
President of Portugal
The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic (, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal.
The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, and their relation with the prime minister ...
.
Grades
The order includes several classes; in decreasing order of seniority, these are:
* Grand Collar (''Grande-Colar'' – GColCa)
* Grand Cross (''Grã-Cruz'' – GCCa)
* Grand Officer (''Grande-Oficial'' – GOCa)
* Commander (''Comendador'' – ComCa)
* Officer (''Oficial'' – OCa)
* Knight/Dame (''Cavaleiro'' – CvCa / ''Dama'' – DmCa)
* Honorary Member (MHCa) (''Membro Honorário'') — for places or institutions, without indication of a specific grade
The special distinction of Grand Collar can be awarded only to heads of state.
Membership to the Order is conferred by the President, either on his own initiative, upon the recommendation of his Ministers or following nomination by the Council of the Order.
Recipients
Grand Collar
*11 August 2021:
Jorge Carlos Fonseca
Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca (; born 20 October 1950)
, former President of Cape Verde
*16 November 2021:
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago (; 16 November 1922 – 18 June 2010) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese writer. He was the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony ith which ...
, writer and Nobel laureate ''(posthumous)''
*6 August 2022: Paula Rego, visual artist ''(posthumous)''
*31 October 2022: José Ramos-Horta">Paula Rego">ith which ...
, writer and Nobel laureate ''(posthumous)''
*6 August 2022: Paula Rego, visual artist ''(posthumous)''
*31 October 2022: José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor
*22 April 2023: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil