Legion of Honour

The Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur)[2] is the highest French award.

Legion of Honour
Légion d'honneur
Chevalier légion d'honneur 2.png
Chevalier (Knight) medal insignia
Awarded by France
Type Order of merit
Motto Honneur et patrie ("Honour and Motherland")
Eligibility French citizen
Awarded for
Excellent civil or military conduct
delivered, upon official investigation
Grand Master President of France
Grand chancelier Benoît Puga
Statistics
Established 19 May 1802; 222 years ago (1802-05-19)
First induction 14 July 1804
Precedence
Next (higher) None
Next (lower)

  • Order's streamer
  • Legion Honneur GC ribbon.svg
    Grand-croix
  • Legion Honneur GO ribbon.svg
    Grand officier
  • Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon.svg
    Commandeur
  • Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg
    Officier
  • Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg
    Chevalier
Ribbon bars of the order

It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802.

The Order is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five degrees: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).

The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ('Honour and Country'), and its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur on the left bank of the River Seine in Paris.

Legion Of Honour Media

References

  1. le petit Larousse 2013 p1567
  2. Formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre royale de la Légion d'honneur)