Order of the Seraphim facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Royal Order of the Seraphim
Collar and badge of the Order of the Seraphim
Awarded by Monarch of Sweden
Type	Single grade order of merit
Country	Sweden
Motto	Iesus Hominum Salvator (IHS)
Eligibility	Swedish and foreign nationals
Awarded for	services to Sweden
Status	Currently constituted
Founder	Frederick I of Sweden
Sovereign	King Carl XVI Gustaf
Chancellor	Svante Lindqvist
Grades	Knight/Member (of the Cloth) (general: RSerafO/LSerafO, Swedes: RoKavKMO/LoKavKMO)
Statistics
First induction	1748, Frederick I of Sweden
Last induction	6 May 2024, Queen Mary of Denmark
Total inductees	890
Precedence
Next (higher)	None (highest)
Next (lower)	Royal Order of the Sword
Ribbon bar of the Royal Order of the Seraphim

The Royal Order of the Seraphim (Swedish: Kungliga Serafimerorden) is Sweden's most important award. It was created by King Frederick I on February 23, 1748. The name "Seraphim" comes from a type of angel.

This special award has only one rank: Knight (or Member for women and clergy). It is the highest honor anyone can receive in Sweden.

The Order of the Seraphim, along with the Order of the Sword, the Order of the Polar Star, and the Order of Vasa, are known as the Orders of His Majesty the King. If a Swedish person receives this award, they are called a Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty the King. This is because the old Swedish word for "order" meant that the person also held a high rank in another Swedish order. People from other countries are usually just called "Knights of the Order of the Seraphim."

When the Order was first created, its Knights had a special job. They had to help supervise the main hospitals and mental health centers in Sweden. This included the Seraphim Hospital in Stockholm. Over time, doctors and other experts took over this work, so the Knights no longer had this duty.

For many years, starting in 1975, Swedish citizens could not receive this award. It was mainly given to foreign heads of state (like presidents or kings of other countries). But in 1995, the rules changed to allow members of the Swedish royal family to receive it. Then, in 2023, the rules changed again. Now, Swedish citizens can once more be awarded the Royal Order of the Seraphim for their great service to Sweden.

History of the Order
- Older Orders
- Royal Awards and Chains
Royal Family Members
What the Order Looks Like
- Special Clothes (Habits)
Old Ceremony for New Members
Coats of Arms
Gallery
See also

History of the Order

Older Orders

Some people thought an older group called the "Knights of the Name of Jesus" (also known as the Seraphim) existed in the Middle Ages. This group might have been active in Norway too. However, this older group was stopped during the Reformation.

Royal Awards and Chains

In the past, when a new king or queen was crowned, they would give special chains to important noblemen. These chains were unique for each coronation. They were not part of a lasting "order" like we think of today.

Some of these old chains had links shaped like seraphim heads and crosses. This might have made people think there was an older Order of the Seraphim. These old designs likely inspired the look of the Order created in 1748.

Other Swedish kings also gave out special awards at their coronations:

Eric XIV gave the Order of the Saviour in 1561.
John III gave the Order of the Lamb of God in 1569. This award looked very similar to the later Order of the Seraphim. It had seraphim heads and crosses, with the letters "IHS" (for Jesus) in the middle.
Charles IX gave the Royal Order of Jehova in 1606.
Queen Christina created the Order of the Amaranth.

Because of these earlier awards, the first rules of the 1748 Order said it was being "revived."

The design of the Order of the Seraphim might have been inspired by the French Order of the Holy Spirit. Both orders use a white cross with special symbols in the center.

A special award called the Seraphim Medal was also linked to the Order. It was given to people who helped Swedish charities, especially hospitals. This medal showed the face of King Frederick I.

Royal Family Members

Before 1975, the sons of the Swedish monarch received a small version of the Order's badge when they were baptized.

As mentioned, a law in 1974 stopped Swedish citizens from receiving the Order. But in 1995, the law changed. This allowed members of the Swedish Royal Family to receive the Order.

Crown Princess Victoria became a member on her 18th birthday in 1995.
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeline also received the Order on their 18th birthdays.

The tradition of giving the Order at a royal baptism returned in 2012. Princess Estelle, the daughter of Crown Princess Victoria, received a miniature badge from her grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf, at her baptism. Princess Leonore, daughter of Princess Madeleine, also received the Order at her baptism in 2014.

What the Order Looks Like

Star of the order.

Sash and star worn by Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland

Knights and Members of the Order wear a special badge on a chain (called a collar) or on a sash. They also wear a star on their left chest.

The collar is made of gold. It has eleven blue crosses and eleven gold seraphim (angel heads with wings).
The badge is a white cross with gold seraphim between its arms. In the center, there's a blue circle with the letters "IHS" (for Jesus) and three gold crowns. Below this are three nails, representing the nails used to crucify Jesus. On the back, it has the letters "FRS" (for Frederick, King of Sweden). The badge hangs from a gold royal crown. Smaller badges are made for infants.
The star is like the front of the badge, but it's made of silver and doesn't have the crown. The center part is colored like the badge, but larger.
The ribbon (sash) is a light blue color, often called "seraphim blue." Infant sashes are much smaller.

Special Clothes (Habits)

In the past, Knights of the Order also had two special outfits, called "habits." They wore these on very formal occasions like coronations.

The Great Habit was black and white. It included white pants and a jacket, with a black satin cloak. Both the jacket and cloak had the Order's star sewn on the left chest. It also came with white boots and a black top hat with white and black feathers.
The Lesser Habit was purple and pale gold. It had purple velvet pants and a jacket, with a pale gold satin cloak. The star was also sewn on the left chest. This habit was worn with black boots and the same top hat as the Great Habit.
The Order's collar was worn over the jackets of both habits.

Greater Habit of Prince Fredrik Adolf
Lesser Habit of King Gustav III

Old Ceremony for New Members

New members used to be chosen once a year in the Seraphim Room at the Stockholm Palace. This usually happened in late November or early December.

The actual ceremony to officially welcome new Knights took place on April 28. This was the birthday of King Frederick I, who founded the Order. Before this ceremony, the new member could only wear the star, not the full badge with the ribbon.

The ceremony was held in the Riddarholmen Church or the royal chapel in Stockholm Palace. All the Knights and officials of the Order were there.

Here's how the ceremony went: The King sat under a special canopy. The Knights sat on benches. The new Knight stood in front of the altar with two senior Knights. After a hymn, a speaker talked about duties to God, the King, and the country.

Then, an official explained what the Order was about and why the King chose the new Knight. The two senior Knights then led the new member to the King. The new member knelt and answered "Yes" to several questions:

Would they honor and protect the Order's rules?
Would they be ready to fight for their religion and country?
Would they help keep Sweden's glory alive?
Would they help keep peace among the Knights?
Would they protect their new honors?
Would they help the poor, widows, and orphans?

After these questions, the King gave a special document to an official, who read it aloud. The new Knight then promised to defend the Christian faith, be loyal to the King and State, and help those in need.

The King then took the Order's chain and placed it around the new Knight's neck. He touched the Knight with his coronation sword, saying: "We, N., King of the Swedes, the Goths and the Wends, receive thee as our brave and honourable Swedish and Gothic Knight of our Order of the Seraphim. Be worthy of it."

The King then hugged the new Knight while drums and trumpets played. He finished by saying: "May the Lord protect thee!" The new Knight thanked the King and hugged all the other Knights. Each Knight repeated: "May the Lord protect thee!" Then the ceremony ended.

This tradition of touching the Knight with a sword stopped in 1902.

Coats of Arms

Every new Knight or Member has their own coat of arms painted on a copper plate. This plate shows their coat of arms surrounded by the Order's collar or sash. Many of these plates are displayed in the Seraphim room at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

When a Knight of the Order passes away, their coat of arms is hung in the Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholmen Church) in Stockholm. When their funeral takes place, the church bells ring constantly for an hour, from 12:00 to 13:00. This special ringing is called the Serafimerringningen.