“The award was waiting for her partner for nearly 20 years” – BBC

Manager of the Russian president announced a competition for the production of the Order of St. Andrew with the image of swords, the value of the order of 1.04 million rubles. President’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin did not order and the order for Vladimir Putin is not intended. Historian, art critic, member of the Russian Academy of Arts Andrei Khazin told “Gazeta.ru”, which Order he could get.

– Andrey Leonidovich what this award?

– Order of St. Andrew – the first Russian Order. It was established by Peter the Great in 1698 and until 1917 was the highest award of the Russian Empire. Until the middle of the XIX century and the Civil and Military Merit awards were given the same sample, but since the middle of XIX century there were signs of the Order with swords issued for Military Merit.

This option – the most rare before the revolution reward her beau were only 12 people. And some of these 12 gentlemen were given the right to place their swords on their previously issued marks obtained prior to the establishment of swords.

The last Russian citizen, received the Order of Andrew with swords, became Prince Alexander Baryatinsky: for the victorious end Caucasian War. After that, there were two more rewarding foreigners. The last, in 1901, on the basis of “Boxer Rebellion” in China, became a Knight of the Prussian Field Marshal Count Alfred von Waldersee. In 1998, the Order of St. Andrew was restored in the Russian state awards as a top Russian Order. From that moment on it was carried out 16 awards. During his presidency, Dmitry Medvedev received only writer Daniel Granik and former President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Until recently, the option of not handed swords, and only until May 9, last year we saw the star of the Order with swords on the uniform of our Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. We got proof of the first awarding the medal since 1901, Russian citizen – since 1856.

There is a perception reprinted media that Sergei Shoigu got it for operation on the accession of the Crimea, but a foregone conclusion that we can not, because even in Soviet tradition of awarding all military personnel by decree, not intended for printing.

– Order really so expensive?

– The cost of pre-revolutionary Andrew Marks chain reaches a million dollars. The signs of the imperial time with swords, judging by the same awards, should cost $ 3-5 million, but they probably just did not survive outside the Kremlin Museums, where during World War I got a meeting of the Chapter of Russian orders. Diamond insignia of the Order of St. Andrew were recently sold at auction for 3.5 million pounds.

At the present time the company is engaged in manufacturing of “Yaroslavl craft”, they really do signs of high quality. When manufacturing is necessary to work with a lot of hot enamel, so the price of 1 million rubles. rightly so. Production of similar insignia abroad is more expensive.

– Can we say that this order anything about what position a person holds in the power hierarchy?

– Of course! Before that the only person who received the Order of St. Andrew, younger than 60 years was the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. The average age of the gentleman in the preparation of this order in our time – 80 years. Usually, it is designed for foreign heads of state and top officials of Russia. Before the revolution, grand dukes received it at the time of baptism. Giving orders to persons, who had the rank of lieutenant-general, practically does not occur – only full generals, General Field Marshal and equivalent civilian ranks.
Now suitable ministerial rank, as we have seen in Shoigu.

After the restoration of the Order in 1998, decisions were made to award the prominent art (Irina Arkhipova, Lyudmila Zykina, Rasul Gamzatov), ​​scientists (Dmitry Likhachev, Mikhail Kalashnikov – the first and second Knights of the Order) and foreign heads of state and gosdeyateley Gorbachev.

In the rank of minister before that was not awarded. Moreover, even the next largest order “For Service to the Fatherland» I degree of acting ministers Sergei Lavrov received only a few days ago. As a rule, they were awarded the Prime Ministers after retirement and, of course, outstanding scientists and cultural figures, as well as several regional leaders.

– A president can receive the Order of St. Andrew?

– No, can not. In other countries, the head of state is often automatically becomes the bearer of all orders at the time of taking office, and remains so for life. In monarchies, like the UK, this is happening at a time when the heir to the throne, and shall become the sovereign of all the orders of the country. In countries Republican president becomes a knight and a grandmaster of all orders of the country since the inauguration.

We have no such tradition. Man can not reward myself.

Now, if, when Putin was prime minister, his reward Dmitry Medvedev, is another matter. Presidential official sign is a sign of “Order of Merit for the Fatherland» I degree on the circuit, the only existing, but it is passed to the next president at the time of his inauguration. At the time, Putin awarded was in Yeltsin’s resignation the Order “For Services to the Fatherland» I degree.

– For whom the order is prepared right now?

– In accordance with the rules at the Department of State Awards President of the Russian Federation should be a certain stock characters of state awards. Can we assume that the only copy of the Order was awarded Shoigu, now we need a new. As we can see, the last time the reward waiting for her partner for nearly 20 years.