Order of Christ (Kongo) explained

Order of Christ Ordem de Cristo
Awarded By:	the Head of the Imperial House of Kongo
Type:	Dynastic Order
Status:	Discontinued as a national order in 1914; since 1915, the order is part of the dynastic house
Head Title:	Grand Master
Established:	1607 (National Order) 1914–present (House Order)

The Imperial Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, or simply the Order of Christ, is an order of chivalry continued by King Álvaro II of Kongo in 1607 after the Portuguese brought the Order of Christ to the Kingdom of Kongo.^{[1] [2]} Álvaro II formed and granted knighthoods for the Order of Christ, with the Vatican ruling that Álvaro II and his successors held the fons honorum for the Order of Christ, thus being able to grant the order.^{[3] [4]}

Historically, those who were awarded a knighthood in the Order of Christ wore mantles with an embroidered cross.^[5] The Order of Christ became a central part of the military life of the Kingdom of Kongo, including many members of the aristocracy.^{[6] [7]} A number of local rulers underwent investiture into the Order of Christ. The Order of Christ, as with the Order of Saint James of the Sword, continues to be awarded ecumenically by the Imperial House of Kongo.^[8]

External links

• Order of Christ - Imperial House of Kongo

Notes and References

1. Book: Akyeampong . Emmanuel Kwaku . Gates . Henry Louis Gates . Dictionary of African Biography . 2 February 2012 . . 978-0-19-538207-5 . 187 . English.
2. Book: Bostoen . Koen . Brinkman . Inge . The Kongo Kingdom: The Origins, Dynamics and Cosmopolitan Culture of an African Polity . 15 November 2018 . . 978-1-108-47418-4 . 237–238 . en.
3. Book: Ilo . Stan Chu . Handbook of African Catholicism . 13 July 2022 . Orbis Books . 978-1-60833-936-5 . English.
4. R.A.U. Juchter van Bergen Quast, "The common origin of the five Orders of Christ", Nobiliary law – Adelsrecht – Droit nobiliaire 2 June 2021, accessed 4 March 2023
5. Book: Dewulf . Jeroen . The Pinkster King and the King of Kongo: The Forgotten History of America's Dutch-Owned Slaves . 20 December 2016 . Univ. Press of Mississippi . 978-1-4968-0882-0 . en. In the Kingdom of Kongo, the use of shirts with an embroidered cross was a prerogative of those who had been granted knighthood in the Order of Christ..
6. Book: Heywood . Linda M. . Thornton . John K. . Central Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and the Foundation of the Americas, 1585-1660 . 10 September 2007 . . 978-0-521-77065-1 . en.
7. Book: Newitt . Malyn . The Portuguese in West Africa, 1415–1670: A Documentary History . 28 June 2010 . . 978-1-139-49129-7 . 182 . English.
8. Book: Miller . Joseph C. . Havik . Philip J. . Birmingham . David . A Scholar for All Seasons: Jill Dias: Portuguese Studies Review, Vol. 19, Nos. 1 and 2 (Special Volume in Memory of Jill Dias, 1944-2008) (ISSN 1057-1515) . 15 November 2011 . Baywolf Press . 122 . en.