Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/559

252 cellor, Secretary, Master of Ceremonies, Treasurer and Herald.

The statutes received further modifications under Emanuel Philibert (on the 18th October, 1577), and under Charles Emanuel.

The latter having in 1620 ceded to Henry IV., Bresse and Bugey in exchange for the Marquisate of Saluzzo, transferred the Chapter, first to the St. Dominican Church at Montmeillan, and thence to the hermitage of the Camaldali Monks upon the Turin mountain.

The costume under Emanuel Philibert consisted of a sky blue mantle, lined with white taffetas, and trimmed with rich gold embroidery. Since 1627, however, the colour of the mantle is amaranth, lined with blue silk, and embroidered with silver.

Victor Amadeus on becoming, by the peace of Utrecht, ruler of Sicily, which he was, however, afterwards obliged to restore in exchange for Sardinia, placed upon his own head the royal crown, raised the ' Order of the Annunciation' to the first rank of the Orders in his kingdom, abolished the limitation in the number of Knights, accorded to the latter, the title of "Excellency," and decreed that they should be chosen from amongst the Knights of St. Lazarus and Mauritius, as also from the ancient pure nobility.

The Order has only one class. The decoration (Plate 76, Tab. I. No. 2), is a gold medal, on which is represented the Annunciation, surrounded by love-knots. It is usually worn suspended by a simple gold chain, except on the nomination and the two following days, on the great festivals of the year, the Corpus Christi, the festivals of the Blessed Virgin, the Circumcision, the festival of St. Maurice, (the patron of Savoy), as also on the day when the Knights take the sacrament, and on the eve of a battle, when the Knights are wont to assemble round a standard, and lastly at the meeting of the Chapter,