Naples, June 2012. Cardinal Martino invested Knight of the Order of St Januarius by HRH The Duke of Castro, Grand Master of the the Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius. His Eminence Renato Raffaele, Cardinal Martino, was invested as a Knight of the Order during the investiture mass held at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples on 25 June 2012. The ceremony was attended by senior military, civil, religious and aristocratic figures from Italy.
The Order was founded in 1738 honours the patron saint of Naples. It is the premier Order of Knighthood of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies.
The Order is bestowed rarely and only up to a maximum of twenty worthy gentlemen professing the Catholic Faith. It is traditionally drawn from the Royal Families of Europe and the high aristocracy of the Two Sicilies. (Princes of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies are considered “supernumerary” knights).
Its earliest statutes, promulgated in 1738, establish it as a Roman Catholic institution intended to foster true chivalry and Christian brotherhood.