133 - Order case, red leather, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Order case, red leather, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Leather and metal, order case, also presentation case, empty. Square, flat box with red grained leather covering, the lid with gold-tooled Jerusalem cross in the centre. Gold-coloured clasp with eyelet and pin at the front, hinges at the back. Inside cream lid lining, cream velvet-like base insert with round recess and slot for a round decoration with ribbon loop. 13.5x13x2.5 cm (LxWxH). The Jerusalem cross, a cross potent with four smaller crosses in the angles, was borne as arms by Godfrey of Bouillon, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and is interpreted as a symbol of the five wounds of Christ. It is the insignia of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which Pope Pius IX raised to a papal order of knighthood in 1868; the order supports the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, its knights wear the white cloak with red Jerusalem cross, and the German lieutenancy has existed since 1933. The order is divided into the grades of Knight and Dame, Commander, Grand Officer, Grand Cross and Collar. The knight's cross of the order, an enamelled cross with trophy, is recorded in the red presentation case.