regulations

Regulations of the Military Order of the Collar

Contents

1 Regulations of the hereditary commanderies
2 Regulations of the hospitaller service
3 Regulations of the professed knights
4 Regulations on honours and awards

Regulations of the hereditary commanderies

Article 1
Hereditary Commanderies are created by Magistral Decree in order to secure the continued existence of the Order, should there be no other possible way of its survival on account of dynastic vicissitudes or political eventualities.
Article 2
The members of an Hereditary Commandery comprise the Commander, his brothers and sisters, their descendants by lawful marriage as well as their spouses jure maritali.
Article 3
The succession to the title of Hereditary Commander is by male primogeniture and, in default, through the nearest male in a female line.
Article 4
The Commander has the rank of a Knight Grand Cross of Justice and Devotion of the Order. The members of the Commandery are members of the Order as Familiars of the Hereditary Commandery, provided that they have reached the age of twenty-one years. Male minors under the age of fourteen are designated Pages and from fourteen to twenty-one are Esquires. Female minors from fourteen to twenty-one are called Demoiselles.
Article 5
Members of an Hereditary Commandery who have attained the age of twenty-one years may request admission to the Order in the Category of Justice and Devotion. As such they will be received in gremio Ordinis unless they ask to be members of a local jurisdiction of the Order.
Article 6
An Hereditary Commander is required to send to the Grand Chancellor copies of Certificates of Admittance whenever he admits new members to the Hereditary Commandery. Without a Certificate of Admittance a new member of the Commandery cannot be recognised as a Member of the Order.
Article 7
An Hereditary Commander wears the insignia of a Commander of Justice and Devotion. Familiars are authorised to wear the insignia of Knights or Dames, as appropriate, of the Category of Justice for Merit.
Article 8
Pages, Esquires and Demoiselles of an Hereditary Commandery wear the arms of the Order on the left side of the chest.
Article 9
Familiars, Pages, Esquires and Demoiselles of an Hereditary Commandery do not wear the mantle of the Order nor the coat of arms of the Hereditary Commandery.
Article 10
The coats of arms of the Hereditary Commander are augmented by the Chief of Saint Agatha which is: Argent a Cross Gules fimbriated Or.

Regulations of the hospitaller service

Article 1
The Hospitaller Service is directed by the Grand Hospitaller under the general direction of the Grand Master and the Grand Chancellor.
Article 2
The members of the Hospitaller Service comprise the Knights, Dames, Companions and Serving Members.
Article 3
The Companions are volunteers who do not form part of the Order. They give their services voluntarily and without remuneration for an indeterminate period of time.
Article 4
Serving Members are candidates for admission into the Order, who give their services voluntarily and freely for a novitiate of three months.
Article 5
The Grand Hospitaller shall appoint on the nomination of the Grand Prior, Prior or Commander a Hospitaller for each local jurisdiction of the Order. He shall also appoint any assistants.
Article 6
Each Hospitaller is a member of the Council of the jurisdiction to which he is appointed and has the same precedence as the Chancellor of the jurisdiction.
Article 7
The Hospitaller is responsible to the Grand Hospitaller in matters of general policy and to the head of the jurisdiction in matters concerning local activities.
Article 8
Each Hospitaller shall send each year on the 1st of July a report on the activities in his area addressed to the Grand Hospitaller and sent through the normal hierarchical channels.
Article 9
Serving Members and Companions do not have a special uniform and do not wear the mantle of the Order. They may wear on the left side a badge consisting of the Cross of the Order surrounded by the words “Hospitaller Service M.O.C.” embroidered in silk.

Regulations of the professed knights

Article 1
Professed Knights (or the Professed) are Knights of the Category of Justice who have sworn obedience to the Grand Master according to the approved formula.
Article 2
Normally only Professed Knights are appointed to offices within the Order. If they are not appointed to higher offices, they must be appointed Counsellors of the jurisdiction of which they are members.
Article 3
The Professed, when they live in community, according to the tradition of Orders of the Cross, depend directly from the Grand Chancellor and dwell in the Casa Magistrale in the Commandery of Valdemone.
Article 4
Professed Knights may not be high dignitaries or heads of jurisdiction in other Orders except those of the Royal House of Aragon Majorca and Sicily.
Article 5
The Grand Master with the Grand Chancellor (and the Marshal if the case is a disciplinary one) may release a Professed Knight from his vow of obedience.

Regulations on honours and awards

Article 1
H.R.H. The Grand Master will customarily bestow nobiliary honours and chivalric awards on the Feast of Saint Agatha (5th February) of each year. Heads of jurisdiction of the Military Order of the Collar are requested to submit recommendations for consideration in respect of persons within their jurisdiction worthy of recognition to the Grand Chancellor within the month of December preceding, to arrive no later than the 31st December.
Article 2
H.R.H. The Grand Master will also bestow nobiliary honours and chivalric awards during Grand Magistral visits to jurisdictions of the Order. The host head of jurisdiction is requested to submit recommendations for consideration in respect of persons who will be present during the said visit and worthy of recognition to the Grand Chancellor to arrive not later than one month preceding the commencement of the visit.
Article 3
H.R.H. The Grand Master may bestow nobiliary honours and chivalric awards motu proprio at any time at his sole pleasure.
Article 4
The President of the Royal College of Aragonese Arms is requested to submit recommendations for consideration in respect of persons having provided services worthy of recognition to the said College to the Governor of the Royal House within the terms of Regulations 1. & 2. (supra).
Article 5
Heads or acting heads of other institutions of the Royal House are requested to submit recommendations in respect of persons who have provided services worthy of recognition within the terms of Regulations 1. & 2. (supra).
Article 6
Recommendations may be made in respect of specific honours or awards as appropriate. The adjudicating body will give full weight to such proposals but not be bound by them. Recommendations for awards within the Military Order of the Collar will be deliberated by the Government of that Order whose advice will be passed to the Grand Master for consideration. Recommendations for nobiliary honours and for awards in Orders other than the Military Order of the Collar will be deliberated by the Curia Regis whose advice will be passed to H.R.H. the Duke of Perpignan for his consideration whose decision is at all times final.
Article 7
Any expenses incurred in the acceptance of honours and awards such as in the purchase of insignia or the execution of Letters Patent are to be borne by the grantee unless it is exceptionally decided otherwise.