Order of Beneficience (Greek: Τάγμα της Ευποιΐας) is the name given to two different orders in Greece. One of them (the "Royal Order of Beneficience") is conferred by the Greek royal family, and the other (the "Republican Order") is conferred by the Greek government.
The two orders share three symbols: a "badge", a "star", and a "ribbon". The badge is a five-petaled flower, enameled in blue. The star is a silver eight-pointed star with straight rays. The ribbon is an orange ribbon with blue edges.
It is conferred by the Head of the Royal House of Greece as a dynastic Decoration for women especially, Greek and foreign, for the good services they have rendered to the Fatherland in the field of charity as well as for their performance in the arts and letters. The fact that the order is awarded to women does not mean that the other Greek decorations are awarded exclusively to men.
After the abolition of the Kingdom of Greece and its replacement by the Third Hellenic Republic, all orders and decorations of knighthood were disbanded as state orders (although retained as dynastic house orders by the Greek Royal Family) and replaced by republican versions of the orders of knighthood, including this order which is currently awarded by the two entities but as separate orders with their own statutes.
Grades of the Royal Order
The Order has five grades:
Dame Grand Cross - wears the badge on a sash from the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
Dame Grand Officer - wears the badge on a bow, plus the star on the right chest;
Dame Commander - wears the badge on an elongated ribbon bow (day and evening dress) and wears a necklet (uniform)
Dame Officer - wears the badge suspended on a ribbon bow on the left chest;
Dame - wears a smaller badge suspended on a ribbon bow on the left chest.
The Order of Beneficence (Greek: Τάγμα της Ευποιΐας) is an order of Greece which was established in 1975 by law no.106/1975, using the same name and same insignia as that of the order instituted in the previous governance of the Kingdom of Greece, although a separate order with different statutes.
It is conferred by the Greek government as a moral reward for women especially, Greek and foreign, for the good services they have rendered to the Fatherland in the field of charity as well as for their performance in the arts and letters. The fact that the order is awarded to women does not mean that the other Greek decorations are awarded exclusively to men.
Grades
The Order has five classes:
Grand Cross - wears the badge on a sash from the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
Grand Commander - wears the badge on a bow, plus the star on the right chest;
Commander - wears the badge on a bow;
Gold Cross - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;
Silver Cross - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.
The badge of the Order is a five tipped blue-enamelled flower, in silver (or silvered) for the Silver Cross class, in gold (or goldened) for the higher classes. The overall design is clearly derived from the then-recently abolished British Order of the Indian Empire.
There are four versions of the badge :
The first was awarded from 1948 to 1973. It is surmounted by a royal crown and features a reverse medallion with the cypher of King George II.
The second and third versions were awarded from 1975 to 1984. These versions do not have a surmounting crown and feature reverse medallions without an inscription, or with the initials “ED” (the first letters to “Greek Republic”).
The fourth version has neither a crown but features a reverse medallion with the national coat of arms and “Greek Republic” in full.
All four versions feature an obverse central disc bearing a portrait of the Theotokos with the Divine Child in Her arms with the legend "ΕΥΠΟΙΙΑ" («Beneficence») on a white enamel ring.
The star of the Order is a silver eight-pointed star with straight rays, with the same central disc as the obverse of the badge.
There may be other slight differences of the badge or the star depending on the manufacturer.
The ribbon of the Order is orange with blue edges.
