Created under Henri III on December 31, 1578. During the Wars of Religion, the Catholic leaders unanimously overcame the Protestants.
Henri III was born on September 19, 1551, to Henri II and Catherine de Medici. The fourth son of the king was never thought to hold the throne of France. After the untimely death of his father in 1559 and his older brother François II in 1560, it was his brother Charles IX who should have ruled for much longer than he did.
The Queen Mother Catherine always had a plan up her sleeve, and in 1572, she presented her son as a candidate for the throne of Poland and Lithuania. Elected on May 11, 1573, the twenty-one-year-old Henri wasn’t in a big hurry to move to Poland. Three months later, in August, the Polish ambassadors and a team of over two hundred members arrived looking for their king.
In February of 1574, Henri III, King of Poland, arrived in Krakow, but would be short-lived. Three months later, on May 30, his brother Charles IX died, and the King of Poland was now the King of France as well. In the dark of night on June 18, Henri escaped Poland and traveled back to France to claim his throne. Coronated May 13, 1575, at Notre Dame de Reims, and on the 12th of May, 1575, the throne of Poland was transferred to Anna Jagiellon.
While in Vienna, Henri III saw the manuscript of the order of the Holy Spirit that was founded in 1353 by Louis d’Anjou. Inspiring him to make his mark, he contacted Pope Leo IX but felt the Pope moved too slowly and pushed on without his blessing or help. The first ceremony was held in the Convent of the Grands Augustins on the left bank on December 31, 1578.
France has held many distinctions created under the kings. One of the most well-known is the Order of Saint Michel, created by Louis XI on August 1, 1469. The Burgundians had created the Order of the Golden Fleece, and in an effort not to be outdone, Louis XI dedicated the higher order to the Patron Saint of France. Less than a hundred years later, Henri III had decided that the order had become too diluted and created his own.
The order would be made up of only the highest quality members. Knights had to have held the Order of Saint Michel, at least thirty-five years old, must be catholic, and had a lineage to royalty that could be traced within three generations. The king served as the Grand Marshal, and each year on December 31 or January 1, a ceremony was held to introduce new members.
Each year, eight seats as Commanders were held by high-ranking members of the church, including the cardinal, archbishops, or grand chaplain.
Henri III wasn’t able to enjoy his order for long. On August 1 at the Chateau de Saint Cloud, while sitting on another kind of throne early in the morning, before his planned attack on Paris, a Dominican friar convinced the king's guards that he had important news from the Louvre. Jacques Clément approached Henri’s guards with a stack of papers. Henri waved the guards away moments before Clément leaned in to whisper into the ear of the king and stab him in the stomach. The next day, Henri III died, the last of the Valois branch. Without an heir to the throne, the title passed to Henri III, King of Navarre, who became Henri IV, King of France.
The coronation of a new king, beginning with Henri IV, was followed by the presentation of the Order of Saint Esprit.
The design of the insignia is in the shape of an eight-pointed Maltese Cross with fleur de lis and a dove in the center, and covered with enamel. Henri III didn’t fully turn his back on the Order of Saint Michel by adding it to the reverse side of the insignia. At each tip of the cross were small eyeholes that were used to attach the medal to a large ribbon or on the breast of a jacket.
The Order of the Holy Spirit today is known for its emblem and beautifully embroidered robes. When first created, the insignia was attached to a wide light blue taffeta silk moiré sash worn across the body and tied on the left side. Named the Cordon Bleu, blue cord, it gave the distinction of the highest order in France, given by the king. Today, it is associated more with the highest ranks of cooking, including the cooking schools of Paris and the US.
Each member was given one of the official enameled insignia that had to be returned upon their death.
Henri III also created the first necklace or collar that held the cross of the Holy Spirit. Each is made up of forty links and emblems of the royal family. Under Henri IV, the necklace was changed to include golden fleur de lis, the letter H surrounded by three crowns of its original creator, trophies of arms, and cornucopias. This is what we see in the surviving pieces today.
Louis XIV used it as another way to yield power to others, anointing his faithful or even removing the honor from others. The yearly ceremony was no more. Adopting it to his privilege of the order, he held the ceremony only three times. Marking major moments of his reign. The start of his government in 1661, and the wars of the Spanish succession and the League of Augsburg in 1688 and 1705.
The history and the iconography come to life within the walls of the Musée du Louvre. Medallions, necklaces, mantles, liturgical pieces, and a large diamond brooch all tell the story of the order of Henri III.
The most important being the insignia of the order. The enameled necklace designed by Henri III and altered by Henri IV was only worn during the annual ceremony. Because necklaces had to be returned to the order within three months of the owner's death, there are not that many left in existence. In salle 523, two glass cases hold beautiful examples of the highest pieces known of the order. The collar or necklace, dating to 1825, is in the same design as one created under Henri IV. Twenty-nine links include fleur de lys, military emblems, H’s, and three crowns. Jeweler Jean-Charles Cahier was tasked with creating thirty collars to be used at the coronation of Charles X on May 29, 1825.
While the collars worn were all the same, the ranking members of the order could be separated by their heavily embroidered mantles. Each member was responsible for creating their own, which came at a very high cost. Specific instructions were listed in the regulations set by Henri III.
Designs changed over time under the kings, and three exceptional examples are on display behind glass. The Louvre has thirteen in its collection, five from before the Revolution and eight from the Restoration. The oldest dates to 1700 and was worn by the bailiff of the order who led the procession and carried the mace, also in the collection of the Louvre.
The mantles are embroidered with “tongues of fire”? In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit speaks to them through the tongues of fire. Each coat is covered with more than 475 flames embroidered in gold and edged with red threads and sequins. Weighing up to thirty pounds, the mantles were only worn for the annual ceremony. Textile historians hold these as some of the highest examples of embroidery of the 17th and 18th centuries.
A mantle dating to 1722 is also edged with the same emblems of the collar and worn by the chancelier of the order. A small L for Louis XIV was added under each H. The three coats on display were restored from March 2021 to April 2023, led by Valerie Marcelli
Louis XIV was never one to be happy with the way things had always been. In 1663, an insignia of the order covered completely in diamonds was created for the king. Four hundred diamonds were needed to bring out each detail of the cross, fleur de lis, and dove. Louis XIV would wear the sparkling insignia often, but rarely captured in a painting, opting for the enameled necklace most of the time.
A similar version, given as a gift in 1736 to Dom Philippe, Duke of Parma and husband of his eldest daughter, Madame Elisabeth, can be seen in the Apollo gallery. Four hundred diamonds mounted on silver, as well as one red ruby for the beak of the dove, glisten in the center case of the crown jewels. In the recent Louvre Couture exhibit, a similar version, designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1990, was also on view, featuring rhinestones.
Twelve items chosen by Henri III in 1561 from the Royal Collection and reimagined for the use of the ceremony held on December 31 or January 1 each year
Enameled gold reliquary, 2 angels, and 10 silver gilded items created between 1578 and 1585
In salle 525, steps from where you see the collar and mantles, are three cases that hold the liturgical items of the order. A few are exceptional and deserve a close inspection.
At the end of the second case is the Baiser de paix du trésor de l’ordre du Saint Esprit. Created in 1520, it resembles a standing frame covered in enamel and small gilded silver figures. Christ on the cross in the center of the front in enamel is surrounded by small enameled paintings of apostles, moments of the Passion, and saints. It’s stunning up close and rarely seen by people passing through.
A crystal cross of the treasure from the early 15th century is placed on a hexagon base with three ends holding garnets, emeralds, and large pearls in the corners of the transept of the cross.
Each item is marked with an oval engraved with the coat of arms of Henri III of France, Poland, and Lithuania. Never changed with the passing of each king and marks the creator of the order. Candlesticks of rock crystal with bobèches, pearls, garnets, and amethysts.
The Ciboire du trésor, a glass cup with a dozen fine details. Four cameos against blue enamel around the stem above the base of pearls, garnets, amethysts, and topaz. The lid is topped with shell cameos and dozens of opals, garnets, pearls, emeralds, and turquoise. At the very top is a gilded silver statue of Saint Hélèna holding the True Cross of Christ, which she claimed to have discovered in the third century.
Other items are simpler with large platters, pitchers, holy water bowls, and incense burners. The most important item stands tall in a glass case. The treasure masse led the opening procession and was carried by the usher just behind the king. Created in 1585 by François II Dujardin. It has been altered five times, but the four reliefs remain the same. Depicting four of the pivotal moments of the ceremony of the order. Scenes include the opening procession, the official ceremony of the knight of the order, and a knight kneeling before the king wearing the official mantle. Golden doves and a crown of fleur de lis on top of the masse that was used until the end of the order in the 19th century.
An item I love to find in the Louvre and churches is the beautifully crafted reliquaries that date back to the Middle Ages. Often decorated with enamel, gold, and fine jewels. If you ever see one, take a closer look at each of the fine details.
In salle 504, just past the crown of Charlemagne created by Napoleon for his coronation in 1804, is a highly stylized reliquerie of the Saint Esprit. The triangle is in shape and split into four levels of niches filled with nine small figures and large gems. At the base is the figure of Sainte Barbe, the patron saint of architects and firemen, holding a book and a small tower with three windows. Because of her incredible beauty, her father locks her in a tower. While gone, she breaks through the wall, creating a third window, and escapes. The three windows represent the Holy Trinity and are important to the story of the order.
Just above in the center is God the Father, with his arms out, who is thought to have once held a dove and a cross. On his left, Saint Bartholomew and Jude (Thaddaeus), and on his right, Saint Pierre and Paul
At the third level in the center, the seated Virgin is thought to have held either the body of Christ as the Pieta or the baby Jesus.
On either side are Saint Margaret and Sainte Catherine of Alexandria, both Virgin martyrs and often seen in art. Saint Margaret lived at the end of the 3rd century. Secretly converted to Christianity away from her Pagan father. A beautiful young girl, she attracted the attention of the local prefect, who wanted to marry her. Refusing his advances, she is thrown in prison, where the earth later trembles and opens up to a dragon that swallows her. Inside, clutching her cross, it irritated the stomach of the dragon, and she was expelled. There is a fantastic statue of her on the south side of the church of Saint Germain des Prés.
Sainte Catherine, another young, beautiful girl, was born in Alexandria, Egypt, into a wealthy family in the early 4th century. Speaking out against the Emperor but catching his attention and his affection. He sent his army against her, which she converted to Christianity, which angered the emperor and led to their death. Locked in jail, he repeatedly asked for her hand in marriage. Refusing, she said her life was dedicated to God, and he was her husband. The emperor ordered her death on a spinning wheel of spikes. Before she could be tied to it, a lightning bolt came from the heavens and struck the wheel. She was then killed by a sword and her head cut off. A common practice in the deaths of the saints.
In the Louvre and many churches, if you see a young girl in a painting or sculpture with a broken wheel, it is Catherine. The mystical marriage of the saint and the baby Jesus is also another popular one in the Italian Renaissance.
At the very top is the risen Christ, Salvador Mundi. The reliquary is covered in enamel and at one point, 70 pearls, 17 sapphires, and 12 rubies. Many have been lost over time, but many have been restored.
The order survived until the Revolution but was restored under Louis XVIII in 1814. Most of the items of the order have survived and are held today in the Musée du Louvre.
Charles X stripped it down to just the emblem itself, created on an engraved plate and attached to the breast of a jacket. It wouldn’t last long; the July Revolution and the fall of Charles X abolished all orders for good.
A walk through the Louvre and even through the streets of Paris can be a scavenger hunt to find the insignia. From Henri IV on the Pont Neuf to many of the figures on the facade of the Louvre or Hotel de Ville, and of course, many paintings within the walls of the Louvre, including one of the most popular of Louis XIV by Hyacinthè Rigaud.