Legion of Honour
highest French order of merit
The Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur)[2] is the highest French award.
| Legion of Honour Légion d'honneur | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chevalier (Knight) medal insignia | |
| Awarded by France | |
| Type | Order of merit |
| Motto | Honneur et patrie ("Honour and Motherland") |
| Eligibility | French citizen |
| Awarded for | Excellent civil or military conduct
delivered, upon official investigation |
| Grand Master | President of France |
| Grand chancelier | Benoît Puga |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 19 May 1802 |
| First induction | 14 July 1804 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) |
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| |
| Ribbon bars of the order | |
It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802.
The Order is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five degrees: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).
The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ('Honour and Country'), and its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur on the left bank of the River Seine in Paris.
