History

The Order of Saint Sava was introduced by King Milan I on January 23, 1883 (Russian method of dating), one year after Serbia was recognized as an independent kingdom. It was founded as the third Serbian royal order, after the Order of Takovo and the Order of the White Eagle. It was dedicated to Saint Sava, the first Serbian archbishop, who born around 1170. He is viewed to this day as the protector of the Serbian people.

The Order was established with five classes to reward services rendered to the benefit of education, literature, culture, arts, and to the Orthodox church. The Order was awarded to military personnel as well as civilians, and to nationals and foreigners alike. The Order was allowed to be awarded to military personnel just before 1914.

It was dissolved along with the capitulation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941. Nowadays, it is awarded by the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This Order is typically divided into three period, these are: the Obrenovich Dynasty (1883-1903), the Karageorgevich Dynasty (1903-1918), and the Kingdom of SHS and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1922-1941). In Medalbook, this Order is classified into three types according with the previous division.

The Order's motto translates to " One's Own Work Achieves All".

In Type I, Obrenovich Dynasty (1883-1903), the badge featured the royal cipher of Milan I "MI" on the reverse medallion, and the saint was depicted in a red robe. Over this period, the Order was manufactured in Viennese workshops mainly, including Rothe & Neffe, G.A. Scheid, Karl Fleischhacker, and Anton Furst.