Order of Saint Peter of Cetinje


The Order of Saint Peter of Cetinje is the first dynastic order of the Royal House of Petrović-Njegoš. The Order was introduced by Prince Nikola I of Montenegro in 1869.
It is sometimes said that this order was actually introduced much earlier by Prince-Bishop Peter II Petrović-Njegoš. The Order is bestowed upon prominent members of the Petrović-Njegoš family, as well as to prominent foreign citizens, and is currently held by all four Princes and Princesses of the Royal House. The name of Prince Danilo, the first Montenegrin ruler with a purely secular title, is inscribed on the Decoration. This is often attributed to the fact that the Order was a prototype for the other dynastic Order of Prince Danilo I.
The Order was named after the Patron Saint of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, Prince-Bishop Peter I Petrović, the person who effectively obtained independence for Montenegro, and to whom is attributed the creation of the modern Montengrin State.
The Order of Saint Peter is the House Order of the Royal House of Montenegro.
The Order consists of a single class, and is normally reserved for members of the Royal Family and their kinsmen and in exceptional circumstances prominent foreign citizens.

Officers of the Order