Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen
Sash of the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen
Awarded by President of Hungary
TypeState decoration
Established2011; 13 years ago (2011)
MottoPublicum meritorum praemium (Award for public service)
EligibilityAwarded in recognition of the most special merits, outstanding life's work and significant international achievements in the service of Hungary.
StatusCurrently constituted
Statistics
First induction2013
Precedence
Next (higher)none
Next (lower)Hungarian Corvin Chain

Ribbon bar of the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen

The Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen (Hungarian: Magyar Szent István Rend) is the highest state honour bestowed by the President of Hungary. The order is made up of one grade and is awarded in recognition of the most special merits, outstanding life's work and significant international achievements in the service of Hungary. A maximum of 3 awards are permitted to be awarded to Hungarians per year.[1]

History

The order's origins can be traced back to an order of chivalry founded in 1764 by Queen Maria Theresa which lasted upon the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918. The order was subsequently revived in 1938 following a decree by Hungary's Regent Miklós Horthy, thereby renaming the order as the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen (German: Königlich Ungarischer Sankt-Stephans-Orden, Latin: Ordo Equitum Sancti Stephani Regis (Hungariae) Apostolici) and acting as its Grand Master. Following the proclamation of the Second Hungarian Republic in 1946, the order was terminated. Finally, in 2011, the order was revived by Presidential decree as the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.[2][3][4]

Insignia

The insignia included in the presentation box, from left-to-right & top-to-bottom, feature:

  1. Breast star
  2. Sash
  3. Ribbon bar
  4. Miniature
  5. Alternative medal
  6. Rosette

List of members

Year Name Notes
2023 Sándor Csányi Hungarian billionaire businessman and banker. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of OTP Bank Group[5]
Áron Szilágyi Hungarian right-handed sabre fencer. He is a three-time individual Olympic champion and 2021 team Olympic bronze medalist.[6]
Katalin Karikó Hungarian-American biochemist who won also the Széchenyi Prize in 2021.[7] As a result of her pioneering work, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023, along with American immunologist Drew Weissman.[8]
2022 Ferenc Rofusz Hungarian animator. He is known for the 1980 Academy Award-winning animated short The Fly.[9]
Erika Miklósa Hungarian coloratura soprano.
Katalin Novák President of Hungary. According to the Constitution of Hungary's CCII/2011 law the president of Hungary receives the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen ex-officio.[4]
2021 László Lovász Hungarian mathematician and professor emeritus at Eötvös Loránd University, best known for his work in combinatorics. Kyoto Prize 2010, Abel Prize 2021[10]
Szilveszter E. Vizi Hungarian physician, neuroscientist, pharmacologist and university professor who served as President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences between 2002 and 2008.[10]
2020 Endre Szemerédi Hungarian-American mathematician and computer scientist, working in the field of combinatorics and theoretical computer science.[11]
2019 Botond Roska Hungarian neurobiologist. He and his team discovered the basic principles of visual information processing and the development of therapeutic strategies, such as gene therapy, to restore vision in retinal disorders.[12][13][14]
2018 Paul Demeny Hungarian demographer. He invented the concept of the Demeny voting system.[15]
2017 Tamás Vásáry Hungarian concert pianist and conductor. He was the artistic director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia from 1979 to 1982, sharing the post with Iván Fischer. He was later Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, from 1989 to 1997. Between 1993 and 2004: Principal Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.[16]
Péter Erdő Hungarian cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest professor and former rector of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University.[16]
2016 Ádám Makkai Two-time recipient of the Kossuth Prize, poet, linguist, translator, retired professor emeritus of the University of Illinois.[17]
Éva Marton Hungarian dramatic soprano, known for her operatic portrayals of Puccini's Turandot and Tosca, and Wagnerian roles.[17]
2015 Péter Eötvös Hungarian composer and conductor.[18]
Judit Polgár Hungarian chess grandmaster.
2014 Ernő Rubik Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Magic: Master Edition, and Rubik's Snake.[19]
Imre Kertész Hungarian author, Holocaust concentration camp survivor, and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature.[20]
2013 Alexandre Lamfalussy Hungarian-born Belgian economist and central banker.
Krisztina Egerszegi Hungarian former world record holding swimmer. She is a three-time Olympian (1988, 1992 and 1996) and five-time Olympic champion.[4]
2012 János Áder President of Hungary. According to the Constitution of Hungary's CCII/2011 law the president of Hungary receives the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen ex-officio.[4]

References

  1. ^ "2011. évi CCII. törvény - Nemzeti Jogszabálytár". njt.hu. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  2. ^ "Kitüntetések". www.keh.hu. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  3. ^ "Kiállítás nyílt a Szent István-rend világáról a Magyar Nemzeti Múzeumban". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Lajos, Csordás (8 May 2014). "A zöld szárú kereszt lovagjai". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Sandor Csanyi". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  6. ^ "INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website". INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  7. ^ Krisztina, Balogh (2021-03-15). "Karikó Katalin és Merkely Béla is Széchenyi-díjat kapott". index.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  8. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  9. ^ Short Film Winners: 1981 Oscars, retrieved 2023-10-26
  10. ^ a b "Former Science Academy Leaders E. Sylvester Vizi and László Lovász Receive the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, Hungary's Highest Decoration". Hungary Today. 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  11. ^ "Magyar Nemzet | 404". Magyar Nemzet | 404. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Botond Roska: IOB".
  13. ^ "2019 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine awarded to Botond Roska". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  14. ^ "A látás visszaadásáért dolgozó kutató, Roska Botond kapta a Szent István-rend kitüntetést". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Áder János köztársasági elnök beszéde a Magyar Szent István Rend ünnepélyes átadásán".
  16. ^ a b Kft., New Wave Media Group. "Erdő Péter és Vásáry Tamás vehette át a Szent István Rend díjat". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Az augusztus 20-i állami kitüntetettek és díjazottak névsora – Magyar Idők". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  18. ^ Zrt., HVG Kiadó (20 August 2015). "Polgár Judit és Eötvös Péter kapta a Magyar Szent István-rendet". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Hungary honours Nobel laureate, Rubik's cube inventor". Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  20. ^ "Szent István Renddel tüntették ki Kertész Imrét és Rubik Ernőt". Kormányzat. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
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