THE ORDER OF SAINT PETAR OF CETINJE was named in memory of the most popular spiritual and military Vladika of Montenegro, Petar Petrović Njegoš (º1747, †1830; Vladika 1781-1830), canonised in the Montenegrin Orthodox Church as St. Petar of Cetinje (Sveti Petar Cetinjski; October 18/31 in the Julian/Gregorian calendar) by his nephew and successor Vladika Petar II Petrović Njegoš (º1813, †1851).

Among all the Montenegrin decorations and more generally, all the Orders of Merit, the Dynastic Order of Saint Petar is one of the most unusual decoration of its kind, as its design finds its origin in a discarded primary project for the Order of Danilo I, thus explaining why its insignia makes no reference to St. Petar of Cetinje and bears similar inscriptions than the Order of Danilo I, i.e. the figures “1852-3”, the name “Danilo of Montenegro” (Danil Crnogorski) [1] as well as the motto “For Independence of Montenegro” (Za Nezavisimost Crne Gore) [2].

In spite of that, because it has been rarely awarded outside the circle of the Family Petrović Njegoš, the Order of Saint Petar is one of the most esteemed Montenegrin decorations.

The typical badge of the Order is a gilded silver ball-pointed Maltese cross, with arms guilloché enamelled red, edged by two en plein enamelled large white and small blue strips from the center to the border, each band being separated by a tine line of gilded silver. The obverse central medallion, guilloché enamelled red in its center, bears an applied gilded standing figure of the Virgin Mary, referring to a prayer for troops going to fight, encircled by the gilded inscription “ДАНИЛЬ ЦРНОГОРСКІИ” in Russian Cyrillic (Danil of Montenegro), on en plein blue enamel; the reverse central medallion bears the applied gilded figures “1852-3” on guilloché red enamel encircled by “ЭА НЕЭАВИСИМОСТЬ ЦРНЕ ГОРЕ” in Russian Cyrillic (For Independence of Montenegro), on en plein blue enamel. The guilloché enamelled red roundel and the en plein enamelled blue circle are themselves encircled by a tine line of gilded silver. Between the arms of the Maltese cross are intercalated four leopards passant in solid gold, with a surmounting fifth one in the crosspit of the upper arm. The cross is a pendant from a solid silver double head eagle, princely crowned in solid gold, applied on the bottom of a silk moire ribbon, folded in triangular shape, with equal strips of red, blue and white.

If the idea of a Merit Order associated to the memory of Petar I can be attributed to Petar II, Prince Danilo I (º1826, †1860) is indirectly its real initiator, as part of a primary creation project for the Order of Danilo I.
Contacted as one possible designer during his stay in Vienna, Austria (between 1846-1858), the famous Serbian artist Anastas Jovanović (º1817, †1899) worked on a project of a three classes Order for Montenegro, as attested by several pre-1860 rough watercolors showing a 60mm breast star and a 38mm Knight badge in a design very similar to the one of a lower class, the only pre-seried.
Best known as photographer and lithographer, Jovanović (see right, wearing the Cross of Danilo I type 2 received in thanks for his work not selected, 1854) was a designer with a great reputation, Majordomo at the Court of Prince Mihajlo III Obrenović (º1823, †1868) who worked, amongst other things, on the Serbian Gold Cross for Loyalty (1858), first medal of the Serbian Principality to reward participants of the St. Andrea Assembly in 1858.

For manufacturing cost reasons, Jovanović’s design was not kept — Prince Danilo rather choosing a cross model in silver-plated bronze, thus ceasing the work of Jovanović on higher classes.

The pre-series of insignias of lower class manufactured as model for Prince Danilo I were then forgotten until 1869-1871 when Prince Nikola I, looking for an original gift for Russian Emperor Alexander II Nikolaevich (º1818, †1881), godfather of his son, Crown Prince Danilo Aleksandar, puts this series of medals back in the news by naming them “Order of Saint Petar”. Tsar Alexander II was the first recipient of the Order, awarded on June 29, 1871.

During his reign, King Nikola I never organised the Order and maintains it as a single class Dynastic Order, rewarding only members of the Montenegrin Royal Family and related, e.g. Aleksandar I of Serbia (º1888, †1934), son of King Petar I (º1844, †1921) and Ljubica “Zorka” Petrović Njegoš (º1864, †1890); Voivode Ilija Plamenac (º1821, †1917); Voivode Božo Petrović Njegoš (º1846, †1929); Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy (º1869, †1947), husband of Jelena Petrović Njegoš (º1873, †1952); etc.