Order of La Pléiade

For the Persian female order, see Order of the Pleiades (Iran).

Officer's Cross of the Order of La Pléiade.

The Order of La Pléiade (French: l'ordre de la Pléiade de l'Association des parlementaires de langue française), sometimes also referred by the anglicised name Order of the Pleiades, is an award of the Francophonie, and is intended to recognize those who have particularly distinguished themselves by serving the ideals of cooperation and friendship of the Francophonie.

The award was created in 1976 on initiative of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and is named after La Pléiade, a group of 16th-century French Renaissance poets whose principal members were Pierre de Ronsard, Joachim du Bellay and Jean-Antoine de Baïf. The name was a reference to another literary group, the original Alexandrian Pleiad of seven Alexandrian poets and tragedians (3rd century B.C.), corresponding to the seven stars of the Pleiades star cluster.

Classes

The award exists in the style of an order of knighthood and is issued in five grades:

• Grand Cross (Grand Croix)
• Grand Officer (Grand Officier)
• Commander (Commandeur)
• Officer (Officier)
• Knight (Chevalier)

Insignia

The badge of the Order of La Pléiade is a seven-pointed star, blue enameled at both sides. The obverse silver central disc features a silver coloured compass rose, surrounded by a blue enamel and silver edged ring with the text "la Pléiade, ordre de la Francophonie", this itself surrounded by seven small silver stars, referring to the Pleiades star cluster. The reverse silver central disc features in silver the Adolphe Bridge in Luxembourg, the state where the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie was founded. The bridge also symbolizes the unity in the French-speaking world.

The ribbon is sky blue with small yellow stripes near each border.