Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania

The National Decorations System of Romania (Romanian: Sistemul Naţional de Decoraţii) is divided into six categories, listed below. It was re-established in 1998, after a 50-year period of during which Romania used a Soviet-style system of decorations. It is very similar to the system used in Romania in the interwar period.

The list is ordered in descending order of the awards' rank in the National System of Decorations.

National decorations

1. Ordinul naţional "Steaua României" — (Order of the Star of Romania);
2. Ordinul naţional "Serviciul Credincios" — (National Order "Faithful Service");
3. Ordinul naţional "Pentru Merit" — (National Order "For Merit");
4. Crucea naţională "Serviciul Credincios" — (National Cross "Faithful Service");
5. Medalia naţională "Serviciul Credincios" — (National Medal "Faithful Service");
6. Medalia naţională "Pentru Merit" — (National Medal "For Merit").

Commemorative decorations

1. Ordinul "Victoria Revoluţiei Române din Decembrie 1989" — (Order Victory of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989);
2. Crucea Comemorativa a celui de-al doilea Război Mondial, 1941-1945 — (Commemorative Cross of the Second World War, 1941–1945);
3. Crucea Comemorativa a Rezistenţei Anticomuniste — (Commemorative Cross of the Anti-communist Resistance);
4. Medalia Comemorativă "150 de ani de la naşterea lui Mihai Eminescu" — (Commemorative Medal "150 Years from the birth of Mihai Eminescu").

Military decorations in time of peace

1. Ordinul "Virtutea Militară" — (The Order "The Military Virtue");
2. Ordinul "Virtutea Aeronautică" — (The Order "The Aeronautical Virtue");
3. Ordinul "Virtutea Maritimă" — (The Order "The Matitime Virtue");
4. Ordinul "Bărbăţie şi Credinţă" — (The Order "Manhood and Faith");
5. Medalia "Virtutea Militară" — (The Medal "The Military Virtue");
6. Medalia "Virtutea Aeronautică" — (The Medal "The Aeronautical Virtue");
7. Medalia "Virtutea Maritimă" — (The Medal "The Matitime Virtue");
8. Medalia "Bărbăţie şi Credinţă" — (The Medal "Manhood and Faith").

Civil decorations on domains of activity

1. Ordinul "Meritul Agricol" — (The Order "The Agricultural Merit");
2. Ordinul "Meritul Cultural" — (The Order "The Cultural Merit")^[1];
3. Ordinul "Meritul Diplomatic" — (The Order "The Diplomatic Merit");
4. Ordinul "Meritul Industrial şi Comercial" — (The Order "The Industrial and Commercial Merit");
5. Ordinul "Meritul pentru Învăţământ" — (The Order "Merit for the Education");
6. Ordinul "Meritul Sanitar" — (The Order "The Sanitary Merit");
7. Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Order "The Sportive Merit");
8. Medalia "Meritul Agricol" — (The Medal "The Agricultural Merit");
9. Medalia "Meritul Cultural" — (The Medal "The Cultural Merit")^[1];
10. Medalia "Meritul Diplomatic" — (The Medal "The Diplomatic Merit");
11. Medalia "Meritul Industrial şi Comercial" — (The Medal "The industrial and Commercial Merit");
12. Medalia "Meritul pentru Învăţământ" — (The Medal "Merit for the Education");
13. Medalia "Meritul Sanitar" — (The Medal "The Sanitary Merit");
14. Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Medal "The Sportive Merit").

^[1]"The Cultural Merit" Order and medal are divided into nine equal classes (A to I), corresponding to the cultural field it is awarded. The ribbon of both the Order and the Medal gave the same design (on white background) and stripes of different colors, to identify each class:

categoria A - literatura — category A - literature

categoria B - muzica — category B - music

categoria C - artele plastice — category C - plastic arts

categoria D - arta spectacolului — category D - show arts

categoria E - patrimoniul cultural naţional — category E - national cultural patrimony

categoria F - promovarea culturii — category F - promoting of culture

categoria G - cultele — category G - religious cults

categoria H - cercetarea ştiinţifică — category H - scientific research

categoria I - arhitectura — category I - architecture

Wartime military decorations

1. Ordinul "Mihai Viteazul" — (The Order "Mihai Viteazul");
2. Ordinul naţional "Steaua României" — (Order of the Star of Romania);
3. Ordinul naţional "Serviciul Credincios" — (National Order "Faithful Service");
4. Ordinul naţional "Pentru Merit" — (National Order "For Merit");
5. Crucea naţională "Serviciul Credincios" — (National Cross "Faithful Service");
6. Medalia naţională "Serviciul Credincios" — (National Medal "Faithful Service");
7. Medalia naţională "Pentru Merit" — (National Medal "For Merit");
8. Ordinul "Virtutea Militară" — (The Order "The Military Virtue");
9. Ordinul "Virtutea Aeronautică" — (The Order "The Aeronautical Virtue");
10. Ordinul "Virtutea Maritimă" — (The Order "The Matitime Virtue");
11. Ordinul "Bărbăţie şi Credinţă" — (The Order "Manhood and Faith");
12. Medalia "Virtutea Militară" — (The Medal "The Military Virtue");
13. Medalia "Virtutea Aeronautică" — (The Medal "The Aeronautical Virtue");
14. Medalia "Virtutea Maritimă" — (The Medal "The Matitime Virtue");
15. Medalia "Bărbăţie şi Credinţă" — (The Medal "Manhood and Faith");
16. Medalia "Meritul Sanitar" — (The Medal "The Sanitary Merit").

Honorific signs

1. Honorific Sign "The Vulture of Romania";
2. Honorific Sign "The Reward for the Work in the Public Service";
3. Honorific Sign "In the Service of the Country" for officers and special statute public functionaries;
4. Honorific Sign "In the Service of the Country" for warrant officers and special statute public functionaries.

References

• (Romanian) The official website of the Chancellery of the Orders of Romania