Condecoration of Order of Leopold of Belgium

The Order was created by Count Félix de Mérode, State Minister, on June the 8th, 1832. Established by King Leopold I of Belgium on July the 11 of the same year, the award was originally reserved for Belgium military personnel. Later on, the award could also be bestowed upon citizens and foreigners as a reward for services to the crown.

The award consists of a sash, a badge and an pin. The pin is shaped by eight diamond decorated rays in silver. At its center, it depicts a rampant lion upon a black enameled background, surrounded by a gold-rimmed circle in red enamel. An inscription on the latter reads: “EENDRACHT MAAKT MACHT” “L’ UNION FAIT LA FORCE”. The sash is purple, decorated at the bottom by a royal crown from which the badge hangs. The badge bears the symbol of the rampant lion within a golden circle (like the one on the pin), upon a white enameled Maltese cross adorned with laurel wreaths. The rampant lion is substituted by a golden symbol on the reverse.

In October of 1956, King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium visited Chile; a visit that was marked by a demanding agenda. The Belgium order was bestowed on President Eduardo Frei Montalva in this occasion.