Editing Order of Saint Lazarus (section)

====Royal House of Savoy====
[[File:Emmanuel_Philibert_of_Savoy_(1580).jpg|thumb|[[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy]] (1528–1580), founder and first [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] of the amalgamated [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]], recognised in 1572 by Pope [[Gregory XIII]].]]
{{Main|Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus}}

With the death of the papal favorite, Castiglione, in 1572, the grand magistry of the order was rendered vacant and [[Pope Gregory XIII]] united the Italian branch with the [[Order of Saint Maurice]] to set up the [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]. This order was then linked in perpetuity with the Crown of Savoy and thenceforth the title of its Grand Master was hereditary in that house. 
 
By the time of [[Pope Clement VIII]] the order had two houses, one at Turin, was to contribute to combats on land, while the other, at Nice, had to provide galleys to fight the Turks at sea. But when thus reduced to the states of the Duke of Savoy, the order merely vegetated until the French Revolution, which suppressed it. In 1816 the King of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel I, re-established the titles of Knight and Commander of Sts. Maurice and Lazarus, as simple decorations, accessible without conditions of birth to both civilians and military men.<ref name=Moeller/>

This became a national order of chivalry on the [[Italian unification|unification of Italy]] in 1861, but has been suppressed by law since the [[birth of the Italian Republic|foundation of the Republic]] in 1946. Since 1951 the order has not been recognized officially by the Italian state. However, the House of Savoy in exile continued to bestow the order. Today, it is granted to persons eminent in the public service, science, art, letters, trade, and charitable works.