THE 1997 Fifteenth Anniversary Investiture
Saturday, June 21, 1997

The Religious and Military Order
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

© 1997 The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All rights reserved. No part of this article or its photographs may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the copyright holder. One archival copy may be downloaded and printed for private use.

The Investiture

The Investiture Ceremony follows ancient tradition. The Vigilants enter first and take their positions in the first pew on the Gospel side of the Altar. Afterwards, the Investiture Officers and the Officers of the Supreme Council enter, along with Clergy and Nobility. The entry is made to ancient middle-Eastern music. There are prayers on behalf of the silent Vigilants, who are then released from their Vows of Silence so that they can join in in prayer and the reading of Psalms. It is interesting to note that the cassock of the Knight is a garment, not an overgarment; thus, it is not made to go over street clothes.

Men are made Knights first and symbolically receive the spurs and sword of the Knight by touching them when they are presented. Men are dubbed with the sword. Then the women are made Knights. The making of a Dame of the Holy Sepulchre, following the tradition established in the 16th century when women were first admitted to Orders of Chivalry, differs slightly in that the spurs are not presented, and the Dame does not touch the sword when it is presented. Also, the sword is not used in the dubbing of a Dame. Note, however, that in this Order the responsibilities, rights, offices, and privileges of the Chevalier and the Dame are identical. Men and women of the Order are, collectively, known as "knights."

The Knight is presented with the various items of Knighthood, including the neck medallian and Scapular Reliquary of the Order. Also presented are the documents of Knighthood. Then, the Riassa (the long black cape) is placed upon the new Knight, who then returns to the pew.

Entry

The Vigilants enter in the chronological order of their approval to receive Investiture

The Investiture Officers and Dignitaries

The Investiture Officers and the Supreme Council enter, preceded by the Standard Bearer (Chev. Daniel Hall, KOHS), the Mace Bearer (Chev. Roal Broen, KHS), the Spurs Bearer (Chev. the Rev. Paul Durzan, KOHS), and the Sword Bearer (Chev. Henry C. Parker, GCdHS)

Prayer

Assembled Knights and Vigilants stand for Prayer led by the Grand Prior.

The Knighting

The moment at which the Rank and Status of Knighthood is granted is called "The Encrestment" at which time the Sovereign Grand Master imposes his right hand on the head of the Vigilant and speaks the words which begin "Be a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre...." Once the Vigilant is made a Knight, the accouterments of Knighthood can then be given, including the dubbing.

The Dubbing

The dubbing follows the act of creating the Knight and is the Rite which confirms that the new Knight has the right to bear Arms. Many Orders of Chivalry combine the Investiture of Knighthood and the Dubbing into a single act, but this Order separates the two Rites.

The Charge to Knighthood

The charge to courage follows the Cuff, the traditional blow to the left cheek of the new Knight.

Another Charge to Knighthood

Here, a Dame is shown receiving the charge to courage.

The 1997 Investiture Class Portrait

The new Knights gather with the Sovereign Grand Master

The 1997 Investiture Knights in Attendance

All Chevaliers and Dames attending the Investiture gather for a group portrait.

Your questions and comments about the Vigil and Investiture are welcome and may be made via eMail by clicking HERE.

To return to the previous Vigil page, click HERE
To go to the next page, the ten post-Investiture photographs, click HERE
To go to the History of the Holy Sepulchre, click HERE
To return to the Noble House of Maxalla main page, click HERE