ANNUNCIA'DA. 1. The religious order of the heavenly annunciation, or of the nuns of the annunciation of Mary, was instituted by Victoria Fornare at Genoa in 1682, after the rule of St. Augustine. All the convents of the order in France, Ger many, and the Netherlands have disappeared since the French revolution. Some still exist in Italy. 2. Another order of the annunciation. or of nuns of Mary's announce ment or the ten virtues, was endowed by John of Valois at Bourges in 1501, after its separation from Louis XII. In 1514, it was placed under the authority of the Fran ciscans. This order, which extended to fifty convents for the reception of poor gentle women, was broken up at the revolution. 3. The order of knights of the annunciation in Savoy, ordine auprenza dell' annunciate, known orirrinally as the order of the neck chain or collar, was instituted iu 1360 by Amadeus VI., duke of Savoy. rt received statutes from Amadeus VIM in 1409; was renewed in 1518 under the name of the holy annunciation; and in 1720 was raised by Victor Amadeus to be the first order of the kingdom of Savoy. The king is always grand master. The knights, who, since 1720, are not limited in number, must be of high rank, and already admitted to the orders of St. Mauritius and St. Lazarus. They compose only one class. The decoration is a
gold medal, on which is represented the annunciation, surrounded fly love-knots. It is usually- worn suspended by a simple gold chain; but the proper collar or chain of the order 1S composed alternately of love-knots and roses. On the roses are engraved the letters F. E. R. T., which some interpret Fortitudo ejus Rhodum tenuit, in allusion to the defense of Rhodes by Amadeus I., and which others hold to signify Frappes, entree, rompes taus. Since 1680, the knights wear on the left breast a star embroidered in gold. The four supreme officers of the order—the chancellor (always a bishop or archbishop), the secretary (usually the minister of foreign affairs), the almoner (usually the king's first almoner), and the treasurer—wear the decoration round the neck, suspended by a sky-blue ribbon, accompanied by a star on the left breast. For details of costumes, etc., see Burke's Book of Orders of Knighthood, p. 250, et seq.