american delegation of savoy orders

AMERICAN DELEGATION OF SAVOY ORDERS
June 23, 2015
Dear consoeurs, confreres and devotees of merit,
Attached are the invitation and reservation forms for the Savoy Orders September 25 28, 2015 events in Geneva, St. Maurice d’Agaune and Savoy.
Please take a moment to open the attachment and let us know if you will attend this
unique series of events. Those who attended the last Convocation in Geneva remember
what a truly memorable time we had.
We look forward to hearing from you and hope that as many as possible will join us so
that the American Delegation will once again be well represented at these beautiful
events in Switzerland and France.
With best wishes and warm personal regards, I remain
Sincerely,
Carl J. Morelli
Delegate
P.S. Please note the Chancellery 's requirement that knights and dames of the Savoy Orders who are not
current in payment of their annual quota are not invited to attend these events.
Capitolo Generale (Chapter General)
Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy
Geneva, September 25- 28, 2015
His Royal Highness Victor Emmanuel
Duke of Savoy, Prince of Naples,
Head of the Royal House of Savoy,
Grand Master of the Dynastic Orders,
is pleased to invite you
Saturday, September 26 2015
to a Gala Evening Benefiting the Charitable Works
of the Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy
in Hotel President Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland
Sunday, September 27, 2015
to a Solemn Mass
in the Abbey of Saint Maurice d’Agaune,
Valais, Switzerland
AMERICAN DELEGATION OF SAVOY ORDERS
CHAPTER GENERAL, INSTALLATION, CHARITY BENEFITS IN SWITZERLAND
AND GUIDED TOUR OF HISTORIC SAVOY SITES IN SAVOY, FRANCE
Part 1: September 25 – 27, 2015
Geneva - Saint Maurice d’Agaune, Switzerland
Part II: September 25 and 28, 2015
Welcome Dinner in Geneva and Tour of Historic Savoy Sites in Savoy, France
Exclusively for the Dames, Knights and Devotees of Merit
of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and of the Order of Merit of Savoy
and their Guests
PART I – SWITZERLAND
Geneva, Switzerland
Hotel President Wilson
Members of the American Delegation at the Royal Abbey of Saint Maurice
d’Agaune, Valais, Switzerland
Page 1
American Delegation Members at the 2011 Capitolo in Geneva
1. To Reserve for the Weekend Events: Complete the Participation Form on page 4 and send it to the Savoy
office by email or fax for the following events: Chapter General and Charity Benefit in Geneva, Switzerland
and St. Maurice d’Agaune and for the one-day tour of Savoy historic sites in Savoy, France.
2. To make your own Geneva hotel and air travel reservations: Use the following Hotel President
Wilson link if you wish to stay at the headquarters hotel to take advantage of special rates.
www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/AICODS. Air travel arrangements and hotel reservations should be
made now.
3. If you do not intend to stay at the Hotel President Wilson: Please advise us of the name of your hotel,
its address and telephone number.
4. For anyone needing the assistance of a travel agent: You can call Mr. Steve Wagner, Pro Travel
International, at 212-702-2615.
La Perle du Lac Restaurant on the shore of Lake Geneva
Page 2
CHAPTER GENERAL OF THE ORDER OF SAINTS MAURICE AND LAZARUS
CONVOCATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF MERIT OF SAVOY
&
TOUR OF HISTORIC SAVOY SITES IN SAVOY, FRANCE
September 25 – 28, 2015
PROGRAM
Friday, September 25
8:00 PM
Dutch Treat Welcome Dinner for Delegation Members and their Guests
La Perle du Lac Restaurant, Geneva (Tie and Jacket) Bring local (Swiss) currency.
Saturday, September 26
Hotel President Wilson - Geneva
2:30 PM
Installation Ceremony* and Presentation of Diplomas and Blessing of the
Church Mantles for the Order of Merit of Savoy and Order of the Saints
Maurice and Lazarus (Dark Suits). New members bring their church robes.
Followed by
AICODS General Assembly (Dark Suits)
8:30 PM
Welcome Cocktail Reception (White or Black Tie with Orders and Decorations)
9:00 PM
Gala Charity Benefit (White or Black Tie with Orders and Decorations)
Sunday, September 27
Hotel President Wilson, Geneva - Abbey of Saint Maurice, Valais – Hotel President Wilson
10:00 AM
Chancellery buses leave for Saint Maurice from the Hotel (Dark Suits)
11:30 PM
Assembly of members of the Orders with Church Robes in the Sacristy
12:00 PM
Solemn Mass (Church Robes) in the presence of the Grand Master His Royal
Highness, Duke of Savoy, Prince of Naples
1:45 PM
Charity Buffet Luncheon (Dark Suits)
Followed by
Departure of Chancellery buses to Geneva and Geneva airport
Monday, September 28
American Delegation Tour of Savoy Historic Sites in Savoy, France**
9:00 AM
Departure from Hotel President Wilson (Tie and Jacket)
(Bring your passports for Swiss/French border crossings)
10:30 AM
Royal Abbey of Hautecombe
1:00 PM
Lunch at Michelin Guide rated L’Auberge du Père Bise
2:30 PM
Chateau d’Annecy
6:00 PM
Return to Hotel President Wilson
*Please note the following protocol: If you are receiving a decoration at an installation ceremony, please do not wear
the insignia or rosette of that Order and grade until after the Diploma conferring your honor has been officially
presented to you.
**Note: This tour and final tour price depend upon the number of persons participating.
Page 3
CHAPTER GENERAL OF THE ORDER OF SAINTS MAURICE AND LAZARUS
CONVOCATION OF THE ORDER OF MERIT OF SAVOY
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Saturday September 26 through Monday, September 28, 2015
PARTICIPATION FORM
Name____________________________________________________________________________________
Order and Grade___________________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________City________________State______Zip Code_____________
Email________________________________________________Phone_______________________________
PART I – CHANCELLERY EVENTS
□ I will attend the Saturday, September 26 installation ceremony
for the Order of Merit of Savoy (OMS)
with ____ guests
for the Order of Sts. Maurice & Lazarus (OSSML)
with ____ guests
□ I will participate in the Saturday, September 26 Benefit Dinner @ $475 per person.
Total: $ _____________
My guests for the Benefit Dinner* are ____________________________________________________
□ I will attend the Sunday, September 27 Solemn Mass wearing my Church robe of OSSML ____
OMS ____
□ I will make use of the Chancellery bus between Hotel President Wilson, Geneva and Saint Maurice
with ____ guests.
□ I will attend the Sunday, September 27 Buffet Luncheon at St. Maurice @ $75 per person.
□alone □ with ___ guests
Total: $______
My guests for the Buffet Luncheon are _____________________________________________
PART II – AMERICAN DELEGATION EVENTS
□ I will participate in the Friday, September 25, Dutch treat American Delegation Welcome Dinner
My guests for the Delegation Dinner will be: ______________________________________________
□ I will participate in the Monday, September 28, 2015 all-day Tour “Historic Savoy Sites in Savoy, France”
@ $ 450 per person. (Note: Passports are required for border crossings)
(Please note: Tour and pricing may depend upon the number of participants)
□alone □with ___ guests
Total Tour Cost: $______________________
My guests for the tour are______________________________________________________________
□ Total Amount of Check Enclosed $_________________________________________________________
Please make your check payable to “The American Delegation of Savoy Orders.”
Please note: You may reserve immediately, but this form with your payment must be received
no later than August 25, 2015
*The Chancellery can consider requests for group seating for tables of 10 persons at the Gala on Saturday.
The Chancellery has customarily seated the American Delegation members and guests together
Page 4
AMERICAN DELEGATION OF SAVOY ORDERS
PARTII
ITINERARY– Historic Savoy Sites Tour in Savoy, France September 28, 2015 Exclusively for American Delegation Members and their Guests The castles and abbeys around Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in Switzerland and
France reflect the long history of the Savoy Dynasty. This family had a dominant
influence in the past on the Swiss, Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions, which
together were termed “Duché de Savoie.” This full day tour includes private
transportation, tour guide, gourmet lunch, admission fees, taxes and gratuities.
Itinerary times are approximate.
(Note: All tour arrivals and departures will be from the Hotel President
Wilson in Geneva.)
(Note: Tour itinerary subject to change for logistical considerations.
Tour and prices may depend upon number of participants)
(Note: Passports required as we will be crossing the border to France) 9:00 am: Departure from Geneva to the Royal Abbey of Hautecombe in Savoy Monday morning departure of the American Delegation tour from the Hotel President Wilson, en route to the ancient town of Annecy and the Royal Abbey of Hautecombe in the Savoie region in France. Passing bucolic villages and alpine passes and accompanied once again by English speaking tour guide, Mme. Chantal George, the tour group will cross the border from Switzerland into Savoy, France. (Passports required) Under the sovereignty of the Savoy Dynasty from about 1,000 to 1860, this greatly coveted frontier region was for centuries a nation in its own right, powerful and independent, with its own rich history and traditions. Charming ancient streets of Annecy
Page 5 Visit to the Royal Abbey of Hautecombe: Royal Abbey of Hautecombe
Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury (1245–1270), son of Count Thomas I of Savoy, was buried in the sanctuary of the abbey church. He had come from England with King Edward I to accompany him on a crusade, but died at the castle of St. Helena in Savoy. The abbot Anthony of Savoy, a son of Charles Emmanuel I, was also buried there in 1673 as was the Savoy King Charles Felix of Sardinia‐Piedmont after his death in 1831. The last Savoy king of Italy, Umberto II, was entombed in a separate chapel in 1983 and was joined with his wife Queen Marie‐José following her death in 2001. Located on the west bank of Le Bourget Lake, overlooking the expansive lake, the Royal Abbey of Hautecombe is renowned for being the necropolis of the House of Savoy and several of the Savoy kings and queens. It is the most widely visited monument in Savoy. It is a former Cistercian monastery, later a Benedictine monastery, in Saint‐Pierre‐de‐
Curtille near Aix‐les‐Bains, in Savoy, France. Hautecombe was for centuries the burial‐place of the Counts of Savoy. Count Humbert III (1135‐1189), known as "Blessed", and his wife Anne were interred there in the latter part of the 12th century; and about a century later Page 6
1:00 pm Lunch: L’Auberge du Père Bise, Annecy, Haute Savoie, France.
After working up an appetite touring
all morning, the group will be treated
to lunch honoring local culinary
traditions in a charming, picturesque,
regional and historic restaurant,
L’Auberge du Père Bise. Located on
the banks of Lake Annecy in the
village of Talloires, 30 miles south of
Geneva, the Auberge du Père Bise is a
splendid place, at once elegant,
charming and sophisticated. Michelin
rated, it is one of only 19 top
establishments in France. Surrounded
by protective mountains - the water of
Lake Annecy is reputed to be one of
the purest in the world - inspiring Paul
Cezanne’s splendid painting of the
same name. The Père Bise, a hundredyear-old inn, is beautifully situated
between lake and mountains. The
restaurant has a breathtaking view
from its terrace on the lake. The chef
Sophie Bise is famous for her creative
dishes which are also sculpted to look
as lovely as they taste. Sophie Bise
only works with regional and local
fresh products and is particularly
known for her refined gourmet
preparations using fish from Annecy
Lake with a perfect combination of the
most savory ingredients.
Page 7
2:30 pm: Departure for Château d’Annecy Annecy is located between Geneva and the old Savoy capital of Chambéry. Thus its history was strongly influenced by these two towns between the 10th and the 19th century. Starting as the capital of the county of Geneva after the demise of the last of the Counts of Geneva, it became integrated into the House of Savoy’s possessions in 1401. In 1444, the town was designated by the Princes of Savoy as the capital of a region covering the possessions of the Genevois, Faucigny and Beaufortain. With the advance of Calvinism 1535, it became a center for the Counter‐
in Reformation and the bishop’s see of Geneva transferred here. Saint Francis of Sales was who was bishop of Annecy, was born at the nearby castle of Sales in 1567. Panoramic Vista of Annecy
Picturesque Annecy Canal
In 1416, Amadeus VIII, the count of Savoy became the family’s first Duke of Savoy, a title which was to legitimize at European level the geostrategic role of Savoy and which was to earn its rulers the appellation of "Gatekeepers of the Alps," since they controlled key western crossings from Northern Europe into the Italian peninsula. With the gradual unification of the Italian regions by the House of Savoy, the Savoy region was ceded to France on June 14, 1860, the last province to become part of the French nation. Château d'Annecy is a restored castle which The dominates the old French town of Annecy. It was bought by the town, restored and transformed into a museum, le musée‐château d'Annecy. The castle is listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture. The castle was built between the 12th and centuries. It served as the residence of the 16th Counts of Geneva and the Dukes of Genevois‐
Nemours. Several times the victim of fires, the castle was abandoned in the 17th century and later repaired to serve as a barracks until 1947. The town of Annecy acquired the castle in 1953, restored it with the help of Monument historiques and installed a museum.
Château d'Annecy
6:00 pm: Approximate time of arrival in Geneva Page 8