HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
September 3rd, 2026
It is with great joy, that the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr announces the establishment of a lasting alliance of friendship, fraternity, and cooperation with the historic House of Zaccaria de Damalà.
Born from a shared devotion to the Orthodox Christian Faith and a common love for the Christian heritage of the East, this alliance brings together two institutions of distinct yet complementary character. One carries forward an ancient dynastic inheritance deeply connected with the history of the Eastern Roman world; the other represents a contemporary, lay Orthodox expression of Christian chivalry dedicated principally to humanitarian service and the Christian communities of the Holy Land and Middle East.
The alliance was formally concluded on August 9th between His Most Excellency Konstantine Pandolfi, Grand Knight and Temporal Head of the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr, and His Royal Highness Constantine Paul Zaccaria de Damalà, Prince of Achaea and Head of the House of Zaccaria de Damalà.
The friendship between the Order and the House is further enriched by the spiritual guidance of His Grace Bishop Ignatios of Salona, who serves as Grand Chancellor of the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr and as High Almoner and Prelate of the House of Zaccaria de Damalà. His Grace’s relationship with both institutions provides a natural spiritual bond between us and reminds us that our common endeavors must always remain rooted in faith, charity, humility, and service.
The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr occupies a distinctive place within the modern Orthodox Christian world. Established as a lay Orthodox Order of Chivalry independent of dynastic foundation or succession, the Order understands itself to be the first non-dynastic lay Orthodox Order of Chivalry of its kind, bringing the ancient Christian ideals associated with chivalry into an institution whose purpose is not the preservation of temporal privilege, but active Christian service.
The Order’s identity rests upon its Orthodox Christian character, its ecclesiastical blessings and spiritual relationships, and the humanitarian mission it has developed throughout the Christian East. Through charitable assistance, humanitarian advocacy, diplomacy, cultural preservation, and direct relationships with Orthodox hierarchs, Churches, institutions, and communities, the Order seeks to give contemporary expression to the ideals of Faith, Honor, Charity, and Service.
The House of Zaccaria de Damalà brings to this friendship its own remarkable inheritance. Rooted in the history of Chios and the Morea and connected genealogically with the Imperial House of Palaiologos, the House represents an important surviving link with the Byzantine and medieval Christian world.
According to its genealogical tradition and documentation, the House of Zaccaria de Damalà is the only existing dynastic house possessing a traceable genealogical connection to the Palaiologoi, the final Imperial dynasty of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire. Its heritage therefore represents an extraordinary historical continuity with the final centuries of Byzantium and with a civilization whose spiritual, cultural, and ecclesiastical inheritance continues to shape Orthodox Christianity.
It is in the meeting of these two traditions that this alliance finds particular meaning.
The House represents dynastic continuity; the Order represents a living, non-dynastic Orthodox tradition of chivalric service. One carries forward an inheritance received through lineage and history, while the other carries forward the ideals of Christian chivalry through faith, charitable action, and service. Neither diminishes the other. Rather, each brings its own identity, dignity, and purpose to a friendship founded upon mutual respect.
Within this spirit of fraternity, His Royal Highness Constantine Paul Zaccaria de Damalà has graciously accepted the honorary dignity of Royal Patron of the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr. The Order welcomes His Royal Highness in this role as an expression of personal friendship, mutual esteem, and his support for the Order’s Christian and humanitarian mission.
The dignity of Royal Patron is honorary and fraternal in character, symbolizing the close friendship between the House and the Order and His Royal Highness’s commitment to encouraging the Order’s charitable and humanitarian work. It carries no governing authority over the Order and does not alter the Order’s identity, leadership, ecclesiastical relationships, or institutional independence.
Likewise, the House recognizes the character, mission, and chivalric traditions of the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr. As a visible expression of the friendship between our institutions, the Order has been accorded the honor of displaying its arms in heraldic association with those of the House, including their presentation upon the Imperial Double-Headed Eagle, in accordance with the heraldic traditions recognized between our institutions.
These honors do not establish the identity, legitimacy, or authority of either institution. Rather, they are visible expressions of the friendship and mutual recognition that exist between them. The Order and the House each enter this alliance possessing the fullness of their respective identity, heritage, governance, traditions, and independence. Nothing is surrendered by either; instead, each contributes its own strengths to a relationship intended to advance shared Christian purposes.
For the Order, the true significance of this alliance will ultimately be found not in ceremony, titles, or heraldry, but in the good that may be accomplished together.
Throughout the Holy Land and Middle East, ancient Christian communities continue to preserve a living inheritance stretching back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. Their churches, monasteries, sacred places, traditions, and families are not simply monuments of history; they remain living witnesses to the Faith.
Through this alliance, the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr and the House of Zaccaria de Damalà look forward to supporting humanitarian initiatives, preserving Christian heritage, strengthening cultural and spiritual ties, encouraging charitable works, and developing new opportunities for cooperation throughout the Christian East.
In this friendship, history and service meet: an ancient dynastic tradition and a modern lay Orthodox chivalric institution, united not because either requires the other for its identity, but because both recognize the greater good that may be accomplished through friendship and cooperation.
We therefore enter this alliance looking not only toward the inheritance of the past, but toward the responsibilities of the future—as friends, partners, and brothers in the Orthodox Christian Faith, each respecting the dignity and traditions of the other and each committed to placing what has been entrusted to us at the service of Christ and His people.
May this alliance grow in friendship, bear good fruit through charity and service, and contribute to the preservation and strengthening of the Christian presence throughout the Holy Land and the wider Christian East.
