Médaille de la Famille française
Encyclopedia
The Médaille de la Famille française (Medal of the French Family) is a decoration
awarded by the government
of France
to honour those who have successfully raised several child
ren with dignity.
of May 26, 1920, under the name Médaille d'honneur de la famille française (Medal of Honour of the French Family) with the aim of honouring mother
s of large families. The text of the decree underwent several changes before being completely reformed by a decree of October 28, 1982, which renamed the decoration Médaille de la Famille française (Medal of the French Family). This decree came into force on January 1, 1983, and was completed by an arrêté (administrative order) of March 15, 1983. The reform opened the award of the decoration to father
s or anyone else who had raised several children in an appropriate way: for example, the Catholic
priest
Père Mayotte, curate
of the parish
of Randan, Puy-de-Dôme
was granted the award in recognition of his raising the six children of his housekeeper
, a widow
who died suddenly.
for those raising four or five children, silver
for parents of six or seven children, and gold
for those with eight or more children. A bronze medal is also granted to widowed mothers of three children whose husbands have been killed in action. The recipient's eldest child must be at least sixteen years old. The medal is decorated with the words "Famille Française" ("French Family") and a modernistic image of a couple
and their children. The words "République Française" ("French Republic") are inscribed on the reverse side. The ribbon
is divided vertically into three equal parts, the outer two being red and the inner green. Recipients of silver and gold medals are also granted a rosette
in the same colours.
s and legal guardian
s since the 1982 reforms, this applies only in cases of widowhood or abandonment
: the medal is only granted to divorce
d parents in the most exceptional circumstances. The medal may be awarded posthumously, provided that the application is made within two years of the recipient's death.
State decoration
State decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization....
awarded by the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to honour those who have successfully raised several child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren with dignity.
History
The decoration was created by a decreeDecree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
of May 26, 1920, under the name Médaille d'honneur de la famille française (Medal of Honour of the French Family) with the aim of honouring mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
s of large families. The text of the decree underwent several changes before being completely reformed by a decree of October 28, 1982, which renamed the decoration Médaille de la Famille française (Medal of the French Family). This decree came into force on January 1, 1983, and was completed by an arrêté (administrative order) of March 15, 1983. The reform opened the award of the decoration to father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
s or anyone else who had raised several children in an appropriate way: for example, the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Père Mayotte, curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Randan, Puy-de-Dôme
Randan, Puy-de-Dôme
Randan is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
was granted the award in recognition of his raising the six children of his housekeeper
Housekeeper (servant)
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
, a widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
who died suddenly.
Decoration
Three classes of medal exist: bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
for those raising four or five children, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
for parents of six or seven children, and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
for those with eight or more children. A bronze medal is also granted to widowed mothers of three children whose husbands have been killed in action. The recipient's eldest child must be at least sixteen years old. The medal is decorated with the words "Famille Française" ("French Family") and a modernistic image of a couple
Couple
Couple may refer to:*Two items of a type.**Two members of an intimate relationship*Couple , a system of forces with a resultant moment but no resultant force*Thermocouple, a type of temperature sensor...
and their children. The words "République Française" ("French Republic") are inscribed on the reverse side. The ribbon
Ribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying. Cloth ribbons, most commonly silk, are often used in connection with clothing, but are also applied for innumerable useful, ornamental and symbolic purposes...
is divided vertically into three equal parts, the outer two being red and the inner green. Recipients of silver and gold medals are also granted a rosette
Rosette (decoration)
A rosette is a small, circular device that is presented with a medal. The rosettes are primarily for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate. Rosettes are issued in nations such as France, Italy and Japan...
in the same colours.
Conditions
Recommendations or applications for the award must be deposited at the local town hall. An enquiry into the family is then conducted. If the enquiry reports positively, the final decision on whether to grant the award belongs to the prefect of the department. While the award has always been open to mothers raising families alone, and to other single parentSingle parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
s and legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
s since the 1982 reforms, this applies only in cases of widowhood or abandonment
Abandonment
The term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...
: the medal is only granted to divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d parents in the most exceptional circumstances. The medal may be awarded posthumously, provided that the application is made within two years of the recipient's death.