Sovereign Reclaimant Order of Melure

This article is about the modern Gregorian order. For its medieval predecessor, see Knights Reclaimant.

Sovereign Reclaimant Order of Gregory and of Saint James of Melure Souveräner Reklameorden des Gregorius und des Heiligen Jakob von Melur (Ruthish) Sovrano Ordine Reclamante di Gregorio e di San Giacomo di Melura (Astarian) Supremus Vindicaris Ordo Gregorius et Sancti Ioacabus Meluranensis (Hernician)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Defendendi et adiuvandi (Hernician) "Defend and help"
Anthem: Iter Rubrum Crucis (Hernician) "Red Cross March"
Capital	Melure (city-state) 18°29'S 86°7'E
Official languages	Ruthish
National language	Hernician (de jure) Astarian (de facto)
Religion	Southern Cathedralism (state religion)
Demonym(s)	None (de jure) Meluran (de facto)
Government	Unitary theocratic Southern Cathedralist elective monarchy
• Prince and Grand Master	Victor Matusz
• Grand Commander and Land Master	Giuseppe Arigo Chiaravalloti
• Grand Chancellor	Julian Padovan
• President of the Governorate	Aldo de Lorenzo
Legislature	Governorate
Sovereign subject  of international law
• X	X
Area
• Total	0.71 km2 (0.27 sq mi)
Population
• 2023 estimate	4,327
• Density	6,094.6/km2 (15,784.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$117.0 million
• Per capita	$27,045
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$99.4 million
• Per capita	$22,982
Currency	Torin (Ⱦ, CT)
Time zone	UTC+1 (Eastern Calesian Time, ECT)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+482
Internet TLD	.XX

The Sovereign Reclaimant Order of Melure (SROM), officially the Sovereign Reclaimant Order of Gregory and of Saint James of Melure and commonly known as the Order of Melure, the Knights Reclaimant, or simply the Reclaimants, is a Southern Cathedralist religious and chivalric military order and a sovereign entity of international law presiding over a micro city-state that is surrounded by, and has historically been a part of, Melure, Cassany. With an area of about 0.71 km² (0.27 sq mi) and a population of 4,327 permanent inhabitants in 2023, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world both by area and by population.

As governed directly by the order, which claims continuity with the medieval Knights Reclaimant founded in 1349 by the Blessed Hugo of Worn in the wake of the Catabole, the state is an ecclesiastical sacerdotal elective monarchy headed by the Grand Master, who is also the Prince of Melure. The highest functionaries of state are all professed members of the order, of which there were approximately 12,200 worldwide in 2024. Since the Hyacinthean Schism (1520–1608), the order has continually retained institutional unity and resided at Agnesberg Palace in modern-day Melure.

The independent state of the SROM in its current form came about with the X on 3 October X, which delineated the quasi-sovereignty of the order over the Old Town of Melure; the city has been under near continuous Reclaimant rule, with brief interruptions, since its formal re-establishment in 1350. Despite the order's independence and wholly autonomous foreign policy, its defense is the responsibility of Cassany, besides the the traditional knightly Military Corps. Through its special political relationship and monetary union with Cassany, the order also uses the torin as its sole currency. Due to its urban geography, the economy of the microstate is highly developed and centered around the service sector, though voluntary donations by religious visitors contribute significantly to the order's income.

Today, the order is predominantly committed to its traditional focus on providing humanitarian assistance and aid to children, elderly, disabled, terminally ill, homeless, and refugees on a global scale. Additionally, the relief corps organization Global Reclaimants provides disaster response and emergency management for natural disasters and wartime violence without self-imposed constraints regarding issues of ethnicity, nationality or religion; this has been met with international praise and pronounced criticism throughout the 20th century. The order maintains formal diplomatic relations with 29 countries, and it has been a permanent observer state of the United Congress since 1974.

Geography

Overview map of the city-state of the SROM, highlighting notable buildings and locations

Governance and organization

Agnesberg Palace (Burg Agnesberg) is the official residence of the Prince and Grand Master, and the headquarters of the Knights Reclaimant.

Notes

a.^ Ruthish: Souveräner Reklameorden des Gregorius und des Heiligen Jakob von Melur; Astarian: Sovrano Ordine Reclamante di Gregorio e di San Giacomo di Melura; Hernician: Supremus Vindicaris Ordo Gregorius et Sancti Ioacabus Meluranensis