From their earliest days, the Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies has always had the well-being of the peoples of southern Italy and Sicily in their hearts. The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies ruled Southern Italy from 1734 to 1860.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the largest sovereign state on the Italian peninsula, by both population and size, prior to Italian unification. Comprising the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of Rome, the history of the kingdom and the Royal Family were inextricably tied from the very beginning.  

Despite the end of their territorial kingdom over 150 years ago, when the many states of the Italian peninsula were united between 1860 and 1871, the current members of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies have proven that their hearts never left home. 

His Royal Highness Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Head of the Royal House and Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, directed the efforts of the Constantinian Order Charitable offices to support Southern Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Constantinian Order Charity’s fundraising efforts were unique amongst other COVID-19 relief efforts undertaken in Italy, as the funds raised were used to support hospitals and establishments in Italy’s seven southern regions, where a lack of intensive care equipment could have meant dire consequences as the epidemic spread southwards.

Italian regions supported by the Charity’s efforts include Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, and Sicily. Donations made to the Constantinian Order Charity were distributed equally to hospitals in these regions with fewer resources who were in need of increasing their equipment and intensive care capacity.

To date, their efforts have raised nearly $300,000, with an initial $50,000 donation coming from the Constantinian Order itself, and another $50,000 having been raised by the United States Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.

Hospitals that have benefited from this fundraiser include the Cotugno Hospital in Naples, notable for the fact that none of its medical personnel have been affected by COVID-19 due to extreme sanitary measures put in place by hospital administration.

Donations to the initiative came from all over the world, many of which were in honor of a victim of the pandemic. One such donation was an anonymous $5,000 gift in honor of Vincenzo Martino, a native of Sicily who died of COVID-19 on April 8, 2020. Martino was the owner of an eatery in Hackensack, New Jersey, and was recently honored by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies for his efforts in organizing an annual feast in honor of the Blessed Mother in New Jersey.

The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies holds the Grand Magistry of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, which is considered one of the most ancient dynastic orders of knighthood of the Catholic Church. The Order’s modern-day mission is to foster public assistance and social solidarity, particularly through charitable works and hospital aid.

For more information, visit www.constantinanorder.charity/en.

About the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a chivalric Order of Knighthood with origins dating back to Emperor Constantine, who founded the Order following the miraculous appearance of the Cross at Saxa Rubra. For this reason, the Constantinian Order has been considered one of the most ancient among the chivalric Orders of Knighthood. The main purpose of the Order is the propagation of the faith and the glorification of the Holy Cross. The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organization granted the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Special Consultative Status in 2011, as a sign of appreciation of numerous charitable and humanitarian activities all over the world. The Order has delegations in each Italian region, the United States and most European countries.