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| Religious Medallion Found on Treasure Coast Shipwreck Beach. |
Today is the day on the liturgical calendar when St. Francis is celebrated. Although St. Francis died on Oct. 3, 1226, and saints are typically celebrated on the day of their death, which marks their first day in heavenly bliss. according to longstanding church tradition, St. Francis is celebrated on the Oct. 4. Here is a link if you want to know why?
I've told the story of the above medallion before, but it is one of those things that taught me an important lesson. In short, when it was found, it was totally encrusted and thought to be a coin. It was tumbled with a lot of other coins before it was realized to be a medallion. The tragedy of that is that it undoubtedly sustained some damage in the tumbler, even though it was discovered before too much was done. That is one reason I recommend frequently checking on items being tumbled or cleaned. That way, if there is such a mistake, the process can be terminated before too much damage is done.
This is also an example of an artifact that I learned a lot about from readers of this blog. First, here is what I learned about it from author and researcher, Laura Strolia.
St. Anthony of Padua had a beloved Psalter that was lost and that he begged God to be returned to him as it contained notes he'd written to help him instruct his students. In response to his prayers for the return of the book, a novice who'd left the Franciscan Order returned, bringing the Psalter (now kept at the Franciscan Friary in Bologna, Italy) with him and confessing that he'd stolen it and asking to be allowed to return to the religious life (this was granted). Thereafter, St. Anthony became the Patron Saint called on to pray with you to find lost objects.
Concerning the image on the front of the medallion, she says, The man bowing down in front of St. Anthony with head down, must be asking for forgiveness for stealing his book of Psalms (and notes). St. Anthony is forgiving while holding the book.
All of the emails that I received were helpful. I do intend to continue working on the medal.
On the back of the medallion is a prayer.
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| Prayer on Back of Medallion. |
Another blog reader, Moe, sent me the translation to the prayer on the back of the medallion. Here is what he said.
I believe that the words (Latin) on the back are a blessing that St. Francis wrote to Brother Leo.
"Benedicat tibi Dominus et custodiat te;
ostendat faciem suam tibi et misereatur tui.
Convertat vultum suum ad te et det tibi pacem"
I can see the words: Custodiat ostendat faciem miseratur convertat vultum
This prayer is known as "May the Lord give you peace".
The translation is:
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
may He show His face to you and have mercy.
May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace."
It is a very beautiful prayer for travelers.
Hope this helps.
Once again, I must express my thanks to Laura and Moe and all the readers who have helped me along the way.
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They have not examined the two other tunics in Italy that have been ascribed to Saint Francis, one of which is preserved in the city of Assisi, where he was born, and the other in the Sanctuary of La Verna in Tuscany...
The tunic in Cortona, however, was made between 1155 and 1225, coinciding with the lifetime of the "Poor Man of Assisi," as the saint was called, due to his voluntary casting away of all worldly possessions and his preaching of a simple life...
Here is the link for more about that.
Tunic Worn by Saint Francis Identified | Live Science
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov. |
It looks like we're not going to get the four foot surf predicted earlier for next week.
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| Surf Chart from Surfguru.com. |
Lots of rain this week. Check for rain erosion.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net