Saint Benedict Medal Meaning: Jubilee Medal

The Saint Benedict Medal is one of the most famous Christian jewels. Its history, which we will discover in this article, dates back several years. It is also a religious symbol that is quite difficult to understand because of all the letters written on the medal.

So we decided to do some in-depth research to find out and share with you the true meaning of the letters of the Saint Benedict Medal and its origin .

Below you will find:

• The presentation of the Medal of Saint Benedict
• The meaning of the Saint Benedict Medal
• The Medal of Saint Benedict to defeat the devil
• The Medal of Saint Benedict and the Christian Crosses

Let's start the article right now!

The Medal of Saint Benedict and its Mysteries

Just like any other jewelry, Christian jewelry can be worn as clothing accessories. It is quite possible to wear cross earrings or a ring with the image of the Holy Virgin to go to work or simply to go for a walk. It is common to think that Christian jewelry is only suitable for going to church, but this is not true. In fact, it can be worn for all occasions, just like any other jewelry.

The Saint Benedict medal is a rather special object. Even if it does not look like it, it is a piece of jewelry. The medal can make a very beautiful pendant if you attach it to your necklace. The inscriptions on it have a specific meaning, as we have seen above. Therefore, the medal also symbolizes something, especially for Catholic believers.

On the other hand, it is important to remember that the Saint Benedict medal has the power to drive out the devil. It is therefore an object that can be used to minimize the influence that Satan could have on us. Finally, the medal can also be used to accompany prayers.

In short, the Saint Benedict medal is a truly unique piece of jewelry. Even people who are not Christians are interested in it. The drawings on it are so detailed and seem so mysterious that we immediately understand that it is an object with great power.

1) Saint Benedict Medal: Jubilee Medal

Saint Benedict had a deep faith and devotion to the cross that he passed on to successive generations of Benedictines. It was this devotion that inspired Christians to design medals in his name. On these medals, Saint Benedict was often depicted with a cross in one hand and the Rule of Benedict in the other. ✞ 📕 Over the years, the large letters surrounding the cross on the reverse were engraved. The Saint Benedict medal we recognize today is known as the Jubilee Medal and was made in 1880 under the supervision of the monks of Montecassino to mark the 1400th anniversary of Saint Benedict's birth.

Over the years, many craftsmen in the creation of religious jewelry, have produced several different religious medals of Saint Benedict. If you wish to buy a medal of Saint Benedict, we share with you beautiful original medals of Saint Benedict of Nursia.

A. Saint Benedict Medal: Symbolism

At first glance, it is immediately apparent that the St. Benedict Medal is filled with images, letters, and words. It is worth studying because every image your eye falls upon has meaning. Once explained, you will have a rich understanding of the St. Benedict Medal , which is a true spiritual treasure. Pedestals stand on either side of Benedict. The right pedestal contains a cup of wine and the other a raven about to fly away. Both represent the attempts of some monks to kill St. Benedict. Having been saved by the Lord, this reminds us that Christ will always come to the aid of those who call upon Him.

B. Saint Benedict Medal: Origin of the Jubilee Medal

Originally, the medal of Saint Benedict was in the form of a cross, and Catholic tradition teaches that Bruno of Egisheim-Dagsburg, the future Pope Leo IX, when he was a young Benedictine, nearly died from a snake bite. He attributed his eventual healing to this Benedictine cross. He was emaciated, he had even lost the ability to speak, and most people abandoned him. It was then that Bruno had a vision of a luminous ladder reaching to heaven. On the ladder, he saw Saint Benedict holding a radiant cross with which he touched Bruno, instantly healing him. The apparition disappeared immediately. When he became pope in 1049, Leo IX redesigned it in the form of a medal to which he attributed blessings and indulgences.

C. Approval of the Medal by Pope Benedict XIV

St. Vincent de Paul had a strong devotion to this sacrament and asked his Sisters of Charity to attach the medal to their rosary. This remains a common custom to this day. Pope Benedict XIV solemnly approved and recommended the use of the St. Benedict Medal to the faithful in 1742. He designed it in 1880 for the 1400th anniversary of the birth of St. Benedict , under the supervision of the Prior of Montecassino, the Most Reverend Boniface Krug (1838-1909) of Monte Cassino in Italy. Monte Cassino was given the exclusive right to strike this medal, to which were attached special Jubilee indulgences. The Jubilee Medal was first produced at the Archabbey of St. Martin, Beuron in Germany, at the request of Prior Boniface.

2) Saint Benedict Medal Meaning

Like all sacramentals, the St. Benedict of Nursia Medal serves to remind us of God and His place in our lives. It reminds us to serve and love our neighbor. This religious medal is highly valued by the Church and is often given to those who are spiritually afflicted or harassed. Once you have obtained a St. Benedict Medal , be sure to keep it with you. When used in faith, it will surely lead you to a greater love and appreciation of God. 🙏

A. Medal: Side of the Cross

The front of the Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict is engraved with a cross x on which are superimposed the letters CSSML on the vertical beam and NDSMD in the transverse beam. The letters represent the Latin words Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux: Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux which means "Let the Holy Cross be my light": Let not the devil be my guide. The letters CSPB in the 4 corners around the cross mean: Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti in Latin, and "Croix Saint Père Benoît" in French.

Around the outer edge of the medal are the letters VRSNSMV . - SMQLIVB , which in Latin means Vade Retro Satana : Lower yourself Satan, Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana : Never suggest to me futile things, Sunt Mala Quae Libas : What you offer me is bad, Ipse Venena Bibas : Drink your own poison. At the top of the medal is inscribed the Benedictine motto, " PAX " meaning " PEACE ".

B. Medal: Side of Saint Benedict

On the back of the St. Benedict medal is the figure of Benedict holding a cross and the Holy Rule . To the left of the medal is the poisoned cup (snake inside) that broke when he made the sign of the cross over it. 🍷 On the other side, the pet raven carries away the poisoned bread . 🍞 Above the cup and raven are the words Crux S. Patris Benedicti which means "Cross of the Holy Father Benedict".

The outer edge of the medal bears the inscription: Eius In Orbitu Nostro Preasentia Muniamur : "May we be strengthened by his presence at our death." Below Benedict's feet are the date and place of the first casting of the medal: EX SM CASSINO MDCCCLXXX - "Archabbey of Monte Cassino 1880."

C. Crucifix Saint Benedict

The combination of the Crucifix and the Medal of St. Benedict is called: "The Cross of a Happy Death" . Not only because of the exorcistic properties of the Medal and the image of the Body of Christ, but also because of the special patronage of St. Benedict based on his death, which Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604) described in his Dialogue:

Six days before he left this world, he gave orders for his sepulchre to be opened, and immediately falling into an agony, he began to faint from the burning heat. As the illness increased day by day, on the sixth day he ordered his monks to carry him to the oratory where he armed himself to receive the Body and Blood of the Savior Christ. And having his feeble body held in the hands of his disciples, he stood with his hands raised to heaven, and while he was thus in prayer, he gave up his spirit. A plenary indulgence is granted, under the usual conditions, to one who, at the hour of his death, kisses, touches or in any other way reveres the combination Crucifix/Medal of St. Benedict and commends his soul to the care and protection of God.

3) Saint Benedict Medal: can defeat the devil

How did Saint Benedict defeat the devil with the Cross of Christ?

The short answer is that the devil fears the Lord. When a person wears the St. Benedict medal or the St. Benedict crucifix , it is a constant reminder to think of Christ. Even at the mere mention of the name Jesus Christ, the devil shies away. Think of the faith (miracles) and love of St. Benedict that he was called to throughout his life. Below are some examples of St. Benedict's miracles and supernatural power that prove that St. Benedict was a very special being that God brought to earth.

A. Miracle of the poisoned glass

When the abbot of a nearby monastery died, the monks of the abbey, after much persuasion, convinced Benedict to become their abbot. As abbot, Benedict made them realize that they had strayed from a true path of holiness. They did not want to reform, conspired to kill him, and thus the miracle of the poisoned wine occurred. Saint Benedict made the sign of the cross and the glass broke . ✝️ After asking for God's mercy and forgiveness upon them, he left their monastery, returning to the desert and his solitary life.

B. Miracle of the Poisoned Bread

In a monastery, a priest became envious of Benedict’s virtues, even his success in leading more people to a better life. He sent Benedict a poisoned loaf of bread. Knowing that the bread was poisoned, Benedict gave the entire loaf to a raven that came looking for crumbs every evening . He ordered the raven, in the name of Jesus Christ, to take the bread and leave it in a place where no one could find it.

C. Miracle of the stone moving

Later in life, Benedict was approached by a group of men struggling mightily with the weight of a stone they were to move for the monastery they were building. Nothing they tried could move the stone. The brothers believed that the weight of the devil was upon it. Benedict prayed over the stone and blessed it . The brothers then carried the stone away as if it had no weight.

D. the value of Saint Benedict in society

Most people, including Catholics, do not realize how much the Church, Europe, and the world are indebted to St. Benedict of Nursia . The very presence of his monks in their monasteries became a stabilizing and civilizing factor, wherever they settled. It was from these centers of great learning and prayer that monks and nuns zealously continued their work of evangelization. It must be noted that many of the largest cities in Europe began as dilapidated Benedictine monasteries. Munich is the German word for monk. Monaco on the French Riviera is the Italian word for monk.

It is a pity that so many Westerners, including Catholics, are ignorant of what Benedict and his disciples , many of whom labored in holy obscurity, did for Christendom . Nearly all of these monasteries hosted monastic schools for the young. Many of these schools eventually became universities, the world's first universities: the Catholic Church established the world's first universities. St. Benedict of Nursia , Italy (480-543 A.D.), twin brother of St. Scholastica, is the father of Western monasticism. His Rule became the basis for the organization of many religious orders, including the Franciscans and the Dominicans.

4) Saint Benedict Medal: Christian Crosses

A. Saint Benedict Prayer Medal

A medal of Saint Benedict is a sacramental . It can be blessed by any priest or deacon. Here is a prayer of Saint Benedict for believers :

Dear St. Benedict, I thank God for filling you with His grace to love Him above all else and to establish a monastic rule that has helped so many of His children live full and holy lives. Through the cross of Jesus Christ, I ask you to intercede that God will protect me, my loved ones, my home, my possessions, my properties, and my workplace, today and always with your holy blessing, that we may never be separated from Jesus, Mary, and the company of all the blessed. Through your intercession, may we be delivered from temptation, spiritual oppression, physical ailments, and sickness. Protect us from drug and alcohol abuse, impurity and immorality, reprehensible companions, and negative attitudes. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 🙏🧙‍♂️

B. Saint Benedict Medal at the Christian Crosses store

Now you know the meaning of the sacred medal of Saint Benedict . Indeed, the religious medal of Saint Benedict of Nursia has become since the first years of its creation, a rare and sacred religious object. Many Christians wear both the crucifix in combination with the Medal of St. Benedict or the simple medal of Saint Benedict. They are both a sacred symbol of Christianity.

Do you wear a pendant? Do you know someone who does? Today we are going to tell you the meaning of this beautiful piece of jewelry. Click here to read our article.