Saint Benedict medal Meaning: Jubilee medal

The Medal of St. Benedict is one of the best-known pieces of Christian jewelry. Its history, which we will discover in this article, dates back many years. It's also a religious symbol that's quite difficult to understand because of all the letters inscribed 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 on the Medal of St. Benedict and its origin.

Below you'll find..:

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

Let's start the article now!

The mysteries of the Saint Benedict medal

Just like any other piece of jewelry, Christian jewelry can be worn as a clothing accessory. It's perfectly possible to wear cross earrings or a ring bearing the image of the Blessed Virgin to work, or simply to go for a walk. It's often thought that Christian jewelry is only suitable for church, but this is not true. In fact, it can be worn for any occasion, just like any other piece of jewelry.

The Saint Benedict medal is a very special item. Even if it doesn't look like it, it's a piece of jewelry. If you attach it to your necklace, it makes a beautiful pendant. The inscriptions on it have a precise meaning, as we saw above. So the medal also symbolizes something, especially for Catholic believers.

It's also important to remember that the Saint Benedict medal has the power to cast out the devil. So it's an object we can use to minimize the hold Satan might have over us. Finally, the medal can also be used to accompany prayers.

In short, the Saint Benedict medal is a jewel in a class of its own. Even non-Christians are interested in it. The designs on the medal are so detailed and seem so mysterious that it's immediately clear that this is an object of 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, St. 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 St. 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 St. Benedict's birth.

Over the years, many artisans in the creation of religious jewelry, have produced several different religious medals of Saint Benedict. If you'd like to buy a St. Benedict medal, we share some beautiful original medals of St. Benedict of Nursia.

A. Saint Benedict medal: Symbolism

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

B. Saint Benedict Medal: origin of the Jubilee Medal

Originally, the Saint Benedict medal was shaped like a cross, and Catholic tradition teaches that Bruno d'Egisheim-Dagsbourg, the future Pope Leo IX, as a young Benedictine, almost died from a snake bite. He attributed his eventual recovery to this Benedictine cross. He was emaciated, 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 St. Benedict holding a radiant cross with which he touched Bruno, healing him instantly. The apparition disappeared immediately. When he became pope in 1049, Leo IX redesigned it as a medal to which he attributed blessings and indulgences.

C. Approval of the Medal by Pope Benedict XIV

Saint Vincent de Paul had a strong devotion to this sacrament, and asked his Sisters of Charity to attach the medal to their rosary beads. 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 St. Benedict's birth, under the supervision of the Prior of Montecassino, the Most Reverend Boniface Krug (1838-1909) of Monte Cassino, Italy. Monte Cassino was granted the exclusive right to mint the medal, to which special Jubilee indulgences were attached. The Jubilee medal was first produced at the Archabbey of St. Martin in Beuron, Germany, at the request of Prior Boniface.

2) Saint Benedict Medal Significance

Like all sacramentals, the medal of Saint Benedict of Nursia 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've obtained a Saint 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 St. Benedict Jubilee Medal is engraved with a cross 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, meaning “May the Holy Cross be my light”: “May the devil not be my guide”. The letters CSPB in the 4 corners around the cross stand for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti in Latin, and Cross Saint Father Benedict in English.

Around the outer edge of the medal are the letters V.R.S.N.S.M.V. - S.M.Q.L.I.V.B, which in Latin means Vade Retro Satana: Lower Satan, Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana: Never suggest futile things to me, Sunt Mala Quae Libas: What you offer me is evil, Ipse Venena Bibas: Drink your own poison. At the top of the medal is the Benedictine motto, “PAX” meaning “PEACE”.

B. Medal: Saint Benedict's side

On the back of the Saint 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 inscribed the words Crux S. Patris Benedicti, meaning “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. ‘Beneath Benedict's feet are the date and place of the medal's first casting: EX S M CASSINO MDCCCLXXX - ’Archabbey of Monte Cassino 1880.”

C. Saint Benedict Crucifix

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

Six days before leaving this world, he gave the order to open his sepulchre, and immediately falling into agony, he began to faint under the effect of a burning heat. As his illness increased from day to 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 weak body held in the hands of his disciples, he stood with his hands raised to heaven, and as he was thus in prayer, he gave up his spirit. A plenary indulgence is granted, under the usual conditions, to anyone who, at the hour of death, kisses, touches or otherwise reveres the Crucifix/St. Benedict Medal combination and commends his or her soul to God's care and protection.

3) Saint Benedict's Medal: little defeats the devil

How did St. Benedict defeat the devil with the Cross of Christ?

The short answer is that the devil fears the Lord. When a person wears the Saint Benedict medal or the Saint Benedict crucifix, they are constantly reminded to think of Christ. Even at the mere mention of the name of Jesus Christ, the devil shies away. Think of the faith (miracles) and love to which St. Benedict was called throughout his life. Below, we give you some examples of St. Benedict's miracles and supernatural power, proving that St. Benedict was a very special being whom 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 refused to reform, conspired to kill him, and so the miracle of the poisoned wine occurred. Saint Benedict made the sign of the cross and the glass shattered. ✝️ After asking God's mercy and forgiveness on them, he left their monastery, returning to the desert and his solitary life.

B. Miracle of the poisoned bread

In one monastery, a priest became envious of Benedict's virtues, even of his success in leading more people to a better life. He sent Benedict a loaf of poisoned bread. Knowing that the bread was poisoned, Benedict gave the whole loaf to a raven that came every evening for crumbs. 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 moving stone

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

D. Saint Benedict's value to society

Most people, including Catholics, don't realize how much the Church, Europe and the world owe to St. Benedict of Nursia. The very presence of his monks in their monasteries has become a stabilizing and civilizing factor, wherever they have settled. It was from these centers of learning and prayer that monks and nuns zealously pursued their work of evangelization. It's worth pointing out that many of Europe's largest cities began life as dilapidated Benedictine monasteries. Munich is the German word for monk. Monaco, on the Côte d'Azur, is the Italian word for monk.

It's a pity that so many Westerners, including Catholics, are unaware of what Benedict and his followers, many of whom worked in holy obscurity, did for Christianity. Almost all these monasteries hosted monastic schools for young people. Many of these schools eventually became universities, the world's first universities: the Catholic Church created the world's first universities. Saint Benedict of Nursia, Italy (480-543 AD), twin brother of Saint Scholastica, is the father of Western monasticism. His Rule became the basis for the organization of many religious orders, including the Franciscans and Dominicans.

4) Saint Benedict medal: Christian crosses

A. Saint Benedict Prayer Medal

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

Dear St. Benedict, I thank God for having filled you with his grace to love him above all things and to establish a monastic rule that has helped so many of his children to live a full and holy life. Through the cross of Jesus Christ, I ask you to intercede so that God may protect me, my loved ones, my home, my goods, my property and my workplace, today and always through your holy blessing, so 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 from the Christian Jewelry™ store

By now, you know the significance of the sacred medal of Saint Benedict. Indeed, the religious medal of Saint Benedict of Nursia has become a rare and sacred religious object since the early years of its creation. Many Christians wear either the crucifix in combination with the Medal of St. Benedict or the simple Medal of St. Benedict. Both are sacred symbols of Christianity.