St Benedict Crucifix

Each pendant engraved with "925 Italy" to guarantee the quality of the authenticity the uniqueness of their products and continue the tradition of their ancestors. 

 

Sterling silver gets the name 925 silver because, for every 925 parts silver, 75 parts of metal are mixed into the composition. Since the 1300s, this has been the quality standard and still is the standard practiced by high-end jewelers.

 

Since the 1800s, Italian sterling silver has always been synonymous with high-quality craftsmanship all around the world. Their level of skill, art, and design has been passed down from generation to generation since the Ancient Roman Empire. 

 

From 1933 to 1944 and then again in 1968, Italy’s government imposed regulations that made it easy for sellers and consumers to identify the manufacturer of sterling silver. It also included a label of how pure silver was and the name of the maker. While it has been changed since then, their practice shows how high their silver craftsmanship is and how your investment will be worth the price of their silver.

 

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During his life, St. Benedict was known to work many miracles using the power of the Holy Cross. Among these included his heroic flight from temptations and miraculous escapes from traps set to kill him.

 

Saint Benedict became known for his power over the Devil, with the Holy Cross as his efficacious instrument to make the Devil flee. The St. Benedict medal is based on this tradition.

 

The medal as we commonly know it today (the Jubilee medal) was first made in 1880 to commemorate the fourteenth centenary anniversary of St. Benedict's birth by the Archabbey of Monte Cassino, the most important monastery established by the Saint in the 6th century.

 

On the front of the medal is St. Benedict holding a cross and his rule. To one side is a poisoned cup and a raven on the other―both references to a Benedictine hagiography mentioned earlier. Above the cup are the words:

 

Crux sancti patris Benedicti

(The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict)

 

Surrounding St. Benedict are the words:

 

Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur!

("May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death")

 

This is a reference to the saint being a Patron of a Happy Death along with St. Joseph. On the back is a cross with the letters C S S M L - N D S M D. these are the initials of the words:

 

Crux sacra sit mihi lux! Non draco sit mihi dux!

("May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my overlord!")

 

The larger letters, C S P B, stand for:

 

Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti

("The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict").

 

Surrounding the back of the medal are the letters V R S N S M V - S M Q L I V B which refer to the prayer of the Rite of Exorcism:

 

Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! 

Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas!

("Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities!

What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!")

 

Finally, at the top is the word PAX which means "peace."