Saint Benedict Medal

The two sides of a Saint Benedict Medal

The Saint Benedict Medal is a Christian sacramental medal containing symbols and text related to the life of Saint Benedict of Nursia, used by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Western Orthodox, Anglicans and Methodists, in the Benedictine Christian tradition, especially votarists and oblates.[A][1]

This religious object is also a Christian symbol of opening doors and opening difficult paths. Tradition holds that it protects from curses, evil and vice, protects against diseases and protects good health. There are similar exorcism medals and sacramentals in Christian tradition, including from the mendicant Franciscan tradition, an "inheritor" of some Benedictine traditions, called the Cross or Brief of Saint Anthony.

The reverse side of the medal carries the Vade retro satana ('Begone, Satan!')[2] Sometimes carried as part of a rosary or embedded in a scapular, it is also worn separately.


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  1. ^ Catholic Saints Prayer Book by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle 2008 ISBN 1-59276-285-9 pages 18-19
  2. ^ The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict by Prosper Gueranger ISBN 1-930278-21-7 pages viii and 51

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