Religious Medal of Saint Benedict, 1880

This Italian medal from the 19th century, by an anonymous engraver, depicts Saint Benedict. Benedict was born around 480 in Umbria and was of noble origin. After his studies in Rome, he lived for three years as a hermit in the solitude of a cave. He was held in high esteem by the local monks and when their abbot died, he was asked to become their superior. Benedict refused for a long time, but finally he agreed. He applied the rules very strictly, so that the monks began to complain that they had asked him to be their superior, so that one day they poisoned his wine. By a miracle, the wine cup broke and Benedict understood the attempted murder. He then went back to living as a hermit and gained many followers. This formed the basis for the monastic communities, formed according to his rules. On this medal, besides Benedict, the poisoned wine cup is depicted with a snake above it; the depicted bird refers to a variation on the legend, in which a raven took a poisoned piece of bread (instead of wine) from him.