Country: Vatican City, Rome - Pius XII (Pope 1939-1958)
Type: Token / Medal
Date: ND (1939-1958)
Composition: Bronze
Weight: 5.3 g
Diameter: 21 mm
Thickness: 1.2 mm
Shape: Round with a loop
Grade: VF25
Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑
Obverse:
Portrait of Pius XII facing to left, legend around.
Lettering:
• PIVS • XII • PONT • MAX
Reverse:
Representation of the Byzantine icon of "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" (it was attributed to Andréas Ritzos around 1492). Latin legend around.
Lettering:
S•MARIA DE PERPETVO SVCCVRSV
Edge:
Plain.
Comment:
Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary as represented in a celebrated 15th-century Byzantine icon also associated with the same Marian apparition.
The icon originated from the Keras Kardiotissas Monastery and has been in Rome since 1499. Today it is permanently enshrined in the Church of Saint Alphonsus, where the official Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help text is prayed weekly.
On 23 June 1867, Pope Pius IX granted the image its Canonical Coronation along with its present title. The Redemptorist Congregation of priests and brothers are the only religious order currently entrusted by the Holy See to protect and propagate a Marian religious work of art. In the Eastern Orthodox Church iconography, the image is known as the ”Virgin Theotokos of the Passion” due to the instruments of the Passion of Jesus Christ present on the image.
The feast day of the image is celebrated on June 27, with novena devotions held every Wednesday. Under Pope Pius XII's Pontificate, the image was designated as the national Patroness of the Republic of Haiti and Almoradi, Spain.
Due to promotion by the Redemptorist Priests since 1865, the image has become very popular among Roman Catholics. Modern reproductions are oftentimes displayed in residential homes, commercial establishments, and public transportation.
Collezione : Médailles & Objets Liturgiques