ANTIQUE 18TH ST MICHAEL JAMES THE GREATER OUR LADY OF PILLAR BRONZE MEDAL For Sale

This medal is 2 inches long, weighs 25 grams, and wascast in Rome. Its sale will benefit two Carmelite Convents who feed poorkids in South America. Its provenance is my mother\'s estate collection.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Catholic Counter-Reformationreshaped Europe and expanded into the Americas to evangelize native peoples.Bronze medals were a significant but common object minted during this period.Each medal tells a unique story because they are sourced from Catholicconvents, estate collections, and metal detector enthusiasts.

Due to their use, being touched hundreds or thousands oftimes, and often being carried and worn in harsh environments, the medals willshow the natural surface wear (patina) created by their age, use in devotion,and by exposure to the elements. They are found in modern days both aboveground in sometimes buried, as with other artifacts.

HISTORICAL REFERENCE: Saint Michael: is an archangel inJudaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,Anglican, and Lutheran traditions, he is called /\"Saint Michael theArchangel/\" and /\"Saint Michael/\". In the Oriental Orthodox andEastern Orthodox traditions, he is called /\"Taxiarch ArchangelMichael/\" or simply /\"Archangel Michael/\". Michael is mentionedthree times in the Book of Daniel. The idea that Michael was the advocate ofthe Jews became so prevalent that, despite the rabbinical prohibition againstappealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, Michael cameto occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy. In the New Testament Michaelleads God\'s armies against Satan\'s forces in the Book of Revelation, whereduring the war in heaven he defeats Satan. In the Epistle of Jude Michael isspecifically referred to as /\"the archangel Michael/\". Christiansanctuaries to Michael appeared in the 4th century, when he was first seen as ahealing angel, and then over time as a protector and the leader of the army ofGod against the forces of evil. By the 6th century, devotion to ArchangelMichael were widespread both in the Eastern and Western Churches. Over time,teachings on Michael began to vary among Christian denominations.

Our Lady of the Pillar: In the Catholic tradition, OurLady of the Pillar is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is said to have appeared tothe Apostle James the Greater in 40AD while he was preaching in what is nowSpain. According to the story, Mary appeared to James while he was sitting bythe banks of the Ebro River in Zaragoza, standing on a jasper pillar with theChild Jesus. She was accompanied by thousands of angels and asked James and hisdisciples to build a church on the site. Mary also promised that the churchwould stand until the end of time and that she would appear to James again whenhe needed it most. The church, Our Lady of the Pilar in Zaragoza, is the firstchurch dedicated to Mary and is still standing today. It has survived war andinvasions, including three bombs dropped on it during the Spanish Civil War in1936-1939 that miraculously didn\'t explode. The church also features a smallwooden statue of the apparition that Mary is said to have given to James, whichstands on a jasper pillar inside the church. The statue depicts Mary holdingthe Child Jesus in her left arm, while wearing a carved crown and gracefuldrapery. Our Lady of the Pillar is the patron of Spain and all Hispanicpeoples. Her feast day is October 12, and on that day in 1492, ChristopherColumbus first arrived in America and the first Mass in the Americas wascelebrated.

This medals dating can be confirmed on pages 2 & 3 ofthe book AN INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS MEDALS, by Bob Forrest, and published byNUMISMATICA INTERNATIONAL in 2004. In addition, this book has chapters(outlined in the table of contents), describing each of the categories ofmedals, their possible place of pilgrimage (acquisition), and origin of themint where they were made.

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