St Gennaro or Januarius Medal – Patron of Naples, Italy – Sterling Silver Antique Replica

Description Size: 1 inch Material: Sterling silver This beautiful medal features St Gennaro dressed in his bishop’s robes. The inscription is in Italian and translates as “St Gennaro Patron of Naples”. The reverse shows a panoramic view of the Bay of Naples with Mt Etna in the background. St Gennaro, or Januarius, was an early martyr of the church who was beheaded during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian around 350. According to legend, a fellow Christian collected a bottle of his spilled blood, and it is this same blood that we see today in a sealed glass reliquary. Every year on the first weekend of May, the blood is carried in procession to the cathedral of Naples and prayers are said for the intercession of St Gennaro. In response his blood changes from a congealed black mass to to liquid red blood. It typically happens every year and failure to do so is said to portend a misfortune for the city. The medal was cast in sterling silver from an antique medal in the Rosa Mystica Collection so it shows all the beauty and history of the original piece. It comes with a matching holy card in an organza gift bag, ready for gift-giving, and was made in the USA.