The Art of Symbolism
The St. Benedict Medal
Saint Benedict of Nursia wrote the Rule that shaped monastic life in the West. The medal that bears his name hides a whole prayer in a handful of letters.
“Crux sacra sit mihi lux.”
The letters
C S P B — Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti, "the cross of the holy father Benedict".
On the cross: C S S M L — Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux, "may the holy cross be my light"; and N D S M D — Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux, "let not the dragon be my guide".
Around the edge: V R S N S M V — Vade Retro Satana, Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana, "begone, Satan, never tempt me with vain things"; and S M Q L I V B — Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas, "what you offer is evil; drink the poison yourself".
Its history
In 1647 the meaning of these letters was found in an old manuscript at Metten Abbey in Bavaria. Pope Benedict XIV approved the medal in 1742, and the design most often seen today was struck at Monte Cassino — Benedict's own monastery — in 1880, fourteen hundred years after his birth.
