CODE | Material |
Standard
|
Price | |
oR0555 | see description | Hand-made | 7.00 EUR |
|
How old?: around 1400. br>
Finding place: England (Salisbury ?)
Details: h.: 35 mm w. 35mm.
Meaning: It is unknown if this is a pilgrim souvenir or a amulet with saint. Life of st.Barbara
is known only from legend. Probably she lived in IV century. Due to story, she was daughter
of rich townsman. Secretly she converted to Christianity and swore purity. Her father tried to
break her vow and force her to marry and locked her in tower. When despite his efforts she
rejected his will, he accused her in court. For her Christian faith she was sentenced to death. Her
father cut off her head himself. After death she became saint . People preyed to her asking for
safety against fire, lightings and explosions, so she is a patron of miners, fireman and gunners.
Pewter badges were first introduced as pilgrim souvenirs from different places of
Christian cult around Europe and the Holy Land. The earliest findings of this type comes from
about second half of XII th. century, fall of their popularity is beginning of XVI th. century.
They're closely connected with development of pilgrimages among Christians. Pilgrim
badges were a solid prove of finishing a long journey to places were once saints lived. About
XIV th. century secular badges also appeared.
ATTENTION: dates showed in this catalogue tells only how old was the material used for the
original. It doesn't mean that the badge was used only then.
The pewter badges as well as their descriptions are provided to us by Bartosz So³tysiak who bases them on historical sources.