Antique Christian Medal of Saint Genvieve by Abbot Auguste Corbierre Circa 1920

Antique Christian Medal of Saint Francois Xavier by Abbot Auguste Corbierre Circa 1920 French Bronze Medal 2.8 centimetres Diameter

This lovely bronze medal was designed and struck by the incredibly talented Abbot Auguste Corbierre.

Auguste Corbierre was an abbot and author of scholarly works on the seventeenth-century historian Mabillon, on medieval seals, and on crosses and medals in honour of Saint Benedict. He was also an accomplished engraver and medallist who issued several medals, most notably for the canonisation of Saint Joan Of Arc.

Saint Genevieve  is the patron saint of Paris in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Her feast day is kept on January the 3rd.

She was born in Nanterre and moved to Paris after encountering Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes and dedicated herself to a Christian life. In 451 she led a "prayer marathon" that was said to have saved Paris by diverting Attila's Huns away from the city. When the Germanic king Childeric I besieged the city in 464, she acted as an intermediary between the city and its besiegers, collecting food and convincing Childeric to release his prisoners.

Her following and her status as patron saint of Paris were promoted by Clotilde, who may have commissioned the writing of her vita. This was most likely written in Tours, where Clotilde retired after her husband's death, as evidenced also by the importance of Martin of Tours as a saintly model.

This beautiful and rare medal is in excellent condition and comes from the medal collection of the chateau at Serignac sur Garonne