Rare Bronze Medal of Denis-Auguste Affre, Archbishop Of Paris, Martyred 1848, Circa 1860

Rare Bronze Medal of Denis-Auguste Affre, Archbishop Of Paris, Martyred in 1848, Circa 1860, 2.3 cm In Diameter

Denis-Auguste Affre (27 September 1793 – 27 June 1848) was Archbishop of Paris from 1840 to 1848. He was killed while trying to negotiate peace during the June Days uprising of 1848.

His cause of canonization has commenced and he is titled as a Servant of God.

On 23 June 1848, faced with starvation due to plans by the French government to close the National Workshops it had recently created in order to provide work to the poor, a large segment of the citizenry began rioting, setting up barricades in the streets of Paris. The crisis led to the government's handing dictatorial powers over the nation to General Louis Eugène Cavaignac, who was determined to use all force necessary to crush the rebellion and ordered the French National Guard into Paris. Seeing the carnage caused among the civilian population by this campaign, Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, begged Affre to intervene to stop the bloodshed. The archbishop was led to believe that by his personal involvement peace might be restored between the military and the insurgents.

Accordingly, on 25 June, in spite of the warning of Cavaignac, Affre mounted the barricade at the entrance to the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, bearing a green branch as sign of peace to address both sides. He had spoken only a few words, however, when the insurgents, hearing some shots and feeling that they had been betrayed, opened fire upon the National Guard. Affre fell, struck by a stray bullet. He was taken to his palace, where he died on 27 June.

On the next day, the National Assembly of France issued a decree expressing its great sorrow over Affre's death, and the public funeral held on 7 July was one of the most striking public spectacles of the period. The crowd following his cortege was estimated to have numbered about 200,000 people.

Affre was buried in the Chapel of Saint-Denis in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. His heart was removed and preserved in the chapel of the Carmelite Seminary, which he had founded. The pectoral cross which he was wearing when he was shot—seen in his portrait—is preserved by the Archdiocese of Paris as a relic

Please note that all medals, pendants, crosses or other items on this site are vintage or antique and have been previously owned and loved which is reflected in their condition. Where there is any significant damage I will mention it in the description or clearly photograph it.

The medal measures 2.3 cm in diameter and weighs 4.2 grams