Antique Rosary For The Souls in Purgatory, Very Rare Circa 1885

Antique Rosary For The Souls in Purgatory, Very Rare Circa 1885

This an extremely rare and much travelled Rosary.

It is nowhere near as macabre as it sounds. In fact the rosary is designed to be prayed for the souls in purgatory so that they may ascend to heaven.

The Catholic Church has a rich history of praying for the souls in Purgatory, with devotions beginning as early as 336 in Constantinople. Over the centuries, religious orders and special associations dedicated themselves to the comfort of the souls of the dead. One such group, the Confraternity of Our Lady of Suffrage, began in Rome in 1592 and is still active today. In fact, it and other groups experienced a revival in France between 1850 and 1914.

In 1873, the design and recitation of the Rosary of the Dead was approved by Pope Pius IX. The rosary contains four decades, 3 spacer beads, one bead on the drop, and a crucifix. A medal of Notre Dame du Suffrage is often attached with the crucifix. With this rosary the attached medal has St Francis of Assisi on one side and St Anthony of Padua on the other.

The link medal is of bronze and has The Miraculous Medal on one side and the Marian symbol on the other.

The medal is aluminium. This would have been an expensive medal at the time as it was produced before the introduction of the mass production of aluminium.

Each of the beads are carved natural bone.

Overall, this antique rosary is in excellent antique condition and is sure to please any serious collector.

It measures 30 centimetres in length.

Naturally it will ship with full international tracking.