St. Michael on a Scallop Shell Pendant

This highly detailed pendant is a replica of a pilgrim sign from Mont-Saint-Michel, dated to the 14th or 15th century. Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island barely off the coast of Normandy – the island can be reached from shore at low tide and is cut off at high tide (except that there is now a raised causeway which preserves access). It has been occupied since time immemorial. By the middle of the sixth century, a small number of religious hermits were living on the island, but in 708 Aubert, Bishop of Avranches received a command from St.Michael to erect an oratory on the island. This first church was dedicated in 709. Successive building campaigns and the establishment of a Benedictine community resulted in one of the major pilgrimage sites of the Middle Ages.

Of particular interest to us is that this pilgrimage created an incredible number and variety of pilgrim signs. Many show the scallop shell associated with pilgrimage (on the pattern of the actual shells from Santiago de Compostela). All show the saint, often destroying a devil in honor of of the Archangel’s role as the leader of the heavenly forces. Some include the fleur de lis, the Lily of France, as St. Michael became recognized as the patron saint of the French monarchy.

It takes two molds to produce this sign, one for the shell and one for the archangel, which is soldered onto the shell. The original sign we copied was found in 1858 and was in the collection of Arthur Forgeais, the first scholar to publish a large number of pilgrim signs and secular badges found in France. We have a Pinterest board of Mont St. Michel badges of this sort.

Michael was venerated as the patron of military and chivalric orders and was called upon as an intercessor for the dying. He is now the patron saint of police officers, paramedics and the military.

His feast day is Sept. 29. Read more about St. Michael on our page for a brooch showing him defeating Satan.