Deities

After many years rifling through objects in the Roman flea market of Porta Portese I came upon a bounty of prayer cards that are so beloved by the Italians for their symbolism and cultural significance.

Saint Francis lived between 1181 and 1226 and was born into a wealthy family. He was imprisoned during a war and became very ill and is said to have received powerful Christian visions who told him to help the poor. His family disowned him when he gave away all his belongings and pursued a life of charity. 

Forever associated with nature and ecology, people believed that Saint Francis could speak to birds who would then fly away in the shape of a cross. One famous story states that the saint tamed a wolf who was terrorizing a town. Francis supposedly made the wolf sign a treaty that he dictated and the wolf left the townspeople in peace.

I have a friend who swears she had a supernatural "experience" at his church in Assisi, Italy. I went there to see if the same thing might happen within my own spiritual terrain. I remember there being a car show on the piazza and knowing I needed to break up with my boyfriend at the time, but, unfortunately, I did not speak with Nature. Nonetheless, I will never forget her story.  

The handmade pendant is one half inch wide by one inch long.