The washing of the feet is one of the greatest gestures of God’s love. Here is how it happened and how it is repeated every year between the rites of Holy Thursday

There is one particular episode that is told only in one of the four Gospels. It is the washing of the feet, that is, the moment when Jesus, having found himself for the last time with the Apostles to have the Paschal Supper, kneels down and washes the feet of each of them. This gesture of absolute humility on the part of the Master towards his disciples is not mentioned in the synoptic Gospels, that is, those of Mark, Matthew and Luke. It is present only in the Gospel of John, where instead the institution of the Eucharist is lacking.

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But what does this episode mean? We must think that among the many Jewish customs there was that the head of the family had to wash the hands of the guests before starting the Easter dinner. Moreover, in the Jewish world washing someone’s feet was a manifestation of great hospitality and devotion, a gesture that the servant reserved for the master, or the wife for the husband. The fact that on the occasion of the Last Supper, it was Jesus who undressed himself, wrapped his hips with the towel, the cloth that was used precisely for this practice, and kneeling puts the act of washing the feet under a completely new light.

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Last Supper for Neapolitan Nativity Scene

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In the last general audience before Easter 2021 Pope Francis recalled that: “Jesus replaced the sacrificial victim – the Paschal Lamb – with himself: his Body and his Blood give us salvation from the slavery of sin and death. Salvation from all bondage is there It is the evening when He asks us to love each other by making us servants of one another, as He did by washing the disciples’ feet.”

The story in the Gospel of John

Here is briefly how John in his Gospel tells the episode of the washing of the feet (John 13). Jesus decreed a place to meet with the Apostles. The Lord knew that His time in the world was coming to an end and He wanted to spend His last moments with those He had loved most: “Knowing that His time had come to pass from this world to the Father after He loved His own in the world, He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1). Then, while the supper has begun and Judas’ betrayal has already triggered the series of tragic events that will lead to His arrest, Jesus gives them a great example of humility and brotherly love: he gets up, strips, wraps a towel around his hips, takes a basin and begins to wash the feet of other men, one after another.  Peter rebels against that gesture, astonished, but Jesus tells him that only by accepting him he can be with him and share everything with him.

What Jesus does is to show his disciples what he expects they will do after He is gone, a continuous and total giving to others, living daily the love for neighbour and the mercy of which he was a prophet for the time of his brief mission on earth. If He who is Master and Lord lowers himself has such a humble act, done only to please and care for another person, why should not the Apostles and like them we all? Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles and becomes Servum servorum Dei, servant among the servants of God. Thus he says to His Apostles: “Verily, I say to you: a servant is not greater than his master, neither is an apostle greater than he who sent him” (John 13,16).

It is through gestures like this that the Kingdom of Heaven is earned. To Peter, who protests and refuses to let his feet be washed, Jesus answers: “If I do not wash you, you will have no part with me”, as if to emphasize that only by following him and imitating him also in those humble gestures will the disciples deserve to share with him the glory that will come. In the Gospel of John Jesus addresses the Apostles after having risen and clothed himself with these words: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord and you say well, because I am. Therefore, if I, the Lord and the Master, have washed your feet, you also must wash your feet. For I have given you an example, because as I have done, you also do” (John 13,12-15).

The rite of Holy Thursday

For the Catholic Church, the washing of the feet is a symbol of God’s love. Among the rites of Holy Week that prepare for Easter and in particular among those of Holy Thursday, there is the evening mass, Mass in Cena Domini, which recalls the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. Holy Thursday is the last day of Lent and the first of the so-called Easter Triduum, the three most important days of Christian Easter, which culminate on Easter Sunday and encompass the central time of the liturgical year and some of the main mysteries related to Jesus: the institution of the Eucharist, the passion, death and descent into hell and resurrection. In addition to the institution of the Eucharist on the occasion of Holy Thursday, the washing of the feet is also accomplished.

The Catholic Church has practised the rite of washing the feet on many occasions and with variations, over the centuries. Practised in monasteries on the evening of Holy Thursday when a guest arrived, as a sign of humility and emulation of Jesus, it then became a rite performed by the Bishop, who on that day Saint washed the feet first to the canons and then to the poor. Then the rite was transformed again: the Bishop had to wash the feet of thirteen poor people. The Cistercians used to wash their feet every Saturday in their monasteries.

Before the anti-Covid-19 norms also limited the customs of the Church, Pope Francis had revolutionized the rite of washing the feet by arranging that also women and then non-believers could receive from him that gesture of fraternal love. Moreover, Jesus said at the Last Supper: “You too must wash your feet one another” (John 13,14).

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The Mount of Olives has since ancient times been a place of mysteries, the scene of great biblical events. This is where the Passion of Jesus begins.

Scripture does not only speak of characters and events related to the history of the Faith. We have seen how there are references to trees and flowers that hold various symbolic meanings, as well as animals that become emblems and embodiments of spiritual concepts and mysteries. But there are also references in the Bible to special places that were the scene of pivotal events for Christians, and which retain the essence and deepest meaning of those events even today. One of those places is the Mount of Olives.

It is a hill that still stands to this day east of Jerusalem, and was once covered with olive trees, indeed, from which it got its name. Instead, the Arabs call it Jabal at-Tur, “Mount of the Summit,” but also “mountain par excellence,” “holy mountain.” Here, at the foot of the Mountain, once stood Gethsemane, better known as the Garden of Olives, a small plot of land in which Jesus withdrew in prayer and dialogue with God after the Last Supper, shortly before He went to meet His destiny.

But more generally, the Mount of Olives is mentioned in the Scripture as the setting of important events in the history of Christianity. Let’s see which ones.

The biblical episodes that occurred on the Mount of Olives.

The prophet Zechariah is the first to mention the Mount of Olives. If his prophecies are correct, it will be from the Mount of Olives that all the dead will begin to rise at the end of time, to welcome the return of Jesus: “On that day his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives which is opposite Jerusalem toward the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in two, from east to west, forming a very deep valley; one half of the mount shall withdraw toward the north, and the other toward the south” (Zech 14:4). This is the reason why Jews began using the mount as a burial place from ancient times, and even today they are willing to pay considerable sums of money to be able to rest there. In fact, the Jewish cemetery still stretches across the slope of the Mount of Olives. It is more than three thousand years old and is the oldest cemetery in the world. You can visit it and walk among the more than 150,000 graves, some recent, some very old and almost completely obliterated by the slow and relentless erosion of time.

The Mount of Olives was also the scene of the sacrifice of the red heifer, a ritual of atonement sanctioned by Moses (Numbers 19:1-10): a red heifer that was never supposed to have borne the yoke was led to the Mount, killed, cut into pieces, and burned with cedar wood, hyssop (an aromatic plant). Woolen cloth dyed red was also laid on the stake. Eventually the ashes were collected and poured into a container filled with pure water, intended to be sprinkled on those who needed to be purified.

When Absalom usurped the throne of his father, King David, the latter took refuge in the Cedar Valley, on the border between the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem. Jesus would travel the same route in the opposite direction a thousand years later, returning from Jericho on a donkey that would take him to Jerusalem, in tears at the sight of the remains of the Holy City (Luke 19).

The town of Bethany, from where Lazarus, Martha and Mary, Jesus’ friends, and Simon, the leper He healed, also stood on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives.

The Mount of Olives would also be where Jesus’ Ascension to Heaven took place. Luke speaks of it in his Gospel, telling of the encounter with the disciples on the road between Bethany of Judea and Jerusalem (Luke 24:51), and in the Acts of the Apostles we read, “And because they were gazing up to heaven as he went, behold, two men in white robes came to them and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you gazing up to heaven? Jesus, who was from among you taken up to heaven, will return one day in the same way you saw him go to heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives, which is as close to Jerusalem as the way allowed on a Sabbath” (Acts 1:10-12).

For this reason the Mount of Olives is also called the Mount of Ascension.

There is also a cave where, according to Gospel tradition, Jesus taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer.

During the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which saw the destruction of the Second Temple, Roman soldiers camped on the Mount.

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Gethsemane or Garden of Olives.

We have mentioned Jesus in the Garden of Olives. Here is how the Gospels recount that last evening that marks the beginning of Jesus’ Passion: “Then Jesus went with them to an estate, called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here, while I go there to pray” (Matthew 26:36).  Left alone, Jesus turns to God the Father. He is tired, seized with doubts he did not have before, and he asks God whether his sacrifice is really necessary: “And having gone a little further, he threw himself with his face to the ground, praying, and saying, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'” (Matthew 26:39). In the end, however, He accepts His own destiny and prepares to face the Passion and death.

“Here came Judas, one of the Twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, sent by the high priests and elders of the people. The traitor had given them this sign, saying, The one I will kiss, it is he; arrest him!” (Matt. 26:47-48)

Jesus’ agony in Luke’s Gospel

Although the episode in the Garden of Olives is present in all the Gospels except John’s, it is Luke‘s Gospel that most poignantly recounts Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane, the first and irretrievable step toward the Passion. “Then an angel appeared to him from heaven to strengthen him. And being in agony, he prayed even more intensely; and his sweat became like large drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:43-44). Christ’s suffering is almost palpable, His inner struggle becomes real in that blood oozing from His body, almost a prophecy of the pain and suffering to come. Alone, abandoned by His sleeping friends, lost before God the Father who does not answer Him, truly His agony is one of the highest and most significant moments of His mission in the world.

Even today the Franciscans guard these places, where, in memory of the sufferings suffered by Jesus, today stands the Basilica of the Agony, or Church of All Nations. From a small olive grove of centuries-old trees the friars still produce a precious oil.

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Who helped Jesus carry the cross? Simon of Cyrene, despite himself a participant in the Passion and protagonist of the fifth station of the Way of the Cross. But who was he?

The Synoptic Gospels recount the journey of Jesus to the hill of the crucifixion, Calvary, or Golgotha, the place of the skull, as was known even then this hill, scene of bloody executions, with some significant differences. In particular, the Gospel of Mark and that of Matthew mention the name of a man, Simon of Cyrene, who would help Jesus to carry the cross to the place of the Crucifixion. Christ, exhausted after the scourging and innumerable tortures to which he had been subjected by his tormentors, no longer had the strength to reach Golgotha, and so the Roman soldiers: ” … they forced a passing man, a certain Simon of Cyrene who came from the countryside, father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry the cross. They then led Jesus to the place of Golgotha, which means place of the skull” (Mk 15:21-22).

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Jesus ascent to Calvary Passion of Christ 9 cm. In this moment, Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross…

Matthew also mentions a certain Simon, who, in his version, is forced by the Romans to carry the cross from the exit of the court where Jesus was condemned (Mt 27:32). Instead, according to John Jesus carried his own cross until Golgotha.

But who was this Simon of Cyrene, and why did the Romans force him to play such an unhappy yet significant role in the crucifixion of Jesus? We must consider the historical context of the Passion of Jesus: the Romans ruled Judea and, as all the rulers, they did not fail to oppress the people under their control with demonstrations of strength and oppression. In fact, there was a law that allowed Roman officers to force anyone to complete even heavy work, and this, regardless of the social condition of the person. Simon of Cyrene, who is chosen to carry the patibulum, or the horizontal arm of the cross, behind Jesus, was only a passerby. He was not witnessing the Passion of Christ, he passed there by chance, and according to some historical sources he was a notable, therefore a man of culture and rank not low. Forcing him to carry that instrument of torture and death, the Romans not only humiliated him but automatically prevented him from participating in the Passover, because from that moment on he would be impure in the eyes of God and men.

In Jerusalem stands the Chapel of Simon of Cyrene, right near the place where Simon came to Jesus’ aid. Built in 1895 along the Via Dolorosa in the Old Town, it belongs to the Franciscan order.

The Cyrenean in the Gospel of Mark

It is probable that the evangelist Mark knew Simon, or at least his sons Alexander and Rufus, mentioned as witnesses to the scene in which his father was the protagonist. We understand this from the fact that usually Marco was very reluctant to write the precise names of the protagonists of the events he told, while in this case he appointed all the members of the family. Perhaps they were still alive when Mark wrote his Gospel, and in any case they were well known in the Roman Christian community. The family was originally from Cyrene, a city located in eastern Libya, at the time a Roman colony. Hence the term “Cyrenean“, with which Simon is sometimes quoted, and which in common language has become synonymous with those who, willingly or unwillingly, take upon themselves the burden and suffering of another person. The discovery of some tombs and ossuaries in the mid-20th century has provided new information and demonstrated the historical existence of this character and his family.

The fifth station of the Way of the Cross

An ordinary man, Simon of Cyrene, a stranger from afar, and yet ready to take upon himself the terrible burden of a broken Man, at a time when all friends had abandoned Him, and His own Father was condemning him to a fate worse than death. A hymn to love and mercy, even where we do not expect to find it, an appeal to embrace diversity, to welcome it and support it along the winding path of life. The fifth station of the Way of the Cross is dedicated to him, made part of an unspeakable crime, and yet able to lend strength and support to those who, at that time, suffered more than him. Observing the various representations of the stations of the Way of the Cross, of which you can find many valuable reproductions also in our online store, we can not help but feel in our turn sharers of the mystery of the Passion, just like Simon of Cyrene and his children, spectators of a unique event and become part of the history of all stories, in the New Testament.

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Way of the Cross

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Meta description: Simon of Cyrene, an ordinary man, a foreigner forced to share the Passion of Jesus. Let’s find out who he was and where we find him in the Way of the Cross

What is meant by the Chair of Saint Peter? What is and where is this precious artefact? What is celebrated on February 22?

February 22 is a special liturgical feast. In fact, the Catholic Church celebrates the Chair of Saint Peter (Cathedra Petri). But what is it? First of all the Chair of Saint Peter is an object, to be exact a wooden seat, or throne, which according to tradition belonged to Saint Peter when he was Bishop of Rome and First Pope. In fact, in the religious sphere, the Chair, or cathedra, is the throne from which the Bishop imparts his blessings and addresses the faithful, as a representative of Jesus on Earth. It is a symbol of episcopal power and responsibility and is usually placed in a prominent position in the churches, in the middle of the apse or in the presbytery, surrounded by benches reserved for priests who must assist the bishop. Suffice it to say that the term Cathedral comes from the Chair: the Cathedral is the church that contains the Chair, then the very heart of the diocese.

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Saint Peter and Saint Paul

Hand-painted Greek icon on an aged wood plate decorated with golden leaf, depicting Saint Paul and Saint Peter…

From the Chair as an object came the use of the term to indicate the function of the Bishop of Rome in general, and of Saint Peter in particular, his role of guide and teacher of Christianity, his being the pastor chosen by Jesus to guide His Church. It is this mission, the mission of Peter and all the pontiffs who came after him, that is celebrated on February 22.

The Chair of Saint Peter by Bernini

The Chair of Saint Peter as a real object is a wooden bench kept in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Around it was erected later a bronze throne. A copy of the same is instead in the Museo Storico Artistico del Tesoro di San Pietro, which is accessed from inside the basilica. What we are used to knowing as the Chair of Saint Peter, in reality, dates back to the ninth century AD, and is a gift that Charles II said the Bald, King of the Franks, Pope John VIII when he descended in Italy to be crowned emperor.

Between 1656 and 1665 Gian Lorenzo Bernini created a magnificent baroque composition around the Chair, and even today we can admire it in the apse of St Peter’s Basilica. The Chair of Saint Peter by Bernini is 7 meters high, topped by two putti holding the papal insignia. The main structure consists of four large bronze statues that support a platform on which the Chair itself is placed. The statues depict the four doctors of the Greek and Latin Churches: Saint Augustine, Saint Ambrose, Saint Anastasius and Saint John Chrysostom.

In reality, the Chair seems to float in the air on a bed of gold clouds, thanks to the mastery of the sculptor. The golden bas-relief that forms the back of the Chair is the work of the sculptor Giovanni Paolo Schor on drawings by Bernini. It depicts the episode of Pasce oves meas, “Feed my sheep”, when the Risen Jesus appeared to the apostles on the shores of the lake of Tiberias, and entrusted Peter with His flock to guard and guide. On the sides of the seat are represented the Lavender of the feet and the Handing over of the keys (traditio clavium), one of the most recurring themes in early Christian art: Jesus hands Peter the keys and thus invests him of the papal primacy.

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St. Peter statue in resin 20 cm

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A large window, surrounded by an ascending glory of angels, rays and clouds of gold, surmounts the structure. At the centre of the window stands the dove representing the Holy Spirit, guide of Peter and his successors.

In front of the Chair of Saint Peter, also by Bernini, we can admire the Canopy of Saint Peter, one of the most fabulous monuments of the Baroque period, placed as a cover to the high altar.

The Celebration of the Chair of Saint Peter

Originally there were two liturgical feasts dedicated to the Chair of Saint Peter: one on 18 January and one on 22 February. The first was celebrated by the Church of the West, the second by that of the East. When the Roman calendar was revised, the ‘doubles’ of the feasts were abolished, and for the celebration of the Chair of Saint Peter, the feast of February 22 was held for good.

Tradition also considers the two feasts as an expression of the two main moments of the life and mission of Saint Peter: before and after his journey to Rome, where he will find death. The first period of his life would therefore correspond to another Chair, that of Antioch, the seat of his first magisterium.

The cathedra Petri

A doctrine that developed from the third century A.D. also took the name of cathedra Petri. This doctrine affirms that Jesus entrusted to Saint Peter the twofold primacy of first among the Apostles and first bishop of Rome. On this theology of primacy, the Catholic Church would have based the claim of superiority of the Pope over all the bishops and the centralization of spiritual and temporal power in Rome.

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Meta description: The Chair of St. Peter, baroque masterpiece kept in the Basilica of St Peter in Rome, But what does it represent? What is its history, its meaning?

How to take measurements to give a ring as a gift. A few tricks on ring sizes and everything you need to make sure you don’t make the wrong purchase

Giving a ring as a gift is always a delicate matter. Meanwhile, because a ring is rarely given as a gift, it always has a deep, intimate meaning, perhaps also because unlike other jewellery it tends to become a part of the wearer’s hand, an essential component. It is no coincidence that Catholic spouses exchange two very special rings: the faiths. The circular shape represents on the one hand the realization of the individual, who walks through their circle of life starting from a point that rejoins himself at the end of the circle, on the other hand, the mutual completion that comes from union. Once the wedding ring is worn, husband and wife become one, two souls united in an indissoluble and sacred bond.
Even in ancient Rome, there was a tradition of giving rings on the occasion of engagements and weddings as a symbol of union and a wish for happiness and prosperity. The fiancé gave his fiancée the Annulus Pronubus, an iron ring coated in gold, or entirely in gold, which just like today’s wedding rings was put on the ring.

However, the symbolic value of the ring is independent of religious significance. It seems that the first rings date back to the Bronze Age and, since ancient times, this particular jewel was used not only as an ornament but also as a seal and distinctive mark for documents and official communications. In ancient Egypt, it was common for Pharaoh to have his own ring seal that distinguished all his edicts. High-ranking priests in ancient Rome wore rings, first of iron, then of gold, and, over time, the kiss of the ring became a sign of respect and deference reserved for kings, emperors, popes and authorities of all kinds.

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Prayer rings

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But what if you have to give a ring and you don’t know the size?

There are different methods to measure the finger and different measurement scales to define which is the most suitable ring. Let’s see how to measure a ring and above all how to measure the finger for which your ring will be intended.

How do you measure the diameter of your finger? What about the circumference?

If we have a ring to start from

The simplest method, even if not very precise, to obtain the diameter of the finger is to use a ring belonging to the person to whom you want to give the gift already in your possession and place it on a ruler by identifying the distance in a straight line from one inner side to the other. If you have it, you can also use a decimal gauge, a measuring device composed of a fixed part graduated in millimetres and inches and a moving part that usually incorporates an additional graduated scale, which allows you to identify the fractions of the unit of measurement even more precisely.

From the Internet you can easily download and print a precompiled table showing circles of various sizes, on which you will place the ring in your possession, to determine its size.

Again starting from a pre-existing ring, we can roll a sheet of paper into the shape of a very narrow cylinder, which we will insert inside the ring. With a pencil, draw a line with the pencil around the area where the ring adheres to the paper. By removing the cylinder and unwinding it, we can measure the line with the ruler and obtain the inner circumference.

If you DON’T have a ring to start from

If you do not have a ring to start from, you can cut a paper band or use a thread, and wrap them around the finger of the person who will have to wear the ring. With a pencil, make a small mark to indicate the length, then extend the band or thread and measure with a ruler, thus obtaining the circumference of the finger. But this is not a very precise method. However,
there are specially made plastic straps, which show the measurement scale printed on the surface, with which you can always measure the circumference.

Once the circumference has been identified to obtain the diameter, divide it by π (Pi about 3.14) and obtain a precise result. Alternatively, there are also pre-compiled tables in the network that show the value of the diameter concerning the circumference but do not take into account many significant variables.

The variables

We must take into account several variables that can significantly change the size of the ring, even if we have identified the size of the diameter or circumference. Meanwhile, not all hands are the same, and not all fingers are the same. Depending on how bony or fleshy the hand is, the grip of the rings changes a lot. Also, the right hand is different from the left, even if it doesn’t appear so. Moreover, you could have swollen hands, so it is always necessary to evaluate the condition of the fingers at the time of measurement, so as not to buy a ring that, in the evening, could become unbearably tight or terribly wide and loose.
If the wearer of the ring has fleshy fingers, it will be advisable to measure the exact point where the ring will wrap the finger, while if the fingers are bony, the size of the knuckle must be taken into account, otherwise, the ring will not pass.

The Holyart rings

In our online store, we use finger diameter measurements for rings. If you browse through the pages dedicated to our prayer rings, such as the beautiful rings with Our Father and Hail Mary, or the rosary rings, the religious rings with a crucifix, or even the ten rings, you will find a drop-down menu that will show you the various sizes of diameter available.

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Ave Maria ring 925 silver HOLYART Collection

This 925 silver ring from our HOLYART Collection has the words “Ave Maria” and a polished finish…

The HOLYART COLLECTION also offers, among the many jewels, a rich collection of rings in 925 silver, gold, hypoallergenic steel, and materials selected by us of the highest quality, made 100% in Italy at every stage of processing, all strictly by hand.
Suitable for both women and men, all the jewels and accessories of the HOLYART line are designed by the best Italian designers, carefully studying the latest trends in fashion, to be matched to every style and worn in any age group.

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Adjustable red shell ring in 925 silver HOLYART Collection

This sterling silver ring belongs to the HOLYART line…

Furthermore, among the jewels of the MATER line you can find many men’s rings and women’s rings, and in particular rosary and ten rings, in 925 silver, designed with a modern style, which makes them suitable for everyone. Sophistication, elegance and solidity are the strengths of this all-Italian collection.

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Rosary ring in dark silver 925 glazed finishing, MATER

Rosary ring in dark silver 925 glazed finishing…

Saint Blaise and the Milanese panettone. Let’s find out what the Armenian saint who protects against diseases of the throat and the famous Milanese dessert have in common

We have already talked about St. Blaise of Sebaste, physician and patron saint of otolaryngologists and protector of those suffering from throat diseases, in an article dedicated to him and the Auxiliary Saints, those to be invoked when one is sick. Instead, in this article we want to explain why on February 3, the day of the liturgical memorial dedicated to this saint, there is a tradition of eating panettone

Saint Blaise is much loved in Milan. A spire of the Duomo is dedicated to him, and fragments of his body are kept in numerous churches in the city. In the province of Mantua, San Biagio cake, made with almonds and dark chocolate, is baked.

St. Blaise lived in Armenia between the 3rd and 4th centuries, was bishop of Sebaste and a physician, and died beheaded after being tortured for a long time with the iron combs used for carding wool. His cult quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean basin, and his relics, to which extraordinary healing powers were attributed over time, were preserved in many churches. Nothing to do, then, with the countryside of Brianza, where the tradition arose of eating a piece of blessed Christmas cake left over from the Holidays on the morning of February 3, as a prevention from evil in general and from sore throats in particular.

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Fine decoration of the sculpture: the colours are full and saturated…

Therefore, to understand the reasons for the February 3 panettone tradition we need not look to the history of the saint. Let us look at the suggestive legend that gave rise to the custom.

The tradition of the panettone on St. Blaise

As we have already mentioned, Saint Blaise was a physician. Among the many more or less miraculous healings attributed to him was the rescue of a boy who was choking because of a fishbone stuck in his throat. His desperate mother took him to the saint, who made him swallow a large loaf of bread. The bread went down his throat and slipped the fishbone out, saving the young man’s life. This is probably how the attribution to the saint of patronage over diseases of the throat originated.

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Saint Blaise tapestry 22.4×15.7″. Jacquard woven tapestry finished by hand and entirely made in Italy.

The story that prompted the custom of eating panettone on his feast day is much less dramatic. The protagonists are a peasant woman from the plains of Lombardy and a lazy, gluttonous, and even a bit of a liar friar! The housewife had baked a sumptuous panettone for her family to enjoy at Christmas. Wanting to have it blessed, she handed it over to a friar named Desiderio, recommending that he bless it and promising that she would return to collect it. The friar, however, distracted by other matters, forgot all about it. The Holidays passed, and the panettone remained abandoned in the monastery cupboard. Only after Christmas did Desiderio remember the panettone. Fearing that the woman might return to claim it, he hastened to bless it, but then, as the days passed and she did not show up, he began to nibble on it, eating it all one piece at a time. In the end, only the empty wrapper was left. The housewife returned on February 3, claiming her panettone. The friar sstalled, but finally resigned himself to returning the empty wrapper to her, making feeble excuses. But lo and behold, upon reaching the cupboard, the friar and the housewife found an even larger panettone than the one she had baked, making a fine display in place of the crumbs left by Desiderio! Who could only silently thank St. Blaise for the miracle, vowing to be less procrastinating and less gluttonous in the future.

This amusing folk tale originated the tradition of having breakfast on the morning of February 3 with the last leftover panettone from the Christmas holidays, to avoid sore throats and colds for all the days to come.