Antique Bronze Religious Medal ✦ Sacred Heart, Virgin Mary, St John & Mary Magdalene ✦ Pope Leo XIII ✦ Guard of Honor ✦ Signed Penin Lyon 19th C

A relic of devotion, cast in bronze in the century of rediscovered faith

A bronze devotional medal struck in 19th-century Lyon by the renowned Penin medallist workshop, for the Archconfraternity of the Guard of Honour of the Sacred Heart, raised to that rank by Pope Leo XIII in 1878. The obverse shows Christ on the Cross with the Virgin Mary, Saint John and Mary Magdalene kneeling below; the reverse bears the crowned, pierced Sacred Heart beneath the motto Glory! Love! Reparation! A small relic of faith, worn as a pendant for well over a century.

Product details
— Type: religious pendant medal
— Period: reign of Pope Leo XIII, 1878–1903 (most likely late 1870s–1880s)
— Material: bronze
— Dimensions: 2.5 cm diameter excluding bail (≈ 0.98 in)
— Origin: Lyon, France
— Condition: good antique condition, warm aged patina, crisp and legible relief

What the details tell

The modelling is precise: the drapery of the figures, the radiating Sacred Heart and the lettering around the rim are finely engraved, with the relief still crisp despite the medal's age. The original bail, slightly bent from wear, speaks to a long life worn close to the body.

It is signed Penin, the name of a celebrated Lyon family of medallists active from 1830 to the present day and specialised in religious medals; one of its members, Ludovic Penin, was even granted the title of pontifical engraver by Pope Pius IX in 1864. The mention of Leo XIII on the obverse dates its striking to after 1878, the year this pope raised the Guard of Honour of the Sacred Heart to the rank of archconfraternity.

Wear it, gift it, collect it

Wear it as a pendant, layer it with other antique medals, or keep it as a collectible devotional piece — beautifully displayed framed or on a stand as a piece of family memory.

A lovely find for collectors of antique religious medals, lovers of 19th-century sacred art, and anyone seeking a meaningful, storied piece of jewelry.

A signed, precisely dateable piece carrying genuine Lyonnais religious and artisanal history — it's rare to find a medal where a recognised engraver's signature and such a clear dating window come together.

This antique bronze religious medal, signed Penin and dated to the reign of Pope Leo XIII, brings together Christ on the Cross with the Virgin Mary, Saint John and Mary Magdalene on one side, and the crowned Sacred Heart of Jesus on the other — an authentic 19th-century devotional piece full of history.

Follow along on Instagram @arts_chris_riviera for new arrivals and a closer look behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/arts_chris_riviera/