The Miraculous Medal
Medal of the Immaculate Conception
- Known today as
- An oval medal of the Virgin with the prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” made after the visions of Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity, in the chapel of the Rue du Bac in Paris in 1830.
- Kind
- Sacramental, in 1 older authority
- Earliest authority here
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914)
Revised October 1, 2026: An authority added from a text read in full. Version 1, first published September 28, 2026.
The Miraculous Medal: what was it used for?
Worn for protection and grace; it was first struck in 1832 and given out during the cholera epidemic in Paris, whose cures earned it its name.
The Miraculous Medal: what does modern science say?
Hundreds of millions have been struck; the chapel in the Rue du Bac is a place of pilgrimage.
The Miraculous Medal: what lore surrounds it?
Its reverse bears an M beneath a cross and the hearts of Jesus and Mary, ringed by twelve stars.
The Miraculous Medal: what did the older authorities say?
- The Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Catholic Encyclopedia gives Sister Catherine Labouré's account of the apparition of 27 November 1830: the Virgin “standing on a globe, and bearing a globe in her hands,” rays from her fingers that “were symbols of the graces which would be bestowed on all who asked for them,” and round her “an oval frame bearing in golden letters the words ‘O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.’” The first medals “were struck” on 30 June 1832, and the conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne, who “consented, somewhat reluctantly, to wear the medal” and in Sant' Andrea delle Fratte “beheld in a vision the Blessed Virgin exactly as she is represented on the medal,” is recorded in the office of the feast.
Sources
- [21] Herbermann, C. G., et al. (eds.) (1907–1912). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Online at newadvent.org. Articles: Agnus Dei (H. Thurston); Amulet (M. Hassett); Ash Wednesday (H. Thurston); Bells (H. Thurston); Holy Oils (H. Leclercq); Paschal Candle (H. Thurston); Scapular (J. Hilgers). Read in part · the text read
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Medal, Miraculous.” newadvent.org/cathen/10115a.htm Standard reference work
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Bells.” newadvent.org/cathen/02418b.htm Standard reference work
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Each quotation from the older authorities checked word for word against the text, read in full
- Sources
- 3 cited: 1 read in part, 2 standard reference work.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 28, 2026 · last revised October 1, 2026
- Chicago
“The Miraculous Medal.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 1, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/miraculous-medal.
- MLA
“The Miraculous Medal.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 1 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/miraculous-medal. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
The Miraculous Medal. (2026, October 1). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/miraculous-medal
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See Also
Also in The Catholic Encyclopedia
Oil of catechumens in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Lourdes water in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Oil of the sick in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Letters from Heaven in The Catholic Encyclopedia · everything The Catholic Encyclopedia names →
Nearby in the alphabet
Mistletoe (especially when found on oak) · Mint, oil of (Oil of garden or spear mint) · Mithridate (the forerunner of theriac) · Milkweed · Moly (Unidentified) · Melon root (Cucumis melo) · Moonwort (The small fern Botrychium lunaria) · Meadowsweet
Historical description, not medical advice.