rare gold plated bronze medal by Léopold George Crouzat

Saint Sara, the patron saint of Gypsies, standing before the Basilica of Saintes Maries de la Mer, the Camargue, France


diameter: 41.6 mm (1.63 inches) without the bail

France, mid 20th century

　 This is a very rare medal of Saint Sara, the Egyptian girl who accompanied "the three Maries" from Palestine to the Camargue, France. This large medal, of which the diameter is over 1.6 inches, is an artwork by Léopold Georges Crouzat (1904 - 1977), a very versatile French artist.

　 On this medal Saint Sara, clad in Near-Eastern costume, stands before the Basilique des Saintes Maries de la Mer. A French insciption surrounds her that says "Saint Sara, patron saint of the people of journey" (French: "Sainte Sara, patronne des gens du voyage.") The phrase "the people of journey" means Gypsies.

　According to an old tradition from the 9th century, which is also found in the Golden Legend ("Legenda Aurea" XCVI, circa 1260), three saintly women, Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe, fled persecution in Palestine and migrated to France in a small boat that had neither sail nor rudder. They arrived by God's providence in the Camargue in the Southern France. Of the three Maries, Mary Magdalene, after spreading the Gospel in Marseille, moved to the Sainte Baume mountains to live in her hermitage in a cave, which is now called "la Sainte Baume"(the holy cave). Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe, together with their servant Sara, remained in the Camargue to spread the Gospel. The three women lead saintly lives, were respected by the indigenous people, died and were buried there.

　Sara, sometimes called "Sara Kali", which means "Sara of dark skin" or "Sara the Gypsy", is the patron saint of Gypsies. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, as the sanctuary of Sara Kali, has attracted Gypsy pilgrims from all around Europe since mid 19th century. Thousands of Gypsies from different European countries gather at the basilica there on the fourth weekend every May. During the Saturday mass, while the pilgrims sing hymns to Sara Kali, the reliquary is lowered down slowly from the ceiling of the church. When the statue of Sara Kali is brought up from the underground chapel, the pilgrims make a procession to the seashore, walking on a path strewn with rose petals. At the end of the feast the pilgrims offer a prayer that says:

"Saint Sara, show us the right way. Give us good faith and good health. Change the mind of those who dislike us, and make them kind to us."

　This medal was made by Léopold Georges Crouzat (1904 - 1977), a French painter and sculptor. Crouzat studied under Paul Maximilien Landowski (1875 – 1961) at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, ENSBA. He got a "mention honorable" in 1928, and a silver medal in 1938, both at the Salon des artistes français. He was also accorded a silver medal at the Paris Expo in 1937.

　Paul Maximilien Landowski, the teacher of Crouzat, is a sculptor of Polish origin. The huge statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro is a work by him.

JPN 7,800 + tax　SOLD

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