The pantacle of the Wound in the Side of Jesus Christ represents a specific episode of the Passion. Whereas the Holy Face brings together the instruments of Calvary, this image focuses all attention on the side opened by the lance. Julio makes it a figure of supplication when a person is going through a period of great vulnerability.
The applications mentioned concern maternity and losses in particular, as well as other concerns of life. These attributions should be understood within the history of Christian prayer and not as a material method of healing.
Essential reference points
| Tradition | Devotion to the wounds of Christ |
|---|---|
| Figure | Wound in the side of Jesus |
| Applications | Support in suffering and vulnerability |
| Reference | Abbé Julio, 1908, notice 27 |
Understanding the symbolism
The depicted wound connects the engraving to the Passion and to compassion for those who suffer. Julio associates it with devotion to the five wounds, meaning the wounds of Christ’s hands, feet, and side. The motif therefore has an ancient religious foundation.
The figure evokes the wound made by the lance when Jesus is on the cross. The language is that of the Passion: bodily suffering becomes the starting point for a prayer for help and protection.
The image does not seek to recount the entire crucifixion: it isolates the sign of a suffering that becomes the focus of a request for help. The precision of this symbol gives the notice its tone.
History and traditions
Devotion to the five wounds occupies an important place in medieval and modern Christian piety. Julio did not invent it; he gave it a particular form by incorporating it into his collection of printed pantacles.
This origin explains why the indicated prayers are central to its historical use. The figure extends a devotion rather than an astrological system.
The wounded side of Christ has held a significant place in the history of Christian devotion. The image of the wound may evoke sacrifice, compassion, and the opening of a spiritual refuge. In Julio’s pantacle, this tradition serves to accompany people facing very concrete concerns, particularly those relating to maternity. The figure should be placed within this relationship between the history of the Passion and everyday requests for help.
The repetition of five prayers, indicated by the author, derives its meaning from the number of wounds. It is not an independent calculation or a planetary correspondence. Understanding this connection makes it possible to accurately restore the devotional principle of the notice, without turning its indications into a material or medical method.
The attributed effects
Julio attributes to the sign relief from afflictions and protection in endeavors. His notice includes applications relating to pregnancy, childbirth, and losses, followed by a symbolic extension to material losses. These are the historical claims made in his text.
The notice associates the wound of Christ with concerns surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and loss. The desired protection is understood within the religious language of blessings from the early 20th century.
These applications do not constitute medical advice. They reflect the way Julio associated prayer with difficult situations faced by people.
Usage according to Julio
The notice associates wearing the sign with devotion to the five wounds, with five Pater and five Ave. The item is considered blessed and consecrated. This religious practice is described here to convey the meaning given to the pantacle by its author.
Julio mentions five Pater and five Ave, in relation to the five wounds, as well as wearing a blessed and consecrated item. This detail should be preserved: it is specific to his notice.
No substance or direct application to a wound is included in the description of the sign.
Understanding what distinguishes the figure
The Cross invites one to ask for strength, and the Holy Face recalls the Passion as a whole; the Wound in the Side focuses more specifically on vulnerability and requests for help.
The source and variants
Abbé Julio, The Secret Book of Great Exorcisms and Blessings, Vincennes, published by the author, 1908. Explanation and application no. 27, pp. 430–431. Practical advice on blessed and consecrated items: pp. 462–463.
Numbering in the classical directory: 8 of 44. This numbering differs from the inventory of engravings in the older volumes.
Read the notice in the 1908 edition
Image: historical reproduction distributed by Oracles.ch. The reproduction does not make it possible to identify its edition precisely; it is preserved at its native resolution, without redrawing the characters or artificial enlargement. The text of this page is based on the 1908 notice.
