An episcopal figure stands in a luminous circle. Julio associates it with requests that seem difficult, urgent, or hopeless.
Reading the symbolism
The Bishop does not necessarily represent a single saint: Julio notably cites Nicholas and Germanus and emphasizes the role of intention. The inscription speaks of deliverance for those who are chained or as if confined in a tomb. It gives the sign an interpretation of liberation and a return to hope.
The effects attributed
The notice is aimed especially at troubled, pressing, and reputedly impossible affairs, as well as despair. Julio presents faith and prayer as the means of rekindling hope in this darkness.
Julio’s use
The author describes a novena to a saint chosen according to the request. The blessing and direction of intention determine the figure’s application. The pantacle must therefore be read together with the intercession with which it is associated.
A personal reading
A personal reading may consist in distinguishing what seems closed from what remains possible. Formulate a request for patience and discernment, then choose an approach that makes it possible to reopen the situation.
The source and variants
The engraving appears in Liturgical Prayers, p. 471. Julio relates it to the Angel of Prayer and Saint Columban to explain the role of intention in using an image.
Abbé Julio, The Secret Book of Great Exorcisms and Blessings, Vincennes, published by the author, 1908. Explanation and application no. 38, p. 434–435. Practical advice on blessed and consecrated supports: p. 462–463.
Classical directory numbering: 11 of 44. This numbering differs from the inventory of engravings in the old 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 the entry is based on the 1908 notice.
