Beautiful and very rare, silver Memento Mori rosary with 10 carnelian spheres.

Beautiful and very rare, silver Memento Mori rosary with 10 carnelian spheres.

Italy 17th Century

Size: 42 cm L

THE MEMENTO MORI SKULL ROSARY:

We sometimes get questions on the meaning of rosaries with skulls. Is it sacrilegious or is it anti-Catholic? Surprisingly, it’s quite opposite to that. The skull bead on a rosary is meant to provide a focus for contemplating one’s mortality. A memento mori rosary reminds us of our mortality and that we will one day die and stand before the Lord Jesus, our soul awaiting His judgement. The Latin phrase Memento Mori means “Remember your death”, and it is a spiritual practice of acknowledging your mortality and thus a reminder to live your life on earth virtuously. Certainly, a skull rosary is not for everyone as some people may find it morbid. 

The use of symbolic skulls in rosaries and chaplets dates all the way back to the late middle ages (1050 - 1500). They were particularly popular in Italy, Germany, and Mexico with priests, nuns, and monks.  But, skulls on rosaries have been used for hundreds of years, and historical art and doctrine supports the use of skulls on the rosary.

The Skull used in Religious Art

There are many depictions in paintings of Saints with skulls. Some crucifixes depict a skull at the bottom, to signify Christ’s victory over death. Some rosaries feature a skull bead to serve as a “Memento Mori,” or a reminder that one’s life is not infinite.