L'Oeil de Sainte Lucie: a Corsican legend
Do you love listening to legends, especially on your travels? Corsica is full of them! Discover the story of the Oeil de Sainte Lucie in this article. Seeing is believing!
Shell virtues: from devotion to miracle...
In the 4th century the legend of Saint Lucia, the story of a young girl who arrives in Catania, Sicily from Syracuse called Lucia(Lucia for light). Born into a noble family, her mother was suffering from an incurable disease. It was at the tomb of Saint Agatha (the local saint) that Lucia prayed fervently to the Virgin Maryasking her to cure her mother. The miracle happened and Lucia's mother was healed.
Having devoted body and soul to the Virgin MaryLucia promised her virginity to Saint Agatha and plucked out her own eyes and threw them into the sea.. She revealed her desire to renounce an earthly fiancé, and asked to be allowed to sell her dowry and give it to the poor as charity. Since then, the young woman back in Syracuse has devoted herself devoted herself entirely to prayer and helping others causing many miracles around her .
The Virgin Mary, seeing her devotion, rewarded her for her great devotion: she restored her sight giving her beautiful, shining eyes or "Ochji belli e lucenti"in Corsican.
Other versions of the venerated Saint Lucia exist, but this is the best-known and most pleasing.
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Finding theeye for its properties
Where to find the Eye of Saint Lucy?
Take a stroll along Corsica's beautiful beaches. As you walk along the sand, you may notice these eyes: rather flat, round with a a spiral pattern. According to popular belief, wearing one of theseto wear one, brings the evil eye and good luck.. When you go to the fishing port to buy your fish, you may see on the stalls a shell called " Turbo Rugueux "This shellfish is lost in the nets of professional fishermen. Take a closer look at the shell's operculum, and you'll discover the origin of the from the eye of Saint Lucia also known as Eye of Venus, Eye of Shiva in Asia and Astraea rugosa (Rough Astraea) in scientific language..
How to recognize a genuine St. Lucia eye?
As the name "eye of St. Lucia" is not protected, this name is also applied to this type of operculum from Asia, and confusion can set in. Rarer and more expensive, the Corsican can be recognized by its unique properties: it is solid rather than hollow, the shell has one side white and the other coral, or even bright orange. Legend has it that the orange side is a stylized symbol of the Virgin Mary.
They can be found on shallow dives in Corsica and on Mediterranean shores. According to ancient stories and legends, this lucky shell, thanks to its action on the chakras, is said to ward off evil spirits and possess astonishing lithotherapy properties. Other virtues attributed to this shell include boosting self-confidence, providing a glimpse of a brighter future, granting numerous wishes, curing eye problems and healing ENT pathologies.
Buying jewelry: pendants, rings, bracelets, earrings?
Numerous Corsican craftsmen, specialized in jewelry, will offer you jewels magnificently decorated with an eye of Saint Lucia: ornaments, necklaces, bracelets, earrings...often mounted on gold or Bonifacio red coral. If you look closely, you'll discover that it's actually the operculum of a shell, which comes from a mollusk of the Turbinidae gastropod family, collected on some Corsican beaches after a heavy storm. The size of the shell can vary from 2 mm to 3 cm, with a maximum size of 5 cm.
Whatever the shape, the main thing is to keep it close to you, and preferably on your skin, to ensure the success of your projects. Combined with steel or silver, it also promotes wealth and prosperity.
You now know all the secrets of the Eye of Saint Lucia, so don't leave Corsica without it. Even if you don't believe in miracles, let yourself be seduced by this unique shell, sublimated in the island's jewelry stores.
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