RARE FIND !! This beautiful vintage Legatura Alpacca "bubble water" rosary is a stunning and historically significant devotional piece, highly sought after by collectors and religious artifact enthusiasts. Dating back to the 1950s, this Italian-made rosary was originally designed to hold Lourdes holy water within each of its distinctive blue "bubble" beads.
This rosary is closely associated with Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the most revered Marian apparitions in Catholic tradition. The sanctuary of Lourdes in France became a major pilgrimage site after Saint Bernadette Soubirous witnessed visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858. Holy water from the spring at Lourdes is believed to possess miraculous healing properties, which is why rosaries like this were crafted to encapsulate and preserve small amounts of it.
Each mater bead (the oval shaped beads) features an intricate miniature relief of the Blessed Virgin Mary embedded inside a translucent pearly blue Lucite casing. This gives the beads a captivating depth and luminescence, resembling water.
Sadly, two of these beads are missing, but this does not significantly detract from its historical and collectible value.
The rosary is stamped with "Legatura Alpacca," indicating the use of alpacca silver, an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel.
The crucifix is layered with clear Lucite over a detailed background featuring blue roses, symbolizing Mary's purity and divine grace.
The corpus of Christ (raised figure of Jesus) and INRI plaque are finely crafted in metal. The blue hues beneath the Lucite add an ethereal quality to the cross.
The centerpiece medallion features a relief depiction of the Lourdes apparition, showing the Virgin Mary appearing before Saint Bernadette at the grotto.
The holy water inside the beads often evaporated over time, especially if not stored under proper conditions, making fully intact examples exceedingly rare. Even with evaporation, the artistic and historical craftsmanship make this an exceptional collector’s piece.
Measurements :The Rosary with a length of 90 cm .The Crucifix pendant measures 5.3cm x 3.5cm.The Rosary with a weight of 30.3grams.
