Saint Anthony the Great Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Animals and Farmers

Saint Anthony the Great, Patron Saint of Animals and Farmers

Anthony was born around 251 to a wealthy Egyptian family and orphaned as a young man. After hearing Christ's instruction to the rich young man read aloud in church, he sold his land, gave the proceeds to the poor, and withdrew first to the edge of his village and later deep into the desert, living in an abandoned fort for roughly twenty years. He became known for enduring intense spiritual and psychological struggles in isolation, an experience later artists depicted vividly, though Anthony's own account emphasizes endurance and faith rather than horror. Other men seeking the same kind of life gathered around him, and he's remembered today as the founder of Christian monasticism itself, the reason monks are called monks. He died in 356 at around 105 years old.

A Gift For...

• Farmers, ranchers, and anyone who works with animals
• Veterinarians and animal rescue volunteers
• Butchers and anyone in the meat and livestock trade
• People managing chronic skin conditions
• Anyone drawn to the Desert Fathers and early Christian monasticism
• Someone starting over after giving up something significant

A Confirmation Gift for Anthony

For a confirmand who chose Anthony as their patron, "Into the Desert" or "Sell and Follow" both work within the 20-character line limit and point straight back to the decision that defined his life. Anthony fits confirmation especially well because his whole story starts with one young person taking a piece of scripture more seriously than anyone expected him to.

The Saint Anthony the Great Medal

The design shows Anthony in a hooded monk's habit, holding a Tau cross staff with a small bell, a pig resting at his feet. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.

Personalization and Engraving

Reverse engraving available in Tangerine cursive, 2 lines, 20 characters max each. Well-suited pairings: a name with "Sell and Follow," or a recovery or sobriety date paired with "Into the Desert."

Saint Anthony's feast day is January 17th. He's the reason we have monasteries at all. Before him, Christians who wanted a life of prayer and solitude mostly figured it out alone, after him, they had a model to follow, and thousands did.

Related Devotions

Anthony shares his Egyptian desert origins with Saint Moses the Black Medal, another desert father from the same tradition and era, whose own Tau-shaped staff echoes Anthony's.