Vade retro satana

Abbreviation of the text of Vade retro satana (...V R S...) on the reverse of a Saint Benedict Medal

Vade retro satana (Ecclesiastical Latin for "Begone, Satan", "Step back, Satan", or "Back off, Satan"; alternatively spelt vade retro satanas, or sathanas), is a medieval Western Christian formula for exorcism, recorded in a 1415 manuscript found in the Benedictine Metten Abbey in Bavaria;[1][2] its origin is traditionally associated with the Benedictines.[A] The initials of this formula (VRSNSMV SMQLIVB or VRS:NSMV:SMQL:IVB) have often been engraved around crucifixes or the Saint Benedict Medals of Western Christianity since at least 1780.[3][4][5][6]

The phrase is also used allusively in literary contexts to depict rejection of possibly tempting, but undesirable, proposals; in such cases, it is generally used without any religious connotations.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ora was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Order of St. Benedict". Osb.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  3. ^ Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 1858, p. 280
  4. ^ Judith Sutera, 1997, The Work of God: Benedictine Prayer Published by Liturgical Press ISBN 0-8146-2431-6 p. 109
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference lea was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 0-87973-910-X, pp. 350–351


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