Expert: Maria - 3/22/2009

Question
my uncle found a THIN square old silver watch on a golf course back in the seventies, he showed it to me over the weekend. It is very thin, with a round silver medallion embedded on one side with two "bishops" (identifiable by their staffs with whirls on them and one bares a crown on his lap, the other a building looking like a palace) the following is written along the round outer edge of the medallion on the one side:

QVI.FVNDASTIS.PROTEGITE. MDCXII

the other side of the watch is the actual crystal face with the following written out around the outside:

ECCLESMETROPSALISBDEDICATUR25SEPTAPARIDE.ARCHIE

That second phrase has not periods seperating the words.. I have tried to get the words translated through on-line translation programs for latin to no avail. And I have a feeling that this is a religious watch presented to a clergy of the Roman Catholic Church, but have no proof. If you can provide me with ANY information regarding the wording or if you have knowledge of the watch itself I would be most appreciative. Caroline


Answer
Hello,

the Latin phrase QVI FVNDASTIS PROTEGITE. MDCXII means:

-“You who founded [this church] protect [it]. 1612.

As you can see,the direct object "this church" and the pronoun "it" are understood.

As for ECCLESMETROPSALISBDEDICATUR25SEPTAPARIDE.ARCHIE, it is an abbreviation of the following sentence:

-"ECCLES(ia) METROP(olitana) SALISB(urgensis) DEDICATVR  25 SEPT A PARIDE ARCHIE(piscopo)", i.e. "ECCLESIA METROPOLITANA SALISBURGENSIS DEDICATVR 25 SEPT A PARIDE ARCHIEPISCOPO":

This phrase means:

-"The Metropolitan Church of Salzburg is consecrated on 25 september by the Archbishop Paris ”.

This Archbishop was just Paris von Lodron (1586-1653), Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria, buried in Salzburg Cathedral which is represented in a side of  the medallion you mention.

As for the other figures on the other side, they are  Saint Rupert and Saint Virgil to whom the Roman Catholic cathedral was consecrated.
In this church  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptised in 1756.

Nothing I can tell you about this watch, apart from that there are also some old coins with Salzburg Cathedral Dedication, as you can see at:
http://www.coins2.ru/imgsearch/salzburg+paris+von+lodron/1/dc5680cbd0f0133301cf3...

http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=454431&AucID=338&Lot=642

Hope all is clear now.
Best regards,
Maria
______________________________________________________________
Note that:

QVI (nominative plural, relative pronoun) = You who

FVNDASTIS (2nd.person plural, past tense of FUNDO)m = founded [this church]

PROTEGITE (2nd.person plural, imperative of PROTEGO) = protect [it[
_____________________________________________________________

-ECCLESIA (nominative, 1st.declension) = the church

-METROPOLITANA (adjective agreed with ECCLESIA) = metropolitan

-SALISBURGENSIS (adjective agreed with ECCLESIA) =  of Salzburg

-DEDICATVR (3rd.person singular, present indicative, passive form of DEDICO, I consecrate)

-25 SEPT. = on 25 september

-A (preposition which takes the ablative case)= by

-PARIDE (ablative of PARIS, 3rd.declension)= Paris

-ARCHIEPISCOPO (ablative of ARCHIEPISCOPUS) = Archbishop.