St. Hubert’s Key (, ) is a

sacramental A sacramental (Latin pl. ''sacramentalia'') is a sacred sign, a ritual act or a ceremony, which, in a certain imitation of the sacraments, has a spiritual effect and is obtained through the intercession of the Church. Sacramentals surround the sa ...

object, typically in the form of a metal nail, cross, or cone. It was primarily used in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

until the early 20th century as a traditional cure for

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

. The key is named after St. Hubert, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers.

Description

The key was heated and pressed onto the area where a person had been bitten by a dog suspected of having rabies. If done soon after the bite, the heat could cauterise and sterilise the wound, potentially eradicating the rabies

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

. The practice was endorsed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(though rarely observed in Orthodox regions), and priests used such keys at places associated with St. Hubert. There, the skin of both humans and animals was branded as protection against rabid dog bites. This practice was recorded in the 1870s in the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

region of France, where dogs were branded with St. Hubert's Key as "a sure preventative of madness".

Historical significance

The file led to the following hypothesis: having first appeared in Liège around the middle of the 12th century, this historic relic might be part of an effort to restore the reputation of the Church of Liège, which had been weakened by the Investiture Controversy. It was not until the mid-13th century that historical sources began to mention the key, as it underwent several transformations during the renovation of the collegiate church of Saint-Pierre de Liège, the original burial place of Saint Hubert. The key is linked to Saint Hubert and his pilgrimage to Rome, which is seen as an "anthropological necessity", providing a retrospective justification for Saint Hubert’s move to Rome and his direct contact with the relics of Saint Peter. The association of Saint Peter with Saint Hubert, and of Peter with the founder of Liège, was crucial for establishing a grand Church: linking the founder of the universal Church with the founder of the local Church.

References

{{Reflist Culture of Europe History of Europe Rabies Traditional medicine