The name \”Gallus\” may sound familiar to some. Historians might ask, was this name derived from the warriors of Gaul, a rank of imperial Roman gladiator? Or was it named after Cornelius Gallus, the Roman pretor who became famous because he died while kissing the hand of his wife? If not, then certainly after Trebonianus Gallus, the Roman Emperor from the year 251-253?

Or was it named for the seventh century Saint Gallus, an Irish missionary who arrived at the Celtic village of Arbon and moved into the Arbon forest in the year 612 AD, around which the city of St. Gallen, Switzerland grew? Frankly, the latter, but the other meanings tend to add romance and intrigue to the name and still are valid to an extent because Arbon was an ancient Roman town, home to Roman Emperor Flavius Gratianus from 378 to 401, a friend to the Early Church, a town with a historical past that would rival those of any other Roman town outside the Peninsula of Italy.

The adventurous St. Gallus is best known for talking with a bear which threatened his camp in the wilderness. Instead of fleeing for his life, he calmly ordering the bear to add wood to his campfire. The bear obeyed and for this, St. Gallus offered the bear a loaf of bread and made him promise never to return again. Because of this and other signs of his benediction, Gallus was invited to become an Abbot and later became a Saint.

The year 2010 marks 1400 years since St. Gallus continued on his journey, which began years before in Ireland, leaving France and moving onward to Germany and later St. Gallen, Switzerland, where he established his monastery around which the city of St. Gallen grew and flourished. In 2012, the city and canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland will celebrate 1400 years since the founding of the City of St. Gallen, marked by Gallus\’s encounter with the bear.

In our modern day, a connection has been drawn with the history of Gallus to the concept of the rotating flame of a fascinating candle lamp invented in Arbon, Switzerland, the city where St. Gallus lived. A golden ring of light is created by a rotating flame of this lamp, named the \”Gallus Light\”, and is symbolic of Gallus\’s halo or of the prosperity that followed him. Because the flame rotates at a rate of a human rest heart rate, it serves as a symbol of the calm spirit with which Gallus ordered the bear to gather wood for his fire. The base of the \”Gallus Light\” is made of old growth Swiss wood, symbolic of the wood that the bear brought to Gallus.

Modern Gallus disciples in Arbon offer this unique candle holder or oil lamp which marks Gallus\’s experience with the bear in the wilderness those many years ago. They make these connections with the past and so commemorate the upcoming Gallus celebrations in St. Gallen in a very special way. And whether you’re a St. Gallus disciple or not, this intriguing candle holder is worth adding to your home or garden decor because it\’s ideal for outdoor use as the flame cannot be extinguished by a gust of wind.

Author Bio: Nathan Martyn is webmaster for Gallus Light, introducing a world premier product, The Rotating Flame, which naturally rotates the flame at the rate of a human rest heartbeat. For more information, please visit Gallus Light.com

Category: Religion
Keywords: flame,candle holder,gallus,rotating,eternal,st gallus,gift,amazing