How changing recipients of golden roses reflect centuries of evolving papal influence

October 5, 2026 · 12:16 pm 2 sources

Image: The Conversation

Coverage

Coverage

• What 1,000 years of golden roses tell us about popes’ authority and influence, from Leo IX to Leo XIV
  This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. · October 5, 2026 12:16
  Popes have bestowed golden roses on warriors, rulers, women – and, increasingly in recent decades, shrines.

More coverage

• How changing recipients of golden roses reflect centuries of evolving papal influence
  Phys.org · October 5, 2026 18:40
  Almost every ceremonial object or ornament of the medieval papal monarchy has disappeared or lost its original purpose. Yet one survives: the golden rose. On Sept. 26, 2026, during Pope Leo XIV's visit to France, he traveled to Lourdes, home to one of the world's most famous shrines to the Virgin…