Wreath of Christ


The Wreath of Christ, also known as the Pearls of Life are a set of prayer beads developed in 1995 by Swedish Evangelical Lutheran bishop emeritus Martin Lönnebo. They are an often used devotion in the Lutheran Church.

Background

Bishop Lönnebo was stranded on an island in Greece for several days because of a storm. When he saw the Greek fishermen with their kombologia, he was inspired to create the Wreath of Christ. He first developed, on paper, a set of prayer beads where he gave all the pearls a specific meaning. After the return home to Sweden, he made the actual pearl ribbon, based on his sketches and started using it in his prayers. The devotion began to spread rapidly in Sweden and to other Lutheran countries.

The Pearls

The Wreath of Christ is a kind of simplified non-denominational rosary, with each of the 18 pearls carrying a specific meaning, a question of life, a thought, or a prayer. There are no prayer formulations, as a user may meditate or say a prayer on each bead.

Schematic Presentation

  1. The bead of God
  2. The bead of Silence
  3. The I bead
  4. The bead of Baptism
  5. The Desert bead
  6. The Carefree bead
  7. The bead of Love
  8. The bead of Secret
  9. The bead of Darkness
  10. The bead of Resurrection
The order starts at the golden "God" bead and goes counter-clockwise. In this order, the pearls symbolise the course of life, and also represent a catechism.
  1. The bead of God
  2. The bead of Silence
  3. The I bead
  4. The bead of Baptism
  5. The bead of Silence
  6. The Desert bead
  7. The bead of Silence
  8. The Carefree bead
  9. The bead of Silence
  10. Two beads of Love
  11. Three beads of Secret
  12. The bead of Darkness
  13. The bead of Silence
  14. The bead of Resurrection
  15. The bead of Silence