Lily of the Valley Ring in 925 Silver and Red Coral

The lily , lilium, belongs to the liliaceae family, is native to Syria and Palestine. It has narrow leaves with parallel veins, arranged around the stem. The flowers are composed of six petals, often gathered in numerous inflorescences on long stems, of different colors which, depending on the species, can be very fragrant.

The best known and most widespread species is the lilium candidum , of Balkan origin but imported into southern Italy already in Roman times. Its spread in the Mediterranean area was very rapid thanks to some laws, enacted by the Emperor Augustus, which required the cultivation of all plants considered useful in order to reduce the costs of their import from eastern countries. Thanks to this ancient law, the lily became a semi-spontaneous plant also in the area of Southern Italy.

Lilium candidum is white in color, but there are other fairly common qualities such as, for example, lilium tigrinum, with a pink or yellow shaded color and sprinkled with small black spots, and lilium regale , white with pink or yellow shades.

The lily is a flower accompanied by many legends, especially of religious inspiration. In the Christian religion it represents the purity of the Madonna , a legend tells that Mary chose her husband, Joseph, noticing him in the crowd, thanks to the lily she held in her hand, for this reason, in the various iconographies of St. Joseph, he is often depicted with a stick from which white lilies bloom. It is also the flower attributed to the archangel Gabriel and, in the Italian Christian tradition, to Sant'Antonio, the protector of children, who according to legend was given a sprig of lilies that blossomed precisely from the child Jesus.

In addition to being a symbolic flower in Christianity, the lily is also one of the most present symbols in the history of the great dynasties. In 1147 it was adopted as a coat of arms by Louis VII before his departure for the Crusade, from that moment the representation of the lily was often adopted in France over the centuries, for example: the fabrics of the armchairs on which the magistrates sat were always decorated with of the lilies; from 1655 to 1657 the coins minted were called gold lilies and silver lilies.

The lily was one of the symbols most used by the equestrian orders , that is the knightly orders of both the States and the papacy, for example that of Navarre, that of Pope Paul II and Paul III and that established by Louis XVIII in 1816.

The lily became and still is the coat of arms of the city of Florence , at first the symbol of the city was a white lily on a red background then in 1251 in Florence it was adopted, the current one, the red lily on a white background to symbolize the victory of the Guelphs in the clash between the two factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, which took place in those years.

In addition to the previous meanings rich in glory and faith, the lily had a less noble meaning for many years, in fact in the past it was widely used to mark offenders.

In the artistic head the lily has often been represented by various artists starting from ancient Greece where it was associated in various representations with the goddess of modesty and candor, Modesty who held it in her hands, and with the goddess of Hope who in the works where it is shown holding a lily bud.

In the language of flowers and plants , the meaning of the lily varies according to the species and color: the white lily symbolizes virginity, purity , and royalty of soul; the yellow lily symbolizes nobility ; the pink lily symbolizes vanity ; the lily of the valley is the symbol of sweetness and given as a gift it represents a wish for happiness; the quality called calla lily symbolizes beauty and the one called tiger lily symbolizes wealth and pride .

Giving a lily as a gift means appreciating the purity of soul of the person to whom it is given.

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