Rosendo Salvado

These rosary beads are an intimate and personal relic of Bishop Rosendo Salvado himself - the man who founded and developed New Norcia mission and monastery. The Spanish Benedictine monk had been living in exile in Italy when the first Bishop of Perth invited him to Australia. He arrived in the region, aged 31, in 1846. He is said to have spent his first few weeks at New Norcia with the local Yued people, attempting to learn their language, eat their foods and build a relationship of trust. He then went on to work with the Yued people and monks to create a largely self-sufficient Christian village based on agriculture. Under his guidance New Norcia started producing wool, olive oil, honey, bread, wine and ale. Later, as the colony expanded, Salvado is acknowledged by some as becoming a leading advocate for Aboriginal people. He died in 1900, aged 83, after a short illness on a visit to Rome. He was entombed in Rome for three years, before his colleagues arranged for his remains to be returned to his beloved New Norcia.