The turquoise beaded cross, anchor and heart on this charm from Brittany symbolise the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity, which are mentioned in Paul the Apostle’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible. 

 

According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, Faith, Hope and Charity were also the names of three noble sisters who lived in Italy during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (AD 117–138). Raised by their mother Sophia (meaning Wisdom) to be pious and devout Christians, Pistis, Elpis and Agape (Faith, Hope and Charity in Greek) were brought before the Emperor when they were just twelve, ten and nine years old. They were tortured and killed for their faith, and their bodies were buried on the Via Aurelia, a Roman road that ran from Rome to Pisa. Sophia wept over their graves for three days, before joining them in death. The memories of these child martyrs and their mother are celebrated on 17 September in the Eastern Orthodox Church.