Saint Catherine Labouré, proclaimed saint in 1947 by Pope Pius XII, said she had witnessed many apparitions. The occasion on which the Holy Virgin commissioned Catherine to have the miraculous Medal struck was the second apparition, which took place on November 27, 1830, around 17.30. The Virgin told her that that medal would be a sign of love, a pledge of protection and a source of thanks for all those who would trust in it. Our Lady always showed Catherine how this medal should be. Caterina said that in the apparition, Maria's feet rested on a half globe, which symbolized the terrestrial globe, and crushed the head of a greenish snake spotted with yellow. The hands of the Virgin were adorned with rings studded with precious stones which projected rays of light of different intensity and color downwards. Our Lady explained to Catherine that those rays were: "the symbol of the graces that I spread on the people who ask me".