Saint symbolism
{{Short description|Attribute identifying a saint in artworks}}
{{Use American English|date = April 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
File:Saints withtheiremblems.jpg (wearing a pilgrim's hat); Saint Joseph; Saint Ghislain (holding a church); Saint Eligius (bishop with a crosier, holding a hammer); Saint Hermes (with the armor and the sword)]]
Symbolism of Christian saints has been used from the very beginnings of the religion.{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Symbolism}} Each saint is said to have led an exemplary life and symbols have been used to tell these stories throughout the history of the Church.{{Cite journal |last=Mayernik |first=David T. |date=2018 |title=A Vast, Immeasurable Sanctuary: Iconography for Churches |url=http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/a_vast_immeasurable_sanctuary_iconography_for_churches |journal=Sacred Architecture Journal |volume=5 |pages=22}} A number of Christian saints are traditionally represented by a symbol or iconic motif associated with their life, termed an attribute or emblem, in order to identify them. The study of these forms part of iconography in art history.{{Cite web |title=Eastern Orthodox and Catholic teaching about Icons. |url=http://www.ikonograph.com/teaching-about-icons|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417155439/http://www.ikonograph.com/teaching-about-icons/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=April 17, 2018}} They were particularly used so that the illiterate could recognize a scene, and to give each of the Saints something of a personality in art. They are often carried in the hand by the Saint.
Attributes often vary with either time or geography, especially between Eastern Christianity and the West. Orthodox images more often contained inscriptions with the names of saints, so the Eastern repertoire of attributes is generally smaller than the Western.{{listref|c}} Many of the most prominent saints, like Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist can also be recognised by a distinctive facial type. Some attributes are general, such as the martyr's palm.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Palm in Christian Symbolism |encyclopedia=The Catholic Encyclopedia |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11432a.htm |date=1911 |author=Hassett, M.}} The use of a symbol in a work of art depicting a Saint reminds people who is being shown and of their story. The following is a list of some of these attributes.
{{Compact TOC| letters=no | pre1=Four Evangelists | pre2=The Twelve Apostles | pre3 = Mary, mother of Jesus|pre4 =Saints listed by name | prebreak=yes | seealso=yes | extlinks=yes | refs=yes }}
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Four Evangelists
{{main|Four Evangelists}}
File:KellsFol027v4Evang.jpg are here depicted in the Book of Kells. The winged man, lion, eagle and bull symbolize, clockwise from top left, Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke.]]
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" style="width: 20em;" | Saint |
| Matthew |
| Mark |
| Luke
| winged bull |
| John
| eagle |
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The Apostles
{{mainarticle|Apostles in the New Testament}}
{{Gallery | perrow=2
|title=Depictions of The Apostles
|width=110| height=
|align=right
|footer=
|File:Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles by Constantinople master (early 14th c., Pushkin museum).jpg
|alt1=The Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. Russian, 14th century, Moscow Museum.
|The Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. Russian, 14th century, Moscow Museum.
|File:Muenster-100725-15996-Überwasserkirche-Schlüssel.jpg
|alt2=The key as symbol of St. Peter
|The key as symbol of St. Peter
|File:Stained glass window ca. 1900 showing flaying knife, symbol of St. Bartholomew.jpg
|alt3=Stained glass window ca. 1900 showing flaying knife, symbol of St. Bartholomew
|Stained glass window showing flaying knife, symbol of St. Bartholomew
|File:Shield with symbol of St. James the Great, Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania).jpg
|alt4=Scallop Shells, St. James the Great
|Scallop Shells, St. James the Great
}}
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" style="width: 10em;" | Apostle ! scope="col" | Symbol |
| Andrew the Apostle
| St. Andrew's cross{{listref|a}}, discalced, with fish or a rope |
| Bartholomew the Apostle
| knife, bears his own skin in hand{{listref|a}} |
| James, son of Zebedee
| pilgrim's staff, scallop shell, key, sword, pilgrim's hat, astride a white charger, Cross of Saint James{{listref|a}} |
| James, son of Alphaeus/James the Just
| square rule, halberd, club, saw{{listref|a}} |
| John
| evangelistary, a serpent in a chalice, cauldron, eagle{{listref|a}} |
| Jude
| sword, square rule, club, ship{{listref|a}} |
| Judas Iscariot
| thirty pieces of silver{{listref|a}} |
| Matthew
| angel, evangelistary{{listref|a}} |
| Peter
| Keys of Heaven, boat, fish, rooster, pallium, papal vestments; crucified head downwards on an inverted cross, holding a book or scroll, with a bushy beard and hair.{{listref|a}} |
| Philip
| column; holding a basket of loaves and a Tau Cross{{listref|a}} |
| Simon
| boat; cross and saw; fish (or two fishes); lance; being sawn in two longitudinally; oar{{listref|a}} |
| Thomas
| placing his finger in the side of Christ, axe, spear, carpentry tools {{listref|a}} |
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Mary, mother of Jesus
{{mainarticle|Mary, mother of Jesus}}
{{see also|Titles of Mary}}
{{Gallery | perrow=1
|title=Depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus
|width=110 | height=
|align=right
|footer=
|File:Angelico, madonna col bambino, pinacoteca sabauda.jpg
|alt2=A traditional depiction of Maryby Fra Angelico wearing a blue mantle
|A traditional depiction of Mary by Fra Angelico wearing a blue mantle
|File:Nossa Senhora do Perpetuo Socorro HD.jpg|Our Lady of Perpetual Help
|File:Virgin of Mercy ikon, Ukraine 17 Century.jpg
|alt3=Icon of the Virgin of Mercy
|File:Virgendecandelariacamarin01.jpg
|alt4=Image of the Virgin of Candelaria
}}
Mary is often portrayed wearing blue. Her attributes include amongst many others a mantle (often in blue or very large to cover the faithful), crown of 12 stars, serpent, sun and/or moon, heart pierced by sword, Madonna lily, roses, and rosary beads.{{Cite book |last=Kugeares |first=Sophia Manoulian |title=Images Of The Annunciation Of The Virgin Mary Of The 13th, 14th And 15th Century |date=1991}}
Saints listed by name
Saints (A–H)
{{main|Saint symbolism: Saints (A–H)}}
Saints (I–P)
{{main|Saint symbolism: Saints (I–P)}}
Saints (Q–Z)
{{main|Saint symbolism: Saints (Q–Z)}}
See also
Notes
{{listref/reflist
|id1=a |ref1= {{Cite web |title=List of saints |url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php |work=Catholic Online| publisher = Your Catholic Voice Foundation}}
|id2=b |ref2= {{Cite web |date=2015-10-20 |first = Richard | last = Stracke|title=Iconography | url = https://www.christianiconography.info/about.html |website=Christian Iconography}}
|id3=c |ref3= {{cite web | last =Rabenstein | first =Katherine | title =Saint of the Day Master Index| work =St. Patrick Catholic Church | date =April 1999 | url =http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/saint_a.shtml| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180420054908/http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/saint_a.shtml | archive-date =April 20, 2018 }}
}}
References
{{reflist|35em}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last=Delaney |first=John P. |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsain00dela |title=Dictionary of Saints |publisher=Doubleday |year=1980 |isbn=0-385-13594-7 |edition=Second |location=Garden City, NY |url-access=registration}}
- {{cite book |last1=Greene |first1=E. A. |title=Saints and their symbols : a companion in the churches and picture galleries of Europe |date=1909 |publisher=London : Whittaker & Co. |url=https://archive.org/details/saintstheirsymbo00greeuoft}}{{cite book |last1=Greene |first1=E. A. |title=Saints and their symbols : a companion in the churches and picture galleries of Europe |date=1909 |publisher=London : Whittaker & Co. |url=https://archive.org/details/saintstheirsymbo00greeuoft}}
- {{Cite book |last1=Lanzi |first1=Fernando |title=Saints and their Symbols: Recognizing Saints in Art and in Popular Images |last2=Lanzi |first2=Gioia |date=2004-09-01 |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=9780814629703 |translator-last=O'Connell |translator-first=Matthew J.}}
- {{Cite book |last=Post |first=W. Ellwood |title=Saints, Signs and Symbols |publisher=SPCK Publishing |year=1975 |isbn=9780281028948 |edition=2}}
- {{Cite book |last=Schiller |first=Gertrud |title=Iconography of Christian Art |year=1971 |isbn=978-0821203651 |volume=1 |publisher=Arnoldo Mondadori |author-link=Gertrud Schiller}}
- {{Cite book |last=Walsh |first=Michael |title=A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West |publisher=Liturgical Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8146-3186-7}}
- {{Cite book |last=Whittemore |first=Carroll E. |url=https://archive.org/details/symbolsofchurch0000whit |title=Symbols of the Church |publisher=Abingdon Press |year=1980 |isbn=0687183014 |url-access=registration}}
- {{cite web | last =Rabenstein | first =Katherine | title =Bibliography on Saints and Sainthood | work =St. Patrick Catholic Church | date =April 1999 | url =http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/reference.shtml| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180410021056/http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/reference.shtml | archive-date =April 10, 2018 }}
External links
{{Sister project links
|1= |collapsible= |display= Saint symbolism |position= |style=
|wikt= no|c= Category:Saint symbology|commonscat= |n= no |q= no |s= Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Christian Iconography |author=no |b=no |v=no
|voy= no |d= Q204231 |m=no |mw= no |species= no |species_author=no
}}
- {{Cite web |title=Christian Iconography |url=http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318151517/http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/ |archive-date=2014-03-18 |publisher=Augusta State University}}
- {{Cite web |title=Hagiographies, hymnography, and icons for many Orthodox saints |url=http://www.oca.org/FSlives.asp?SID=4 |publisher=Orthodox Church in America}}
- {{Cite web |title=Saints' Badges or Shields |url=https://www.angelfire.com/me4/saints/index.html}}
{{Saints}}
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