Christianity has used symbols from its very
beginnings. Each saint has a story and a reason why he or she led an exemplary life. Symbols have
been used to tell these stories throughout the history of the Church. 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. 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. Many of the most prominent saints, like
Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist can
also be recognised by a distinctive facial type - as of course can Christ. In the case of later
saints their actual historical appearance can also be used. Some attributes are general, like the palm frond carried by martyrs.
The lives of most saints are far removed from an ordinary worshipper’s life. The use of a symbol in a statue, or painting, of
a saint reminds people who is being shown and of their story. The following is a list of some of these attributes.
The list
A
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Acathius |
crown of thorns |
| Agatha |
tongs or shears, veil,
bells, two breasts on a plate |
| Agnes |
lamb |
| Ambrose |
bees, beehive, dove,
ox,pen |
| Andrew |
transverse cross |
| Anne, grandmother of Jesus |
door,book, red robe and green mantle |
| Anthony the Great |
monk's habit, bell, pig |
| Anthony of Padua |
Infant Jesus, bread, book,
lily |
| Augustine of Hippo |
dove, child, shell,
pen, book |
B
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Barbara |
tower, ciborium, cannon |
| Bartholomew |
knife |
| Benedict |
broken cup, raven, bell, crosier, bush |
| Bernard of Clairvaux |
pen, bees, instruments of
the Passion |
| Bernardine of Siena |
tablet or sun inscribed with IHS, three mitres |
| Blaise |
wax, taper (candle), iron comb |
| Bonaventure |
communion, ciborium, cardinal's
hat |
| Boniface |
oak, axe, book, fox, scourge,fountain, raven, sword |
| Bridget of Sweden |
book, pilgrim's staff |
| Brigid of Kildare |
cow |
C
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Catherine |
wheel, a crown |
| Catherine of Ricci |
ring, crown, crucifix |
| Catherine of Siena |
stigmata, cross, ring, lily |
| Cecilia |
organ |
| Cerbonius |
geese |
| Charles Borromeo |
cardinal's robes, communion |
| Christopher |
giant crudely dressed, torrent, tree, branch or large staff,
Carrying the Child Jesus on shoulder |
| Clare of Assisi |
monstrance |
| Clement |
anchor, fish, Mariner's
Cross |
| Corbinian |
saddled bear |
| Cosmas and Damian |
a phial, box of
ointment |
| Cyriacus |
deacon's vestments |
D
E
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Edmund the Martyr |
quiver of arrows |
| Saint Eligius |
bishop portrayed with a crosier in his right hand, on the
open palm of his left a miniature church of chased gold; with a hammer,anvil, and horseshoe; or with a horse |
| Elijah |
cave |
| Elizabeth of Hungary |
alms, flowers, bread, the
poor, pitcher |
| Emilianus |
monk on horseback |
| Elizabeth of Portugal |
crown |
| Erasmus |
windlass |
| Eustace |
hunting clothes, stag, bull, crucifix, horn, oven |
F
Symbol of the martyrdom of Judas Thaddeus
G
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Gabriel |
is archangel, trumpet, armour, wings, scroll stating “Ave Maria Gratia Plena” |
| Genevieve |
lit candle, bread, keys,
herd, cattle |
| George |
dragon,soldier or knight in armour, often on white horse, especially in the East |
| Gertrude of Nivelles |
crown, taper, lily,mouse |
| Giles |
Benedictine habit, hind |
| Gregory the Great |
Papal Tiara, crosier, dove (often portrayed at his ear) |
H
I
J
| Saint |
Symbol |
| James, son of Zebedee |
pilgrim's staff, scallop shell, key, sword |
| James, son of Alphaeus / James the
Just |
square rule, halberd, club, saw |
| Jerome |
lion, cardinal clothing, cross, skull, books and writing material |
| Joan of Arc |
shield, Cross of Lorraine |
| Joanna |
lamb |
| John Berchmans |
Rule of Saint Ignatius, cross, rosary |
| John Chrysostom |
bees, dove, pen |
| John of God |
alms, heart, crown of
thorns |
| John the Baptist |
lamb, head on a platter, animal
skin (the camel-skin coat of the Gospels), often portrayed carryiing a long crudely made cross |
| John the Evangelist |
eagle, chalice sometimes with a snake in it,
kettle, book |
| Joseph, spouse of Mary |
Infant Jesus, lily, rod, plane,carpenter's square |
| Jude |
sword, square rule, club, ship |
| Justin Martyr |
axe, sword |
| Juthwara |
round soft cheese |
K
L
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Lawrence |
cross, book of the Gospels, gridiron, palm frond, purse of
money |
| Leander of Seville |
pen |
| Leonard of Noblac |
lock, chain,
manacles or fetters |
| Liborius |
pebbles, peacock |
| Louis IX of France |
crown of thorns, nails |
| Lucy |
cord, eyes on a dish,
lamp |
| Luke |
ox, book, brush, palette |
M
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Margaret |
dragon in chains |
| Mark |
winged lion, book |
| Martha |
holy water sprinkler, dragon |
| Martin of Tours |
goose |
| Mary Magdalene |
jar of ointment |
| Matilda |
purse, alms |
| Matthew |
winged man, purse, lance |
| Maurus |
scales, spade, crutch |
| Michael |
scales, banner, sword, dragon |
| Monica |
girdle, tears |
N
O
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Oda of Scotland |
depicted wearing a long blue gown with one shoulder bare; usually carries a staff or a book; always shown with a
magpie on her hand and a crown under her
feet |
P
| Saint |
Symbol |
| Pantaleon |
nailed hands |
| Patrick |
cross, harp, serpent, baptismal font, demons, shamrock |
| Paul |
sword, book or scroll,
horse |
| Peter |
keys, boat, rooster, short silver hair |
| Petronilla |
set of keys, dolphin |
| Philip the Apostle |
column |
| Philip Neri |
lily |
| Philomena |
anchor |
Q
R
Angel holding the sun at the Bordeaux cathedral
S
T
U
V
W
Pastoral Crook of arcbishop Heinrich of Finstingen, 1260-1286
X
Y
Mitre of Bishop Sztojkovics, Hungary, ca. 1860, stolen in 1989
Z
See also
References
External links
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