Symbolism on Holy Cards
Religious Holy Cards use a commonly understood vocabulary of Christian visual imagery to impart meaning. Colors, objects, animals, plants, parts of the body, clothing, and numbers all have different meanings attributed to them. Although many of the images seen in Christian art can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, it was during the Medieval period, just prior to the emergence of Holy Cards, that the symbols used by the Church began to become more standardized, which only increased the understanding of their shared meaning. These meanings can be traced throughout most religious artwork and often relate back to a passage in the Bible. When Holy Cards were first emerging as a printed medium, the literacy rate was low, so symbolism was used to tell the story of a life of a saint, which in turned allowed the owner of the card to establish a deep connection with that particular saint. Below are just some of the symbols that can be seen on Holy Cards and across other forms of religious artwork. While some symbols shared a similar meaning across all cards, other symbols took on a particular meaning when shown in combination with other symbols, or when they appeared on the card of a particular saint. Oftentimes, symbols have more than one meaning, and the meaning on that particular card can only be understood in conjunction with the other symbols on the card. In some extreme cases, like with gold, the symbol can have opposing meanings on its own, and needs to context of the saint’s life story to fully understand.
Acorn: strength
Ashes: mourning
Bare Feet: poverty, humility
Black: death, mourning
Blood: martyrdom
Bread: the means of sustaining life.
Three loaves of bread: St. Mary of Egypt
Raven bearing a loaf of bread: St. Paul the Hermit
Camel: temperance
Camel’s hair: St. John the Baptist
Cloak: shelter, charity
Crescent moon: the Virgin Mary
Crown: Royalty
Triple crown: St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Crown of thorns: St. Catherine of Siena, St. Louis of France, St. Veronica, St. Mary Magdalene
Crown of roses: St. Cecilia
Daisy: innocence
Diamond: joy, purity
Dog: fidelity, loyalty, watchfulness
Dog with a flame: St. Dominic
Black and white dogs: The Dominicans (friars wear black and white robes)
Dolphin: resurrection, faith, love.
Dolphin with an anchor: the Catholic Church
Dove: purity, innocence, peace
Dragon: Satan
Ermine: purity
Eye: omnipresence of God
Eyes on a platter: St. Lucy
Fire / Flames: martyrdom and religious fervor
Fish: Baptism, Christ, used because the five Greek letters forming the word “fish” are the initial
Fox: cunning, fraud, lust, cruelty
Gold: pure light or worldly wealth, idolatry
Grapes: the Eucharist
Twelve bunches of grapes: the Apostles
Heart: understanding, love, courage, devotion
Flaming heart: St. Augustine
Heart with a cross: St. Catherine of Siena
Heart pierced by three nails and circled with a crown of thorns: the “Sacred Heart”
Horse: lust
Ivory: purity and moral fortitude
Ivy: faithfulness
Lamb: innocence, gentleness, patience, humility, Christ
Lamp: wisdom and piety
Lily: purity, innocence, virginity
Lion: strength, courage, fortitude
Money: charity
Three bags of money: St. Nicholas of Myra
A dish of money: St. Lawrence
Owl: wisdom
Peacock: immortality
Pen: Evangelists
Rainbow: union, reconciliation
Ram: Christ, strength
Rocks: Christ, St. Peter
Ruby: love, martyrdom
Sapphire: heaven, truth, wisdom
Scroll: writer, usually of the Old Testament
Shield: protection, faith
Ship: Church of Christ
Boat/ferry: St. Julian
Silver: purity and chastity
Skull: Hermits and Penitents
Snail: sinner, laziness
Snake: Satan, evil
Stag: Piety
Stag with a crucifix between its horns: St. Eustace and St. Hubert
Star: Divine guidance or favor.
Star on the forehead: St. Dominic
Star on the breast: St. Nicholas of Tolentine
Strawberry: righteousness
Sword: martyrdom
Sword dividing a cloak: St. Martin
Thirteen: betrayal
Unicorn: purity, chastity in particular.
Water: cleansing and purifying
White: purity, innocence, chastity
Wolf: gluttony, false prophets, Satan
Woodpecker: Satan