Determinant of saints by their attributes. Wardrobe of the Pope: from Saturno to the "fisherman's ring" The staff in the right hand of the Pope is a symbol

Lamb
John called Christ the Lamb of God, and therefore, over time, the lamb became the main iconographic attribute of John himself. This meek beast, symbolizing the sacrifice that Christ made for the redemption of mankind, stood at the feet of the Baptist, sat on a book that he held in his hands, or was placed in a round medallion nearby.

Keys
The Galilean fisherman, who became the “Prince of the Apostles”, and then the first Bishop of Rome and, as they believed in the West, the head of the universal Church, was usually depicted in the Middle Ages with one or two keys in his hands. These were the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, which, as it is said in the Gospel of Matthew, Christ himself gave him: “What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The keys of Peter over time became the most important symbol of the power of the papacy, and therefore in the 16th century, when a wave of Protestant iconoclasm swept across Europe, their numerous images (like the figures of the chief apostle themselves) turned into one of the main targets for destruction.

Sword
The main attribute of the Apostle Paul was the instrument of his execution. Like Peter, he was killed during the persecution organized by the emperor Nero. But if Peter, a Jew by origin, was crucified (according to legend, as a sign of humility, he asked the executioners to nail him to the cross not like Jesus, but upside down), then Paul was a Roman citizen and had the right to a more humane execution: they cut off his head.

Sink
Many attributes of saints have nothing to do with their earthly biography. James the Elder, one of the first disciples of Christ, who was executed in Jerusalem around the year 44, would be very surprised to learn that the scallop shell became his main sign. The history of this symbol began in medieval Spain, where the legend spread that it was Jacob who once baptized these lands and that his remains, with angelic help, were transferred from the Holy Land to the west of the Iberian Peninsula, to Santiago de Compostela (from the Spanish name apostle - Iago). The pilgrims who from the 10th-11th centuries went to the tomb of St. Jacob from all over Europe, seashells were brought back - this was a sign that they really reached their goal. Over time, shells turned into the main symbol of pilgrimage, and Jacob himself began to be depicted in the guise of a pilgrim - with a bag, a staff and a wide-brimmed travel hat with a shell sewn to it.

oblique cross
The elder brother of the Apostle Peter, who was the first of the twelve disciples to follow Christ, according to legend, was crucified in Greek Patras on an oblique cross in the shape of the Latin letter X. In the Middle Ages, many lands (from Georgia and Russia to Scotland and Burgundy) declared him their baptist or patron saint. According to Scottish legend, in 832, King Angus II of the Picts, preparing for battle with the superior forces of the Angles, promised that if he won, he would make St. Andrew as the patron of his kingdom. On the day of the battle, a cross of clouds appeared in the sky, and Angus defeated the enemy. That is why, as the legend says, the white St. Andrew's cross on a blue background became the flag of Scotland.

Knife
The Apostle Bartholomew preached Christianity in Asia Minor and Mesopotamia, reached India, then, together with Judas Thaddeus, brought a new faith to Armenia and there, in the city of Albanopol, he was martyred. The most common version of his deeds says that he was flayed alive and then crucified. Therefore, in the Middle Ages, he became the patron of everyone who works with leather (from dyers and tanners to glove makers and bookbinders), and his own skin, which he often holds in his hands, or a knife, an instrument of terrible torture, became his main attributes.

square
Thomas, whom ancient legends declared the baptist of India, in the Middle Ages was considered the patron of builders and architects, and therefore was often depicted with a square. The thing is that in the apocryphal “Acts of Thomas” (III century) it was told how the Indian king entrusted the experienced carpenter Thomas with the construction of his palace, after which he managed to convert many of his subjects to Christianity, and then the sovereign himself.

Angel
From the 4th-5th centuries, in theology, and then in iconography, the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were correlated with the four beings mentioned in the vision of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel and in the Revelation of John the Theologian. Both texts describe four winged animals with features of a lion, a bullock, a man and an eagle, which surround the heavenly flame or the throne of the Lord. The attribute of Matthew, the author of the first of the Gospels, which opens with the earthly genealogy of Jesus Christ, was a man or an angel.

a lion
In front of the Venetian Doge's Palace stands a granite column with a figure of a winged lion - this is a symbol of the Evangelist Mark, whom, according to legend, the Apostle Peter sent to preach in Egypt, where he became the first bishop of Alexandria. In the 9th century, Venetian merchants stole his relics from there (Alexandria had long fallen under Muslim rule) and transported the shrine to their homeland. For the remains, a luxurious basilica was built (its successor, which began to be built in the 11th century, has survived to this day). Over time, St. Mark, pushing St. Theodora, became the main patron of Venice, and his attribute, winged lion, turned into the coat of arms of the republic and a symbol of its dominion.

Taurus
Unlike the attributes of other saints, which appeared much later, the symbols of the evangelists were often depicted not with them, but instead of them. The calf is Luke, as the lion is Mark, and the eagle is John. In the early Middle Ages, sometimes you can meet evangelists-"monsters" - with a human body crowned with the head of the corresponding beast. When the attribute animal, as happens more often, appears side by side with its “owner”, it can appear in a separate segment of the image (like a coat of arms placed above the owner’s head) or lie at his feet like a pet. Sometimes, perching behind the back of the evangelist, he seems to be dictating a sacred text to him or holding an already written scroll in his teeth. St. Luke, the author of the third Gospel, in the Middle Ages was considered the patron of doctors (in the New Testament he calls himself a physician) and artists (it was believed that he painted the first image of the Virgin Mary).

Eagle
John, the beloved disciple of Christ, who is considered the author of the Apocalypse and the last of the Gospels, has two main attributes - an eagle and a bowl from which a dragon or snake crawls out. At the same time, if in the iconography of the ancient Greek god-healer Asclepius, the snake on the bowl symbolized the power of healing (this is where the modern symbols of medicine came from), then in the goblet of John the reptile personifies a deadly poison. According to legend, during the persecution initiated by the emperor Nero, the apostle was taken in chains to Rome, where he was sentenced to death and given a cup of poison to drink, but he remained unharmed.

stones
Stephen, who, along with six other deacons, was responsible for distributing aid to the poor members of the Jerusalem Christian community, is considered the first martyr. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was accused of "blasphemous words against Moses and God" and - either by the verdict of the Sanhedrin, or at the initiative of the crowd - he was stoned outside the walls of the city. In the Middle Ages, Stephen was most often depicted with the instruments of his murder - stones that were stuck in his head or lay in his hands or on a book.

Vessel of Peace
So revered in the Middle Ages, the harlot who became a penitent sinner was “born” from the merger in the Christian tradition of three different women who were mentioned in the Gospels. This is a nameless sinner who, in the house of the Pharisee, anointed Christ's feet with oil in tears and wiped them with her hair, Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha, who begged Jesus to resurrect their brother Lazarus, and "Mary, called Magdalene", who was delivered by Christ from evil spirits and was present at his crucifixion and burial. In the Middle Ages, Mary Magdalene became the patroness of prostitutes, hairdressers (because, having repented, she went naked and covered only with long hair), gardeners (due to the fact that the risen Christ appeared to her in the guise of a gardener) and perfumers (in remembrance of the world that she anointed the feet of Jesus and was about to anoint his dead body). The last episode is connected with its main attribute - a vessel with incense.

Crucifix in deer antlers
According to legend, the Roman commander Placidus became a Christian (and changed his name to Eustathius) after he once had a vision while hunting. Between the horns of a deer, which he had been chasing for a long time, the crucified Christ appeared to him, asking him: “Why are you persecuting me, because I want your salvation?” As a result, he, along with his entire family, was martyred when, by order of the emperor Hadrian, they were thrown into a red-hot copper bull. In the Middle Ages, Eustathius became the patron saint of hunters, and then, from the 14th century, one of the fourteen patron saints (Saints George the Victorious, Dionysius of Paris, Margaret of Alexandria, Barbara, Christopher, Erasmus, etc.), who were considered especially effective in the fight against diseases and others. misfortunes. The story of the vision of Christ (or the crucifixion) in the horns of a deer from the life of St. Eustathia then migrated to the legend of St. Hubert of Liege (VII-VIII centuries), who also became the patron saint of hunters, so it is easy to confuse them in the images.

Organ, harp
One of the most popular Roman martyrs at the end of the Middle Ages was declared the patroness of music, and she began to be depicted with various musical instruments (most often with a portable organ). A young Christian of noble blood, she took a vow of chastity, but her parents decided to marry her to the pagan Valerian. Going to the crown, she prayed to God and, not listening to pagan music, sang spiritual hymns or, in accordance with a later version, played the organ. As a result, she managed to dissuade her husband from married life and convince him to accept Christianity. When prefect Turtius Almachius ordered her to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, she refused and was sentenced to death. However, the executioner could not cut off her head, and she lived for three more days, calling those around her to conversion.

Lattice
The archdeacon of the Roman Christian community was martyred during the persecution begun in 258 by the emperor Valerian. Since Lawrence was responsible for the property of the Church and for helping those in need, the Roman prefect demanded that he hand over all the treasures to the authorities. Asking for a three-day delay, Lavrenty distributed almost the entire treasury to the poor and appeared before the prefect with the beggars, the crippled and the blind - "the true treasure of the Church." After that, he was roasted alive on an iron grate. According to legend, during the execution, he mockingly threw to the tormentors: “You baked one side, turn to the other and eat my body!” In the Middle Ages, Lawrence was revered as the patron saint of the poor. The monastery of Escorial, dedicated to him, which the Spanish king Philip II (1556-1598) erected near Madrid, resembles a lattice on which a martyr was once roasted.

Arrows
The head of the Praetorian Guard and a secret Christian was executed on the orders of Emperor Diocletian: the executioners shot him with bows and threw the body. However, despite the wounds, he remained alive and boldly went to the emperor to show his steadfastness in the faith. Then they threw stones at him, and the corpse was thrown into the Great cloaca. The scene of the execution became an iconographic "calling card" of Sebastian. Apparently, thanks to the arrows with which his martyr was streaked, from the 14th century they began to revere him as an intercessor from the plague - from ancient times the attack of the epidemic was likened to arrows that the angry Lord sends at people.

shoes
The patrons of shoemakers, the brothers Crispin and Crispinian, according to legend, were born into a noble family, and then learned to be shoemakers, settled in Soissons and, in order to convert poor buyers to the true faith, began to distribute shoes to them for free.

Head in hands
In medieval iconography, there are many saints-cephalophores ("head-bearers"). The most famous of them is St. Dionysius, considered the first bishop of Paris. We know little about him reliably, but around the year 250 he was beheaded along with his comrades - the priest Rustik and the deacon Eleutherius. According to legend, after the execution, he took his head in his hands and went north through Montmartre (translated as “the hill of martyrs”). In the place where he fell, he was buried. In the 7th century, under the Frankish king Dagobert, the monastery of Saint-Denis arose there, which became the burial place of the French monarchs.

Ticks, breasts
Agatha is one of those martyrs whose iconographic attributes are both the instrument of torture and the injured organ. A young Christian of noble blood, she rejected the harassment of the Roman prefect Quintian. He sent Agatha to a brothel, then the girl was thrown into prison and her breasts were torn off with tongs. However, the apostle Peter, who appeared before her, healed her wounds, and during the next round of torture, an earthquake occurred in the city, and the prefect's palace collapsed. Nevertheless, in the end, Agatha died in prison. A year after her death, the volcano Etna erupted, but the inhabitants of Catania saved their city from fire and lava by exposing them to meet the cover with which the saint's grave was covered. In the Middle Ages, Agatha was revered as the patroness of Catania and all of Sicily, the protector from earthquakes, eruptions, fires and lightning, and, of course, a healer who helped with chest diseases.

wool comb
Often the instrument of martyrdom of a saint not only became an iconographic attribute, but also determined his posthumous specialization as an intercessor. Blaise, an Armenian doctor who became bishop of Sebastia (now the city of Sivas in Turkey), was revered in the medieval West as a patron of wool combers. According to legend, before being beheaded, he was tortured with a metal comb, which is used to comb sheep's wool. Vlasiy was also often depicted with candles - in memory of two candles that a poor woman brought to him in prison, whose pigs he miraculously saved from a wolf. In the German lands, where the name Blasius was associated with the verb "blasen" ("to blow", "to blow"), he was represented with a horn and was considered a protector from storms and storms.

baby jesus
Throughout late medieval Europe, either inside churches or on their outer walls, one could see huge frescoes depicting a giant carrying the Christ child on his shoulders. This is St. Christopher, who was revered as the patron of travelers and the protector from sudden death - it was believed that whoever looked at his image would not die that day. According to legend, this giant once entered the service of Satan, but when he saw that the devil was frightened by the cross, he realized that God was stronger, went over to his side and began to carry travelers across a stormy river. One day, a child was among his burdens. Taking him in his arms, Christopher felt that the burden was becoming heavier. "Who are you?" the giant asked, and the child replied that he was Christ, the creator of the world, and as proof he ordered Christopher to drive a staff into the ground: it would flourish and bear fruit every day. And so it happened. In the Christian East, it was believed that the saint was a descendant of the people of the psoglavtsy, and on icons he was often depicted with a dog's head.

Urine bottle
The life of the brothers Cosmas and Damian, like many other early Christian martyrs, barely appears through the fog of legends (it is not known whether they existed at all). According to legend, these Christian doctors did not take money from patients for treatment, healed not only people, but also animals, and were martyred in Syria during the persecution organized by the emperor Diocletian. Their most famous miracle is the salvation of a Roman clergyman from gangrene, to whom, having appeared in a dream, they cut off a sore leg, and instead put a healthy limb of a recently deceased Moor. In the medieval West, Cosmas and Damian were revered as patron saints of doctors and depicted with the appropriate attributes - surgical instruments, jars of drugs or a bottle of urine (using it the physician was supposed to make a diagnosis).

Ticks
According to the church historian Eusebius Pamphilus, “the pagans seized Apollonia, a marvelous old virgin, beat her in the jaws, knocked out all her teeth; they made a fire outside the city and threatened to burn her alive if she did not utter blasphemous exclamations along with them. Apollonia, after praying a little, stepped aside, jumped into the fire from a running start and burned down. The main attribute of this saint, according to legend, who died during the persecution of the emperor Decius, was the tongs with which the executioners pulled out her teeth. She herself turned into an intercessor from dental diseases and the patroness of dentists.

torture wheels
The main attribute of St. Catherine, one of the most popular Christian martyrs and patroness of students, wheelsmiths and millers, was the instrument of her torture - a wheel with spiked spikes. A young intellectual from a noble family, she converted to Christianity, after which Christ appeared to her, handed her a ring and called her his bride. When Emperor Maxentius began persecuting Christians, she was not afraid to shame him and easily defeated 50 pagan sages who were instructed to debate with her. Conquered by the beauty and wisdom of Catherine, the emperor invited her to marry him, and for refusing to sentence her to death. For this, an installation was built, consisting of four wheels studded with spikes. When Catherine touched the instrument of execution, the wheels fell apart. In some images they are lying at her feet, in others she is holding their tiny "models" in her hands.

Tower
According to legend, which places the action either in Nicomedia (now in Turkey) or in Phoenician Heliopolis (Lebanon), Barbara was the daughter of the local aristocrat Dioscurus. To protect her daughter's beauty from encroachment, her father imprisoned her in a tower. This did not prevent Varvara from accepting Christianity and keeping the faith, despite threats and torture. In the end, her father himself beheaded her, for which he was incinerated by lightning. In the Middle Ages, Barbara was considered a protector from lightning and fires, and then became the patroness of artillery. Her main attribute is a tower, most often with three windows: according to legend, during the restructuring of her "elite" prison, she ordered not two, but three windows to be made there - as a reminder of the Trinity.

Eyes
Sometimes the name of a saint gives rise to or, at least, corrects the legend about him. Lucia, a young Christian from Syracuse in Sicily, determined to keep her virginity, refused to marry a pagan. He denounced her to the governor Paskhaziy, who ordered the girl to sacrifice to idols, and when she again refused, ordered her to be sent to a brothel. But nothing happened: even a team of bulls could not budge Lucius. As a result, the Christian was cut with a sword. Apparently, later, due to the fact that the name of the martyr has the root "lux" - "light", a legend arose that Lucia tore out her eyes and sent them to the hated groom, but the Lord restored her sight. So in the Middle Ages, Lucia, who was often depicted with her eyes in her hands, on a book, a tray, and even on a twig, became a holy healer of eye diseases.

The Dragon
Once one of the most popular Christian saints, the patroness of pregnant women and women in childbirth. In 1969, the Vatican struck out St. Margarita of church calendar because her life was too much like a legend. According to legend, in the time of the emperors Diocletian or Maximian, this young Christian, having rejected the sexual inclinations of the governor Olybrius, ended up in prison. There, the devil appeared to her in the form of a dragon and swallowed her. But Margarita had a small crucifix in her hands: with its help, a hole was formed in the belly of the demonic monster, and the girl got out to freedom. Therefore, in the Middle Ages, Margaret was portrayed as rising from the belly of a dragon (often the hem of her dress sticks out of his mouth) or trampling on her defeated opponent.

Lamb
The white lamb, standing next to Agnes or sitting in her arms, is one of the oldest attributes of saints, which apparently arose from consonance. Although the name of the martyr comes from the Greek root "agnos" ("pure", "immaculate"), it is similar to the Latin word "agnus" - "lamb". This gentle beast recalls the sacrifice of Christ, whom John the Baptist called the Lamb of God. According to legend, Agnes, like many other early Christian martyrs, in an effort to preserve her virginity, rejected matchmaking from the son of the Roman prefect, and then refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods and was eventually beheaded. In the Middle Ages, she was revered as the patroness of virgins and betrothed girls.

Three purses, Three boys in a barrel, Ship
The patron saint of sailors, travelers, virgins, children, orphans, prisoners and many others, St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, was and remains one of the most popular Christian saints. His numerous specializations and attributes go back to the good deeds and miracles he performed: helping three poor girls whom his father was ready to turn into prostitutes, because he could not collect a dowry to marry them (St. Nicholas secretly planted a purse of gold for each of them); the rescue of three children (according to other versions, young men or soldiers), whom during the famine the butcher (or the owner of the tavern) cut into pieces and threw into a barrel (St. Nicholas resurrected them); the resurrection of a sailor who fell from a mast in a storm, etc. Due to the consonance between the name of the city of Mira and the word "myrrh", Nikolai also became the patron of perfumers. At the end of the Middle Ages, the idea arose that it was he who brought gifts on Christmas Eve - this is how Santa Claus was born.

A vat or barrel of water, a millstone
Often the biographies of early saints will change over time to account for their later specialization. St. Florian, a Roman Christian commander who, for refusing to persecute his co-religionists and sacrifice to the Roman gods, was martyred in Lorch (Upper Austria), at some point began to be revered as a protector from fire and the patron of firefighters: according to legend, he once put out fire with a barrel of water. Apparently, after that, episodes began to be added to his deeds that were supposed to reinforce this role (for example, as if he commanded a detachment of firefighters). Since he was killed by drowning with a millstone in the river Enns, Florian was also considered a protector from floods and a savior of the drowning. In 1184, Pope Lucius III transferred part of his relics to Krakow. So Florian became the patron not only of Upper Austria, but also of Poland.

Capstan with coiled rope
How did it happen that the bishop of the Italian city of Formia, martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian, in the Middle Ages became both a patron of sailors and a healer of stomach pains? According to one of the legends, the executioners pulled out the insides of the saint, winding them on a winch. Historians believe that this legend could have come from an erroneous interpretation of numerous earlier images, where Erasmus, as the patron saint of sailors, held a capstan in his hands with a rope wound around it. Someone mistook the rope for guts - and so the story of monstrous torture was born.

Basket with flowers or fruits
The patroness of gardeners, according to legend, was a Christian from Caesarea in Cappadocia and was martyred during the persecution under the emperor Diocletian. On the way to the place of execution, she met a young lawyer named Theophilus, who mockingly asked to send him fruit from the garden of her fiancé, that is, Christ. Before her death, an angel appeared to the martyr with a basket of apples and roses, which she sent to Theophilus. He converted to Christianity and subsequently also became a martyr. Since all the information about Dorothea historically looks too doubtful, her feast in 1969 was deleted from the Catholic calendar.

Raincoat
In the Middle Ages and early modern times, St. Martin was one of the most popular French saints and patron of the French monarchy. A Roman officer from Pannonia (now the territory of Hungary), he served in Gaul (modern France). At the gates of Amiens, Martin once met a beggar who was freezing from the cold. The officer cut his cloak in two and gave him half. The next day, in a dream, Christ appeared to Martin, dressed in a half cloak, and thanked him for his kindness. Martin decided to leave the army and convert to Christianity. He later founded a monastery and was later elected Bishop of Tours. Thanks to this story, the Latin word "capella" and its derivatives in other Romance languages ​​were born. For the first time, this was the name of the chapel where the main relic of St. Martina - that part of the cape (“cappa”) that he had left.

Lion, Cardinal Robe
From the 14th century, St. Jerome, a Christian scholar, translator of the Bible into Latin, ascetic hermit and secretary of the pope, began to be portrayed as a cardinal - in a long red robe and a wide-brimmed hat of the same color. However, at the time of Jerome, the cardinal dignity did not yet exist at all, and the red outfit, in which artists began to dress the saint, appeared only in the 14th century. Its main iconographic attribute was the lion: the saint healed the beast by removing a splinter from its paw, and in gratitude it became his faithful companion in hermitage.

Pig, Fire
Anthony the Great - a Christian who went to the deserted places of Thebaid to lead a perfect life in self-restraint, was not the first Christian hermit, but remained in the tradition as the founder of hermit monasticism. In late medieval Europe, Anthony was revered primarily as a hermit who tirelessly fought against devilish temptations, endured many torments from demons and gained the upper hand over them, as well as a holy sufferer and severe healer who heals from the "holy fire", or "the fire of the holy Anthony" (so-called ergotism  and other similar diseases). Therefore, a flame was often depicted next to him. His second attribute is a pig. Antonite monks were engaged in breeding these animals, and the pigs belonging to the order had the exclusive right to run around in search of food (to distinguish them from other pigs, they hung a bell on them, which also became one of the symbols of St. Anthony).

Three loaves, Hair covering the whole body
Like Mary Magdalene, Mary of Egypt in the Christian tradition embodied the power of spiritual transformation. The harlot of Alexandria, she went to Jerusalem, but there an unknown force did not allow her to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. After that, she repented and went beyond the Jordan, into the desert, where she spent 47 years in asceticism and self-denial. The main attributes of Mary - long hair, hiding her nakedness (in some images they look more like wool), and three loaves - in memory of how a certain person gave her three coins, with which she bought three loaves. From the heat of the desert, they became hard as a stone, and Mary fed on them for 17 years.

Fetter
According to a legend that was recorded only in the 11th century, Leonard was one of the close associates of the Frankish king Clovis (481/482-511). Together they were baptized, and the sovereign gave Leonard the privilege of granting freedom to any prisoners. They began to revere the saint as the patron of prisoners, and fetters were brought to his relics in gratitude for the release.

Candle
According to legend, in 451, when Paris was threatened by the hordes of the Huns led by Attila, Genevieve convinced the Parisians not to flee and resist the enemy - however, in the end, the conqueror bypassed the city. Later, she persuaded the clergy to erect a church over the tomb of Dionysius, the first bishop of Paris. One night, when she, along with other nuns, came to a building under construction, a demon with a gust of air extinguished the candle with which they lit their way. Genevieve took it in her hand, it immediately lit up, and the unclean spirit could do nothing more.

Hammer, Anvil, Tongs
A jeweler who became the guardian of the royal treasury under the Frankish king Dagobert I (629–639), and then a priest and bishop, Eligius was revered in the Middle Ages as a patron of fellow jewelers and blacksmiths. According to legend, one day, in order to shoe a bucking horse, which the devil took possession of, he cut off her leg, and then miraculously “put” it back. In another story, which also inspired many depictions of Eligius, the tempting demon appeared to him in the form of a girl. The saint recognized the deception and seized the unclean spirit by the nose with tongs.

Shovel
In the early Middle Ages, Irish monks were among the main preachers and founders of monasteries in France and Germany. One of them, Fiacre, received from Faro, Bishop of Mo, a promise to give him as much land for the construction of a hermitage and a hospice as he could dig up in one day. The hermit simply outlined the area with a staff, and the earth itself miraculously dug up. Thanks to this story, Fiacre was revered as a patron saint of gardeners. In addition, he specialized in the treatment of hemorrhoids, which was called the disease of St. Fiakra.

Lamp
According to legend, St. Gudula, patroness of Brussels, went every morning to the Church of the Savior, located two leagues from her castle. The devil each time tried to put out the fire in her lantern, but the angel lit it again.

deer
The holy hermit Aegidius, according to legend, lived in a forest in the south of France in the company of a deer who fed him with her milk. Once, during a royal hunt, Aegidius was hit by an arrow from a king who was aiming at a deer. As atonement, the monarch founded a monastery, and made the hermit himself an abbot. Later, the Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard became an important pilgrimage center on the way to Santiago de Compostela, to the relics of the Apostle James the Elder, and Egidius himself, or Gilles, the patron of cripples, beggars and blacksmiths, in the late Middle Ages was considered one of the fourteen most effective patron saints and specialized in insanity, epilepsy and demonic possession. In Italy, in consonance with the name of Gilles, the lily ("giglio") became his attribute.

Cross, Scourge, Demon
According to the life of Procopius, he left the monastery and settled as a hermit in the valley of the Sazava River. Local peasants saw how he plowed the fields, harnessing the devil to the plow and driving him with a cross. Therefore, the demon and the cross (or whip) became iconographic attributes of the saint. Later, Procopius became the first Czech officially canonized by the Roman see (1204) and one of the patron saints of the Czech Republic.

hive
Saint Bernard was one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the medieval West, the founder of the monastery of Clairvaux and the ideologist of the Cistercian order, a fiery preacher of the Second Crusade (1147–1149), an enemy of the Cathar heresy, a persecutor of the philosopher Abelard, a severe ascetic and mystic. In the Middle Ages, he was depicted with a small demon on a chain (as a sign of how hard he fought against heresy), with a white dog (as a reminder of his mother’s dream - she was shown that she would give birth white dog, which will scare away the enemies of the Church), or with a hive or a swarm of bees (since he was nicknamed doctor mellifluus - "honey doctor" for his eloquence).

Stigmata
The son of a wealthy merchant from Assisi, Francis decided to literally follow in the footsteps of Christ in his poverty, restlessness and service to people - and founded a mendicant order. Unlike traditional monasticism, which sought to isolate itself from the world, the early Franciscans wandered from city to city and preached. Francis himself went to Muslim Egypt to convert the Sultan to Christianity (he, however, did not heed the call). In 1224, having climbed Mount Verna, Francis was awarded the highest award - the stigmata. Five wounds appeared on his body - two on the palms and feet and one on the side - like the crucified Savior. In the images, the Assisi poor can be distinguished from other Franciscans (in brown cassocks, girded with a rope with three knots) by the “wounds of love” for Christ.

Dog, Star, Lily, Book
A nobleman from Caleruega (Spain), who founded his own order of monk-preachers to combat the Cathar heresy and evangelize the laity, was often depicted with a dog and a star. The legend said that during pregnancy Dominic's mother had a dream: her unborn son would be marked with a star on his forehead, and he would be accompanied by two dogs, black and white (in another version, one dog appeared, which denoted Dominic himself). The brothers-preachers, who, after his name, became known as the Dominicans, interpreted their name as "Domini canes" - "dogs of the Lord." Other attributes of the saint are a book (often opened with Christ's words "Go into all the world and preach the gospel") and a lily (a symbol of purity and purity).

baby jesus
A Portuguese nobleman who became a poor Franciscan monk, Anthony traveled around France, Spain and Italy preaching poverty and repentance (and, according to legend, he once preached to fish, like the founder of his order, St. Francis of Assisi, to birds), and later became papal adviser. Since the late Middle Ages, he is most often depicted with a volume of the Gospel and the baby Jesus in his hands. In his native Portugal, where he became a national saint, such images can still be seen at every turn - not only in churches, but also on the facades of houses, on balconies and in shops.

Knife stuck in the head
A Dominican preacher born into a family of heretic Cathars, Peter devoted himself to the fight against heresy, and in 1251 the pope appointed him inquisitor of Milan and Como. A year later, the Milanese Cathars hired an assassin, Carino of Balsamo, and he, along with an accomplice on a deserted road, first cracked Peter's skull, and then plunged a dagger into his chest. Just 11 months later, the inquisitor was declared a saint (it was the fastest official canonization in the history of the papacy), and Carino of Balsamo fled to the Dominican monastery in Forli, repented and later remained there as a lay brother. When the killer died locals they began to venerate him as blessed, and in 1822 Pope Pius VII began the official process of his glorification.

Sun, Star
The meek Augustinian monk preached and received confessions in the city of Tolentino for about thirty years, welcoming the poor, helping the sick, visiting prisoners, trying to reconcile the warring factions of the Guelphs (supporters of the pope) and Ghibellines (supporters of the emperor). One of his attributes, along with a crucifix, a lily, or bread that he distributed to the poor, is a star. According to legend, she constantly followed him, illuminating him with her light.

Monogrammed plaque of Christ IHS
A stern Franciscan preacher, ascetic and moralist (who denounced gambling, witchcraft, sodomy, usury), who traveled around the cities of Italy for several decades, where he was met by crowds of listeners, Bernardine of Siena actively promoted the cult of the name of Jesus. When he finished his sermon, he showed the congregation a tablet bearing the IHS monogram in gold letters and called on everyone to bow down to their redeemer. This cult seemed suspicious to the church authorities, and in 1427 he was summoned to Rome, where they decided to try him for heresy. But in the end they were nevertheless acquitted, and Bernardin continued his preaching tours.

According to a September 22 TASS report, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia forbade the governors and abbots of monasteries to have expensive wands and urged them to order simple wooden staffs instead. At the meeting of abbots and abbesses, held in Moscow in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the Russian presence on Mount Athos, the patriarch said: Each abbot is given a rod as a symbol of spiritual authority. I was the initiator of the abbots and abbesses receiving wands, but it didn’t even occur to me that our abbots and abbesses would turn these wands into patriarchal wands: richly decorate, put up a cross. I do not bless such wands". Addressing the governors and abbots of the monasteries who had gathered in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Patriarch said: You should have a simple abbot's baton without any decorations, without any jewelry trinkets and without a cross - this is a symbol of hierarchal service». « Therefore, when you arrive at your home now, the first thing you will do is order simple wooden staffs for yourself.» (see: http://tass.ru/obschestvo/3643672).

What can you say? The patriarch was outraged not only by the precious decoration of the wands, but also by the fact that they turn into “ patriarchal wands».

In other words, only a patriarch can have an expensive and decorated one? But he knows firsthand that Staff of the Holy Metropolitan Peter of Moscow was pretty simple. Indeed, in 2009, one of the moments of the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill was the handing over to him of the staff of St. Peter. Recall that this staff was made by Russian craftsmen at the beginning of the 14th century from ebony. The shaft of the staff is octagonal in shape, the handle is framed with gilded silver, the rings intercepting the shaft along the entire length have a modest decor. On both sides, gilded plates with carved images of Golgotha ​​descend from the handle onto the shaft. At the top of the staff is the inscription: "Humble Peter, Metropolitan of All Russia." That, in fact, is all the "decorations".

However, few people pay attention to the fact that it is not so much the rich or poor decoration that matters, but the symbolism embedded in the wand. And the symbolism now used in modern staffs is very different and sometimes raises serious questions.

In the famous essay "Pomeranian Answers" there is a separate chapter "About the Bishop's Rod", which compares the wands of the Old Russian and the new, post-reform model. Proponents of the old faith immediately drew attention to the fact that not only the verbal forms of the Christian faith are undergoing a total change, but objects of the material culture of the Russian church, consecrated not by one century, and not by one, but by a whole host of saints, are being distorted. The authors of the work indicate that the wands " ancient Russian» bishops « do not have serpent heads on yourself».

Pictures from the lubok picture of the publication of the Bespopovites “Before and Now”. Published: Izbornik of the people's newspaper. 1906. Colored miniatures from the illustrated collection "Legend from various divine writings". Contains separate sayings from the books of the Old and New Testaments with interpretations of John Chrysostom and Hippolytus, Pope of Rome. 19th century Collection from the collection of Egorov, NIOR RSL

On the left is the staff of Bishop Nikita of Novgorod. Wood, carving, bone. 16th century On the right is the staff of St. Stephen, Bishop of Perm

The chapter refers to the modification of the shape of an ancient wand, the handles of which have an anchor-shaped ending: “ on the version it has hooks like anchors, but it does not have serpent heads". The rod with the handle in the form of an anchor is interpreted by the authors according to the words Simeon of Thessaloniki: « power signifies the Spirit, and the affirmative of the people, and the pastoral, and lead the relics, and punish the disobedient, and turn the distant". From a simple shepherd's staff, symbolizing the power of the bishops and the obligation to shepherd verbal sheep, thanks to Patriarch Nikon, it turned into a rod with pagan symbols in the form of snakes, which in the 17th century were interpreted by many as a manifestation of the power of the Antichrist.

Now is the 21st century, so let's try to look at the problem of the symbolism of the wand through the eyes modern man. At the same time, I will make a reservation that what is stated below is only one of the possible versions of the interpretation of the symbolism that appeared after the church reform. Yu. M. Lotman, a well-known researcher in the field of semiotics (the science of symbols in culture), wrote: “ a symbol never belongs to any one synchronous slice of culture - it always pierces this slice vertically, coming from the past and going into the future. The memory of a symbol is always older than the memory of its non-symbolic textual environment.". The article by K. A. Shchedrina in the Stavrographic Collection is devoted to the symbolism of the bishop's baton.

The author rightly notes that before the reform of Patriarch Nikon, the tops of Russian bishop's staffs traditionally consisted of two spurs, curved downwards. However, further Shchedrina immediately proceeds to the pommel with snakes, without giving an explanation of the symbolism of the pre-reform staffs.

Bishop Vestments: Old Believer and Nikonian. NIOR RSL F. 98 (collection of E.E. Egorov) No. 1670. Sheets 75 and 77

Going through the types of crosses (Athos, Ethiopian, Armenian), K. A. Shchedrina only at the end of the article mentions the serpentine rod of the god Hermes - the caduceus. Here we will start from the caduceus in our reasoning, as from the original symbol that gave rise to the symbolism of the episcopal staff of the 17th and subsequent post-reform centuries.

But first, a short historical digression into the field of symbolism. In the Mesopotamian tradition, woven snakes were considered the incarnation of a healer god (perhaps this is where the biblical image of a copper snake healing snake bites comes from).

In the Asia Minor tradition, two snakes were a symbol of fertility. The image of two snakes at the world tree could also become the prototype of the caduceus. In India, the caduceus symbolizes the awakening of the kundalini. Kundalini, or Serpent Fire, “sleeps” in the base chakra in the form of a coiled snake, and when it wakes up as a result of evolution, it ascends along the spine along three paths: the central one, Sushumna and two side ones, which form two intersecting spirals - Pingala (this is the right, male and active spiral) and Ide (left, female and passive). The Scandinavians worshiped Hermes under the name of Odin, the Teutons - under the name of Wotan. The good and evil principles of ancient Persia, Ahuramazda and Ahriman, were sometimes depicted as two snakes with their heads turned towards each other, fighting for the Egg of the Earth, trying to tear it out of other people's teeth.

In the world of images of alchemy, both snakes symbolize the chemical elements sulfur (Sulphur) and mercury (Mercurius), which are in equilibrium, that is, they are perceived as a dual system of principles of fluidity and combustibility, and mercury was personified by the god Mercury himself. The Egyptians likened humanity to a flock of sheep. The Supreme and Incomprehensible Father was the Shepherd, and Hermes was his sheepdog, watchdog. The religious and symbolic origin of the shepherd's stick can be found in Egyptian rituals: the three scepters of Egypt include a shepherd's stick, symbolizing the power with which the initiated pharaoh decides the fate of his people. So, the caduceus is a symbol of the god Mercury or the Greek Hermes, the herald of the gods. It consists of a magical or heraldic rod, around which two snakes with their heads facing each other symmetrically coil.

In the light of the later understanding of Hermes as the personification of thinking, snakes become a symbol of wisdom, a rod - an image of power over the forces of nature. The name Hermes is derived from the word "germ," a form of Hiram, the personification of the Universal Principle of Life, or Life Principle, represented by fire. Considering the deep symbolism of the rod of Mercury-Hermes, we come across two concepts - dualism and dialectics. Plato in dialogues "Sophist" and "Parmenides" substantiates the dialectical conclusions that the higher kinds of beings can only be conceived in such a way that each of them is and is not, equal to itself and not equal, identical to itself and passes into its “other”. medieval thinker G. Böckler(1688) noted that some equate the staff of Hermes with the Dialectic, which allegedly decided with confused heads what was righteous and what was not. Dualism teaches that material and spiritual substances are equal beginnings. If we simplify as much as possible, then the staff of Hermes affirms the equality between Good and Evil.

History knows many gnostic sects that speculated on Christianity and planted their poisonous tares in it. In this regard, the Gnostic sect of the "Ophites", which means "serpents", is of interest. Information about the same Christian sect has come down to us under the name "Naassenes" (Heb. "nahash" - a snake). Their other name is "setians". They were joined by "Cainites" and "Peratiki". Several Ophite texts are believed to have been found in the Nag Hammadi library. The Ophites revered Christ as a snake incarnation, worshiped him as the “Good Serpent”, personifying wisdom and bestowing true knowledge on people, and believed in the plurality of his incarnations. Along with this, the Ophites taught about other snakes that were hostile to the human race. By the way, Ophite gnosis was especially widespread in Egypt.

As we can see, in the episcopal staff with two snakes, the influence of Gnostic teachings is traced, according to which, if the symbolism of the reformers of the 17th century is brought to its logical end, equality between Christ and the Antichrist is affirmed. Categorically? But otherwise it is difficult to understand why such a symbol is imposed on a person of ancient Russian culture. After all, the meaning of the snake in the medieval mind is unambiguously negative: God cursed the snake, which became the tool of the devil. Summarizing what has been said, let us ask ourselves the question: is it worth it to be indignant about the expensive decoration of the bishop's batons, when in the hands of the bishops (and abbots) there is such an ancient symbol that it is scary to look at? Yes, according to the words of Archpriest Avvakum, the serpent "x a good beast was, red, didn’t steal until now". But did she steal?

Shchedrina K. A. Two snakes on the episcopal staff of the 17th century: notes on the origin and symbolism // Stavrographic collection. Book III: The Cross as a Personal Shrine. Sat. articles. M.: Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchy; Publishing House "Drevlekhranishche", 2005.
. There. S. 315.
. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Symbols / Avt.-comp. N. A. Istomina. Moscow: AST Publishing House LLC: Astrel Publishing House LLC, 2003. p. 334-335.

Staff Personifies male power, power, dignity, magical power, travel, pilgrimage. Symbol of the Sun and the world axis. The staff is an attribute of all Good Shepherds. For Buddhists, it means law and order, the rod of the Buddha, that is, his teachings. Christ as Good Shepherd, pilgrimage. The staff with rings means the power and authority of the bishop; the staff, which is carried in front of a person holding a high church post, symbolizes the dignity of an official position; the staff in the left hand indicates the rank of cardinal, archbishop, bishop, abbot or abbess. The pilgrim's staff became a symbol of Saints John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Christopher, Ursula and others. The staff covered with shoots is a symbol of Saint Ethelred and Joseph of Arimathea. Among the Egyptians, a staff and a flail are the main attributes of Osiris as a judge of the dead; a staff with a pen for writing symbolizes the awakening soul and is an attribute of Teut. In the Greco-Roman tradition, the messenger's staff, like the caduceus, is the main attribute of Hermes (Mercury). Among Indians, three sticks tied together in a staff in the Vaishnava tradition symbolize the three realities or three gunas that make up the phenomenal world, control over thought, word and deed by a saint or sage.

Symbol Dictionary. 2000 .

See what "Staff" is in other dictionaries:

Husband. a staff (from a plow, a bipod, a pole), a traveler's stick, a cane (reed), a batog, a badig, a batog, a support, a church, an old. wand, stick (staff with a stick, or with a crutch), companion; in general, the staff is longer than canes and sticks. Bishop's staff, rod, like ... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

See stick to take on a wanderer's staff ... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999. staff club, stick, staff, stick, stick, cane, crutch, pateritsa, cane Dictionary ... ... Synonym dictionary

STAFF, staff, pl. staves of staff, husband. A long cane with a stick or head. Wanderer with a staff. "Where is your travel staff?" Lermontov. “Plunging the tip of the staff into the oak floor, Patriarch Joachim entered.” A.N. Tolstoy. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N.… … Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

STAFF, ah, husband. A long and thick stick with a pointed end. Wanderer with a staff. P. shepherd. Bishop's, abbot's item (a sign of their church authority). | reduce staff, shka, husband. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

staff- staff, pl. staves, kind staves (not recommended staves, staves) … Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian

STAFF- a symbol of the path and knowledge, which is the only support of man. The staff serves as a symbol of the human Buddha (Bodhisattva) and an attribute of a Buddhist monk, although a strict ritual forbids Buddhist monks to touch the ground with a staff. At home they hang him on ... ... Symbols, signs, emblems. Encyclopedia

The Good Shepherd (Jesus has a shepherd's staff in his hand) The staff is a cane of a special kind and purpose. It is believed that in ancient times the staff ... Wikipedia

Staff- 1. See Rod. 2. A bishop's staff, different from the rod of the staff which he uses in worship. The everyday bishop's staff is usually a long wooden stick with a rim and a thickening at the top made of carved bone, wood, ... ... Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference

STAFF- If someone gives you a staff in a dream, the dream means that you will receive the expected support. Go with the staff your problems are already being solved. Examine the staff carefully. Perhaps you will see some patterns on it, words in an unfamiliar ... ... Big family dream book

P'osoh is a stick on which they rely when walking (2 Sam. 3:29). It was also the property of a shepherd (1 Sam. 17:40) and was sometimes made with a hook at the end to catch a sheep by the leg. In some cases, the word "staff" is used as a symbol of the fortress (Ps ... Bible. Old and New Testaments. Synodal translation. Bible encyclopedia arch. Nicephorus.

Books

• Staff. Staff of sunset. Veil of the night. Cup of darkness. Sword of Dawn, Sergei Ratkevich. Beggar? Minstrel? Mage? Monster? Kurt doesn't even know who he is. Fate gives him the staff of the magician, and an unknown prophecy calls to go through all the dangers of war. And life is not worth...

It personifies male power, power, dignity, magical power, travel, pilgrimage. Symbol of the Sun and the world axis. The staff is an attribute of all Good Shepherds. For Buddhists, it means law and order, the rod of the Buddha, that is, his teachings. Christ as the Good Shepherd, pilgrimage. The staff with rings means the power and authority of the bishop; the staff, which is carried in front of a person holding a high church position, symbolizes the dignity of an official position; the staff in the left hand indicates the rank of cardinal, archbishop, bishop, abbot or abbess. The pilgrim's staff became a symbol of Saints John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Christopher, Ursula and others. The staff covered with shoots is a symbol of Saint Ethelred and Joseph of Arimathea. Among the Egyptians, a staff and a flail are the main attributes of Osiris as a judge of the dead; a staff with a pen for writing symbolizes the awakening soul and is an attribute of Teut. In the Greco-Roman tradition, the messenger's staff, like the caduceus, is the main attribute of Hermes (Mercury). Among Indians, three sticks tied together in a staff in the Vaishnava tradition symbolize the three realities or three gunas that make up the phenomenal world, control over thought, word and deed by a saint or sage.

"Staff" in books

94. “I'm leaving. My staff is ready…”