- Saint Quentin with two spits
- The arms of Roetgen showing the symbol of Quirinus, the patron saint of Rott, who killed a dragon with a crossed-spear
Saint symbolism has been used from the very beginnings of the religion. [1] 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. [2] A number of Christian saints are traditionally represented by a symbol or iconic motif associated with their life, termed an attribute or emblem, to identify them. The study of these forms part of iconography in art history. [3] 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. [2] 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. [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. [4] 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.
Saints (A–H)
Saints (I–P)
Saint | Symbol |
---|---|
Quentin | two spits; vestments of a deacon; with a broken wheel; with a chair to which he is transfixed; with a sword or beheaded, a dove flying from his severed head [a] [5] |
Quiricus | naked child riding on a wild boar [a] |
Quirinus of Malmedy | chasuble, dragon [6] |
Quirinus of Neuss | military attire; knight with lance, sword, hawk; banner or sign with nine balls [a] [7] |
Quirinus of Sescia | millstone hanging from his neck [b] [8] |
Quirinus of Tegernsee | orb, scepter [9] |
Quiteria | palm of martyrdom, with a dog on a lead, with her head in her hands, emerging from the sea [a] |
Article title | Attributes |
---|---|
Rachilidis | Habit of a (Benedictine) hermit or anachoress [10] |
Radegund | crowned; mantle with fleurs de lys [11] |
Rafael Arnaiz Barón | Trappist habit [12] |
Rafael Guízar y Valencia | Bishop's attire [13] |
Rafaela Porras Ayllón | Religious habit of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus [14] |
Randoald of Grandval | Monastic habit of a Benedictine, martyr's palm, spear [15] |
Raphael (archangel) | holding a small package; walking with Tobias, carrying a fish; walking staff [b] |
Rasso | military attire [16] |
Raymond Nonnatus | Mercedarian religious habit, wearing a cardinal's red mozzetta, holding a monstrance and a martyr's palm [17] |
Raymond of Capua | Dominican habit, holding the rule of the order [18] |
Raymond of Penyafort | skimming across the sea with his cape as both boat and sail [19] |
Raynald of Nocera | Bishop's attire over his Benedictine habit [20] |
Regina (martyr) | depicted as experiencing the torments of martyrdom, or as receiving spiritual consolation in prison by a vision of a dove on a luminous cross. [21] |
Reineldis | Religious habit with the staff and the headgear of a pilgrim, rosary, dragged by her hair in order to be decapitated [22] |
Reinold | body armor, holding a shield, beaten to death with hammers [23] |
Remaclus | Bishop's attire, accompanied by a wolf [24] |
Remigius | dove, book, lamp [b] |
Reparata | standing alone or near St. Mary, bearing a martyr's crown and palm; a dove; a banner with a red cross on a white field; sometimes depicted with St. Ansanus [25] |
Restituta | pictured with an angel above her [26] |
Reverianus | crozier, holding his mitred head in his hands [27] |
Richardis | dressed in Imperial robes with crown and palm, and surrounded by flames; as well as a bear [28] |
Richard | bishop with overturned chalice [a] |
Rictrude | holding a model of a church [26] |
Rieul of Senlis | frogs around him [26] |
Rita of Cascia | roses, roses and figs, crucifix, thorn, robe of a widow or Augustinian habit sometimes with a wound or the marks of a thorn crown on her forehead [a] |
Robert of Newminster | depicted as an abbot holding a church [26] |
Roch | Wound on thigh (plague mark), dog offering bread, Pilgrim's hat, Pilgrim's staff, |
Roger of Cannae | sheltered inder the wings of an eagle [29] |
Rolando Rivi | cassock [30] |
Romanos the Melodist | deacon's attire, standing on a raised platform in the middle of a church, holding a scroll with his Kontakion of the Nativity written on it. His icon is often a combined with that of The Protection of the Mother of God, which falls on the same day.[ citation needed ] |
Romanus of Rouen | depicted with a Gargouille [26] |
Romedius | alongside a packed bear [31] |
Romulus of Fiesole | depicted with a wolf due to confusion with the legend of Romulus and Remus; [32] bishop with an arrow broken above his breast; depicted at martyrdom of 4 companions or enthroned among four martyrs [33] |
Rosa Maria Benedetta Gattorno Custo | Nun's habit, crucifix, rosary, stigmata |
Rosalia | roses, a cross, book, or skull, spray of lilies. [34] Some images show her holding a chisel and hammer with which she carved her own dedication. She is also seen wearing a crown of roses, attended by winged angels, and often with a view through a cave opening of Palermo Harbor.[ citation needed ], sometimes she is being crowned by the Divine infant [b] |
Rose of Lima | crown of thorns, anchor, city, roses, crown of roses, sometimes wearing habit of the Dominican order [a] , rosids |
Rose of Viterbo | crown of roses, holding a crucifix [ citation needed ] |
Róża Czacka | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Rudolf Komórek | Cassock[ citation needed ] |
Rufina and Justa | a model of the Giralda; earthenware pots, bowls and platters; books on which are two lumps of potter's clay; martyr's palm; lion [b] , two maidens floating in the Tiber River with weights attached to their necks.[ citation needed ] |
Rumbold of Mechelen | Bishop's attire with a missioner's cross[ clarification needed ], or with a hoe lying under his feet. He may also be shown murdered near a coffer of money [ citation needed ] |
Rupert of Salzburg | Holding a container of salt; wearing clerical clothes including mitre; holding a crosier [ citation needed ] |
Article title | Attributes |
---|---|
Sabbas the Sanctified | an apple in his hand [26] |
Sabinian of Troyes | With Patroclus of Troyes; man with throat pierced by a sword; with Saint Sabina of Troyes [35] |
Salome | vase of ointment [26] |
Saturnin | bishop dragged by a bull [26] |
Sativola | scythe, well [a] |
Sava of Serbia | book [a] |
Scholastica | habit of a Benedictine nun, dove, Rule of St. Benedict, crozier of an abbess [36] |
Sebaldus | pilgrim with a staff; later represented with the model of a church [26] |
Sebastian | Tied to a post, pillar or a tree, shot by arrows, crown [a] |
Secundus of Asti | a sword; clouds overhead [26] |
Septimius of Iesi | Episcopal attire[ citation needed ] |
Serafino Morazzone | Priest's cassock [ citation needed ] |
Seraphim of Sarov | Wearing peasant clothing, often kneeling with his hands upraised in prayer crucifix worn about his neck, hands crossed over chest [a] |
Seraphin of Montegranaro | Franciscan habit [ citation needed ] |
Serapion of Algiers | Palm branch, Mercedarian habit, Crucified in an x-position[ citation needed ] |
Serenidus of Saulges | wearing a cardinal's habit and red galero [37] |
Sergius and Bacchus | Roman soldiers bearing palm branches [26] |
Sergius of Radonezh | Dressed as a monk, sometimes with paterissa [ citation needed ] |
Servandus and Cermanus | Depicted as young soldiers[ citation needed ] |
Servatius of Tongeren | "Key of Saint Servatius", crozier, dragon (under his feet) [26] |
Seventy disciples | Scroll, cross |
Severin of Cologne | depicted coming from the cathedral to bless the poor [c] |
Severus of Avranches | Bishop with a nearby horse [26] |
Severus of Barcelona | bishop with a nail or nails driven into his head[ citation needed ] |
Severus of Ravenna | weaver's loom and tools, a dove [26] |
Severus of Vienne | Holding a devil in a chain [38] |
Sicarius of Brantôme | Depicted as an infant[ citation needed ] |
Sidonius of Aix | Receiving sight from Jesus[ citation needed ] |
Sidwell | Scythe, and Holy Well [26] |
Sigfrid of Sweden | bishop carrying three severed heads; bishop carrying three loaves of bread (misrepresentation of the heads); baptizing King Olof of Sweden; traveling in a ship with 2 other bishops; bishop menaced by devils[ citation needed ] |
Sigolena of Albi | Crosier [ citation needed ] |
Silas | Christian Martyrdom [ citation needed ] |
Silvanus of Ahun | dressed in a dalmatic, bearing a book and a palm. [39] |
Simeon | Depicted as an elderly man holding the infant Jesus [26] |
Simeon Stylites | Clothed as a monk in monastic habit, shown standing on top of his pillar[ citation needed ] |
Simón de Rojas | Priestly vestments with the Blue and Red cross of the Trinitarian Order [ citation needed ] |
Simon of Cyrene | Carrying Jesus’ Cross before His Crucifixion[ citation needed ] |
Simon of Trent | Youth, martyr's palm |
Simon Stock | Carmelite friar holding a scapular [26] |
Simon the Apostle | boat; cross and saw; fish (or two fish); lance; man being sawn in two longitudinally; oar [40] |
Simone Ballachi | Dominican habit [ citation needed ] |
Simpliciano of the Nativity | Franciscan habit [ citation needed ] |
Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix | Saint Simplicius is represented with a pennant, on the shield of which are three lilies, called the crest of Simplicius; the lilies are a symbol of purity of heart. Saint Beatrix has a cord in her hand, because she was strangled.[ citation needed ] |
Sister Lúcia | Visionary to the Marian apparitions at Fátima [ citation needed ] |
Solange | shepherdess in prayer[ citation needed ] |
Solanus Casey | Franciscan habit[ citation needed ] |
Solutor | Military attire[ citation needed ] |
Sophia of Rome | palm, book, trough, and sword |
Sophie-Thérèse de Soubiran La Louvière | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Sophronius of Jerusalem | Vested as a bishop, with right hand upheld in blessing, holding a Gospel Book or scroll [ citation needed ] |
Spyridon | Vested as a bishop with omophorion, often holding a Gospel Book, with his right hand raised in blessing. Sometimes the image features a potsherd, or sprig of basil. Iconographically, he is depicted as tall, with a long, white forked beard, and wearing a woven, straw hat on his head – a traditional shepherd's hat and a representation that he was a shepherd of God's people. [a] |
Stanislaus of Szczepanów | Bishop's Vestments and insignia, sword [a] |
Stanisław Kazimierczyk | Habit of a canon [a] |
Stanislaus Kostka | Jesuit habit, an angel giving him Holy Communion [26] |
Stanislaus Papczyński | White habit, crucifix, Chaplet of the Ten Virtues of the B.V.M.[ citation needed ] |
Stanislav Nasadil | Martyr's palm [ citation needed ] |
Stanisław Kazimierczyk | Priest's cassock |
Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski | Priest's attire, prisoner's uniform[ citation needed ] |
Stefan Wyszyński | Cardinal's attire[ citation needed ] |
Stephen Harding | Dressed in the Cistercian cowl, with miniature church model, holding abbot's crozier, holding the Carta Caritatis ("Charter of Charity"), a founding document for the Cistercian Order[ citation needed ] |
Stephen the Martyr | Red Martyr, stones, dalmatic, censer, miniature church, Gospel Book, martyr's palm. [a] |
Stephen of Hungary | Attire of a king, holding an orb or a sceptre with double cross [41] |
Stephen Nehmé | Religious habit, prayer rope[ citation needed ] |
Susanna | palm branch, sword[ citation needed ] |
Swithun | Bishop holding a bridge, broken eggs at his feet [a] |
Sylvester | often depicted with a dying dragon. [42] |
Symeon the Metaphrast | Pen, Scroll, Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Symphorian and Timotheus | Symphorian is depicted as a young man being dragged to martyrdom while his mother encourages him [26] |
Symphorosa | Seven sons, martyr's palm [ citation needed ] |
Syrus of Genoa | A blackbird[ citation needed ] |
Syrus of Pavia | bishop trampling a basilisk (symbol of Arianism) underfoot; bishop enthroned between two deacons; with Saint Juventius [ citation needed ] |
Szilárd Bogdánffy | solideo or bishop's cap and gown, palm[ citation needed ] |
Szymon of Lipnica | Franciscan habit |
Saint | Symbol |
---|---|
Ubald | Bishop giving a blessing as angels carry his crozier; bishop delivering a blessing while a devil flees from it; holding a scale model of Gubbio[ citation needed ] |
Ugolino da Gualdo Cattaneo | Augustinian habit [ citation needed ] |
Ulphia | depicted as a young nun seated in prayer on a rock with a frog in the pool near her[ citation needed ] |
Ulrich of Augsburg | vestments of a bishop, holding a fish; at dinner with Saint Wolfgang; rewarding a messenger with a goose leg; giving a garment to a beggar; with Saint Afra; riding through a river on horseback as his companion sinks; with a cross given him by an angel [49] |
Ulrika Nisch | Religious habit of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross of Ingenbohl |
Umiliana de' Cerchi | Franciscan habit [ citation needed ] |
Urban | portrayed in art after his beheading, with the papal tiara near him [a] |
Urban V | Papal vestments, Papal tiara [ citation needed ] |
Urban of Langres | vestments of a bishop, with a bunch of grapes or a vine at his side; a book with a wine vessel on it [a] |
Uriel | fire in palm, book, scroll, flaming sword, disc of the sun, and a celestial orb or disc of stars and constellations, chalice (only in Ethiopian Orthodox tradition).[ citation needed ] |
Ursicinus | abbot with three lilies in his hand or holding a book and fleur-de-lys, surrounded by fleur-de-lys [a] |
Ursula | arrow; banner; cloak; shot with arrows, accompanied by a varied number of virgins who are being martyred in various ways; standing on a ship with her companions [a] |
Ursula Ledóchowska | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Ursus of Aosta | archdeacon with a staff and book, bearing birds on his shoulder; wearing fur pelisse in a religious habit; striking water from a rock; or giving shoes to the poor.[ citation needed ] |
Ursus of Solothurn | military attire[ citation needed ] |
Article title | Attributes |
---|---|
Valentine | birds; roses; vestments of a priest or a bishop; with a crippled person or a child with epilepsy at his feet; rooster; being beheaded; bearing a sword; holding a sun; giving sight to a blind girl [50] |
Valentine of Passau | bishop preaching to pagans[ citation needed ] |
Valeria of Milan | With Saint Vitalis, Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius; being beaten with clubs[ citation needed ] |
Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly | Priest's cassock [ citation needed ] |
Vasyl Velychkovsky | habit of a Redemptorist [51] |
Vedast | wolf carrying a goose in its mouth; child; bear [a] |
Venantius of Camerino | young man crucified upside-down with smoke coming from his head; young man holding the citadel of Camerino; young man holding the city of Camerino, a palm, and a book; young man with a banner[ citation needed ] |
Venera | crown; book; palm; cross; martyr's palm interlaced with a triple crown (signifying the fact that she was a Virgin, an Apostle, and a Martyr) [52] [53] |
Veranus of Cavaillon | episcopal attire[ citation needed ] |
Verdiana | snakes [a] , depicted as a nun preaching to snakes[ citation needed ] |
Verena of Zurzach | jar and bread, comb[ citation needed ] |
Veronica | Veil of Veronica [a] |
Veronica Antal | Palm of martyrdom [ citation needed ] |
Veronica Giuliani | Crowned with thorns and embracing a crucifix[ citation needed ] |
Vicelinus | Church resting on his left arm[ citation needed ] |
Vicenta Chávez Orozco | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Vicenta María López i Vicuña | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Vicente Garrido Pastor | Priest's cassock [ citation needed ] |
Vicente Liem de la Paz | book, palm, hood, rosary, academic birreta, dalmatic [ citation needed ] |
Victor of Marseilles | windmill [a] |
Victoire Rasoamanarivo | Rosary [ citation needed ] |
Victor Emilio Moscoso Cárdenas | Priest's cassock [ citation needed ] |
Victor Maurus | man being thrown into a furnace; man roasted in an oven; Moorish soldier trampling on a broken altar [ citation needed ] |
Victor of Marseilles | Depicted as a Roman soldier with a millstone; depicted overthrowing a statue of Jupiter; in stocks, comforted by angels; scourged and crushed by a millstone; or with his body beheaded and flung into the river, from which the angels take it; [54] depicted with windmill |
Victoria | with Saint Acisclus, her brother, [55] crowned with roses, arrow and palm branch |
Victorinus of Pettau | Palm, pontifical vestments [ citation needed ] |
Vigilius of Trent | bishop holding a shoe, wooden holzschuh [56] |
Viktor of Xanten | Military attire[ citation needed ] |
Villana de' Botti | Dominican habit [ citation needed ] |
Vincent de Paul | children [a] |
Vincent Ferrer | Dominican habit, Tongue of flame, Wings, Bible, pulpit, cardinal's hat, trumpet, captives [a] |
Vincent of Saragossa | Usually pontifical, episcopal, etc. insignia, tools of martyrdom and so forth[ citation needed ] |
Vincent Pallotti | Priest's cassock [ citation needed ] |
Vincent Romano | Priest's attire, Crucifix, Book of Hours [ citation needed ] |
Vincenza Gerosa | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Vincenzina Cusmano | Religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Vincenzo Grossi | Cassock [ citation needed ] |
Vincenzo Lipani | Franciscan habit [ citation needed ] |
Vitalis of Milan | with Saint Gervase and Saint Protase[ citation needed ] |
Vitus | book, cross, rooster, lion, bread, cauldron, eagle, hare; holding a church model [a] |
Vladimir the Great | crown, cross, throne[ citation needed ] |
Article title | Attributes |
---|---|
Wenceslaus of Bohemia | crown, dagger [a] , burning eagle on a banner |
Wendreda | Nun, healer[ citation needed ] |
Werenfried of Elst | Priest who holds a ship containing a coffin[ citation needed ] |
Werner of Oberwesel | sickle, shovel, pan[ citation needed ] |
Wiborada | Benedictine habit, book, axe [ citation needed ] |
Wilgefortis | bearded; crucified, often shown with a small fiddler at her feet, and with one shoe off[ citation needed ] |
Willehad | bishop overturning idols [ citation needed ] |
William Firmatus | thrusting his arm into a fire, a raven showing him the way to the Holy Land [ citation needed ] |
William of Maleval | cross, skull[ citation needed ] |
William of Montevergine | wolf and crosier [a] |
William of Norwich | holding nails, with nail wounds or undergoing crucifixion[ citation needed ] |
William of Perth | walking staff, palmer's wallet, little dog. [57] |
William of York | bishop's vestments, crozier, crossing the River Tweed [a] |
Willibrord | dipping staff into cask[ citation needed ] |
Willigis | Wheel of Mainz [ citation needed ] |
Winibald | insignia of an abbot, bricklayer's trowel, with Willibald and Richard the Pilgrim [ citation needed ] |
Saint Winifred | sword, sometimes with her head under her arm[ citation needed ] |
Winnoc | crown and scepter at his feet, turning a hand-mill, often with a church and bridge nearby; in ecstasy while grinding corn [a] ; with Saint Bertin [ citation needed ] |
Władysław Bukowiński | Priest's cassock [ citation needed ] |
Władysław Findysz | Priest's attire [ citation needed ] |
Wolfgang of Regensburg | depicted with a church model with an adze lodged in the roof, with a wolf [a] |
Wulfram of Sens | Bishop baptizing a young king or with a young king nearby, arriving by ship with monks[ citation needed ] |
Saint | Symbol |
---|---|
Xenia of Saint Petersburg | walking stick [a] |
Xystus | book, papal insignia (mostly tiara and papal ferula), martyr's palm, book [a] |
Xu Guangqi | Ming Empire court dress holding a crucifix and book.[ citation needed ] |
Saint | Symbol |
---|---|
Yrieix | bishop's vestments, crozier [a] |
Yaropolk Izyaslavich | royal clothes, holding a three-bar cross in his right hand[ citation needed ] |
Yaroslav the Wise | Grand Prince's robes, sword, church model, book or scroll [58] |
Yared | traditional attire, holding a mequamia (prayer stick), tsanatsel (Ethiophian sistrum) in front of Deggua book and three chants: Ge'ez, Ezel and Araray represented in terms of doves [ citation needed ] |
Yevgeny Rodionov | military uniform, Orthodox cross[ citation needed ] |
Saint | Symbol |
---|---|
Zachary | with King Luitprand, olive branch, dove]] over him [a] |
Zadkiel | Dagger [ citation needed ] |
Zefirino Agostini | Cassock, breviary [ citation needed ] |
Zeno of Verona | fish, fishing rod, fish hanging from his crozier.[ citation needed ] |
Zenobius of Florence | vestments of a bishop; flowering tree; bringing a dead man or a boy back to life [a] [59] |
Zita | bag, keys [a] |
Zita of Bourbon-Parma | imperial attire, medals[ citation needed ] |
Zofia Czeska | religious habit[ citation needed ] |
Zoltán Meszlényi | book, palm, mitre |
Zygmunt Gorazdowski | priest's attire |
Adalbert of Prague, Święty Wojciech in Polish, is a Patron Saint of Poland., known in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia by his birth name Vojtěch, was a Czech missionary and Christian saint. He was the Bishop of Prague and a missionary to the Hungarians, Poles, and Prussians, who was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians to Christianity. He is said to be the composer of the oldest Czech hymn Hospodine, pomiluj ny and Bogurodzica, the oldest known Polish anthem which was a religious hymn. but his authorship of them has not been confirmed.
Pope Cornelius was the bishop of Rome from 6th or 13th March 251 until his martyrdom in June 253. He was pope during and following a period of persecution of the church, while a schism occurred over how repentant church members who had practiced pagan sacrifices to protect themselves could be readmitted to the church. He agreed with Cyprian of Carthage that those who had lapsed could be restored to communion after varying forms of Reinitiation and Penance. This position was in contrast to the Novatianists, who held that those who failed to maintain their confession of faith under persecution would not be received again into communion with the church. This resulted in a short-lived schism in the Church of Rome that spread as each side sought to gather support. Cornelius held a synod that confirmed his election and excommunicated Novatian, but the controversy regarding lapsed members continued for years.
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together by Catholics because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. This group of Nothelfer originated in the 14th century at first in the Rhineland, largely as a result of the epidemic that became known as the Black Death.
Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries. He is venerated as Saint Onuphrius in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic churches, as Venerable Onuphrius in Eastern Orthodoxy, and as Saint Nofer the Anchorite in Oriental Orthodoxy.
Saint Hermenegild or Ermengild, was the son of King Liuvigild of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. He fell out with his father in 579, then revolted the following year. During his rebellion, he converted from Arianism to Chalcedonian Christianity. Hermenegild was defeated in 584 and exiled. His death was later celebrated as a martyrdom due to the influence of Pope Gregory I's Dialogues, in which he portrayed Hermenegild as a "Catholic martyr rebelling against the tyranny of an Arian father."
Lambert of Maastricht, commonly referred to as Saint Lambert, was the bishop of Maastricht-Liège (Tongeren) from about 670 until his death. Lambert denounced Pepin's liaison with his mistress or bigamous wife Alpaida, the mother of Charles Martel. The bishop was murdered during the political turmoil that developed when various families fought for influence as the Merovingian dynasty gave way to the Carolingians. He is considered a martyr for his defence of marriage. His feast day is September 17.
Peter Chrysologus was Bishop of Ravenna from about 433 until his death. He is known as the "Doctor of Homilies" for the concise but theologically rich reflections he delivered during his time as the Bishop of Ravenna.
Gervasius and Protasius are venerated as Christian martyrs, probably of the 2nd century. They are the patron saints of Milan and of haymakers and are invoked for the discovery of thieves. Their feast day in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church is 19 June, the day marking the translation of their relics. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, their feast takes place on 14 October (O.S.)/24 October (N.S.), the traditional day of their death. In Christian iconography their emblems are the scourge, the club and the sword.
Symbolism of Christian saints has been used from the very beginnings of the religion. 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. 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.
In addition to Quadratus of Athens, there are several Christian saints with the name Quadratus :
Julian of Antioch, variously distinguished as Julian the Martyr,Julian of Tarsus,Julian of Cilicia, and Julian of Anazarbus, was a 4th-century Christian martyr and saint. He is sometimes confused with the St Julian who was martyred with his wife Basilissa.
Amalberga of Temse was a Lotharingian noblewoman from the Frankish royal house of the Pippinids who is celebrated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. She is especially venerated in Temse, Ghent, Munsterbilzen, and other parts of Flanders. She received the veil from Saint Willibrord of Echternach.
A list of people, who died during the 4th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
Sebaldus was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany in the 9th or 10th century. He settled down as a hermit in the Reichswald near Nuremberg, of which city he is the patron saint.
Theodard of Maastricht was a 7th-century bishop of Maastricht-Liège, in present-day Netherlands. As Theodard was murdered while on his way to protest the plundering of his diocese by Frankish nobles, he is considered a martyr. His feast day is 10 September. Theodard was uncle to his successor Lambert of Maastricht, and therefore brother or brother-in-law to Robert II, Lord Chancellor of France.
Vigilius of Trent is venerated as the patron saint and bishop of Trent. He should not be confused with the pope of the same name.
Prochorus was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem. According to later tradition, he was also one of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Jesus in Luke 10.
Edigna is a venerated figure in Puch, and is beatified in the Catholic Church. Her historical existence is debated.
Saint symbolism has been used from the very beginnings of the religion. 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. 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.
Saint symbolism has been used from the very beginnings of the religion. 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. 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.