Know Your Saints:
How to Identify the Saints in Art
Most Christian churches are full of images of saints — historical holy men and women who serve as examples of virtue and even intercede on behalf of believers. They can be found in stained glass windows, in sculptures, in murals and mosaics. Enjoyment of medieval art is greatly deepened by knowing what is depicted and why, and that certainly includes all the mysterious figures carrying various objects and dressed in different ways.
Saints are only sometimes labeled with their names. So how to tell "who's who" in the parade of holy men and women that peer down upon the church or museum visitor? Sometimes clues are given in the saint's appearance but the best clues are in what the saint is holding. These objects might be the instruments of martyrdom, representations of events in their lives, or symbols of their teachings. This system of iconography of the saints has remained more or less consistent throughout the history of Christian art. To help you sort your saints, below is an alphabetical guide to the most popular saints and their attributes. This is a work in progress - more illustrations and more saints coming soon!
Alphabetical Guide to Saint Iconography
Quick Saint Identifier
Female with...
- arrow - Ursula
- blue dress - Virgin Mary
- chalice - Barbara
- cross - Helena
- crown - Catherine, Helen, Ursula
- jar - Mary Magdalene
- lamb - Agnes
- palm branch - any martyr
- tower - Barbara
- wheel - Catherine
Male with...
- angel (winged man) - Matthew
- armor - George; Michael
- axe - Matthias
- beard and small boy - Abraham
- belt - Thomas
- birds - Francis
- black monastic habit - Benedict
- bull with wings - Luke
- carpenter's square - Thomas
- caveman-looking outfit - John the Baptist
- child on his shoulder - Christopher
- cross - John the Baptist
- cross, diagonal - Andrew
- cross, upside-down - Peter
- crozier - bishop; abbot if dressed as monk
- cup with snake - John; Benedict
- demon on a chain - Bernard
- dragon - George; Michael
- eagle - John the Evangelist
- gridiron, grill - Lawrence
- harp - King David
- horns - Moses
- keys - Peter
- knife - Bartholomew
- lamb medallion - John the Baptist
- lion with wings - Mark
- lions attacking - Ignatius of Antioch
- palm branch - a martyr
- papal attire - Gregory
- raven with bread in its beak - Benedict
- rosary - Dominic
- shield with red cross - Michael
- spear - George, Thomas
- staff and child on shoulder - Christopher
- sword - Paul
- three small round bags - Nicholas
- whip, esp. with three cords - Ambrose
- white dog - Bernard
- winged man - Matthew
- winged lion - Mark
- winged ox - Luke
- wings - Michael or Gabriel
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Andrew One of the Twelve Apostles and the brother of Peter. According to tradition, he was martyred by crucifixion on a diagonal cross. Therefore his most common attribute is the diagonal cross of his martyrdom. His relics were taken from Constantinople to Amalfi in the Fourth Crusade (1204) and some of his relics were also claimed to be at St. Andrew's in Scotland. Feast day: November 30. < Sculpture in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. |
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Bartholomew Bartholomew is one of the Twelve Apostles and probably a friend of Philip. According to tradition he was martyred by being flayed alive in Armenia. He is thus the patron saint of Armenia, bookbinders (a morbid reference to his skin), leatherworkers and butchers. He is usually depicted with a tanner's knife, holding his skin, or both. He usually has curly hair, and often black hair. Fun fact: Michelangelo included a self-portrait in his depiction of Bartholomew in the Sistine Chapel. Feast day: August 24. < Detail of Last Judgment by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Rome. |
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Benedict of Nursia An Italian abbot (d. 550) famed for writing the Benedictine Rule and founding the Benedictine Order. He is shown wearing the black cowled habit of the Benedictine monks and holding a crozier and a book (representing his Rule). Sometimes he has an attribute based in his legends, such as a cup with snake to refer to an episode of attempted poisoning; a raven with bread in its beak; or a wine flagon. His relics were swiped from Montecassino and brought to St. Benoit-sur-Loire in France. Feast day: July 11. < Portrait of Benedict in a medieval French illuminated manuscript |
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Catherine of Alexandria Immensely popular in medieval times, this is a saint you'll see a lot of in Europe. However, she probably never really existed and as such was officially removed from the calendar of saints in 1969. Legend says Catherine was a learned philosopher in 3rd-century Alexandria who converted many pagans through philosophical argument. Maximus ordered her executed on a wheel, but the wheel broke - so she was beheaded instead. She is the patron of wheelwrights, scholars and librarians. She is usually shown with a wheel, but sometimes with a sword. < Stained glass window at St. Mary's Church, Deerhurst, England |
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God the Father Not a saint, and not often depicted, but notable examples include the Sistine Chapel and stained glass windows of Fairford Church. God is usually shown as an old bearded man with the three-bar (cross) nimbus that indicates he is a member of the Trinity. < Detail from Late Medieval stained glass depicting the Assumption of Mary in Fairford Church, England
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Helen (Helena) The mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was an enthusiastic pilgrim to the Holy Land and is credited with bringing many holy relics back to Europe. Her imperial chapel in Rome became the site of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Jerusalemme and her palace in Trier the site of Trier Cathedral. She is usually depicted with a crown, since she was an Empress, and with a cross, because she discovered the True Cross at the site of the Holy Sepulchre. < Statue in the imperial cathedral at Trier, Germany |
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James the Greater One of two apostles named James, called "the Greater" because he became a disciple first. He was the brother of John and son of Zebedee, and was martyred by beheading. He found great fame in the 9th century, when his relics were miraculously discovered in a field in northern Spain. Santiago de Compostela soon became one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in the Middle Ages. James' iconography usually reflects this, depicting him as a pilgrim - with pouch, walking stick with hook, wide-brimmed hat and scallop shell (emblem of the Santiago pilgrimage). Another popular medieval depiction is "Saint James the Moor-Slayer," reflecting James' reported role in assisting Spanish kings in driving out Muslims. Less often, he is shown as a humble apostle with a walking stick. < Sculpture displayed in the Bishop's Museum in Trier, Germany |
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John the Baptist John the Baptist (d. c.30 AD) was Jesus' cousin, who lived an austere life in the wilderness and preached repentance and baptism. Many of his disciples became Jesus' disciples. He was beheaded by Herod and his head was served on a silver platter to Herodias. His relics are said to be at St. Sylvester's Church in Rome and at Amiens Cathedral, while his entire head is believed to be at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. John the Baptist usually wears a camelhair cloak (though sometimes a robe), wild hair and beard and holds a long-stemmed cross or a medallion with the Lamb of God (representing his identification of Jesus as such). < Sculpture displayed in a museum in Toulouse, France (photo: Nicholas Thompson) |
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John the Evangelist John the Evangelist (d. c.100 AD) is the author of the Gospel of John. He is also traditionally equated with John the Apostle and the author of Revelation. In the Bible, John was the "beloved disciple" to whom Jesus entrusted the care of his mother Mary from the cross. Tradition says he outlived the other apostles, dying of old age in Ephesus. His traditional burial place is under the Basilica of St. John in Ephesus. He is most commonly depicted with (or as) an eagle in his role as evangelist (see Symbolism of the Four Evangelists). He is usually shown as a very young (often effeminate) man in depictions of the Last Supper and other biblical scenes but often as an old man when he appears alone. He sometimes holds a book, a cauldron, a chalice with a serpent, or a serpent. < Detail of medieval mural of the Crucifixion in Dorchester Abbey, England |
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Matthew Usually only appears in his role as one of the Four Evangelists. His symbol is the winged man - see Symbolism of the Four Evangelists for more details. < Modern bronze figure on a fountain at the Schwarzrheindorf Doppelkirche, Germany |
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Matthias Matthias was the apostle chosen to replace Judas, who was martyred by beheading. St. Helena brought his relics from Jerusalem and divided them between the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome and St. Matthias Abbey in Trier, Germany. Tradition says he was condemned to be stoned to death, but this method miraculously failed and he was beheaded instead. He is usually shown with an axe, but sometimes with a spear, book, or scroll. < Baroque sculpture on the facade of St. Matthias Abbey in Trier, Germany |
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Paul Not one of the Twelve Apostles, but a very important biblical figure who converted after a vision of the risen Christ and wrote half of the New Testament. His story is told in the Acts of the Apostles, but his death is not recorded. Tradition says he was martyred by beheading (a merciful method due to his Roman citizenship) in Rome under Nero. His relics are in San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome. He is usually shown bald or with a receding hairline, a beard, a sword, and a book. < Statue in the courtyard of San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome |
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Peter One of the main apostles; the chief one according to the Catholic Church. He is nearly always depicted with keys, reflecting the biblical passage in which Christ gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He usually has a beard and sometimes a tonsure (monk's haircut). Occasionally he is depicted with an upside-down cross, which refers to an early tradition that he was martyred by being crucified upside-down. Peter is often shown with Paul and they are the joint patron saints of Rome. Peter's relics are beneath the altar in St. Peter's Basilica. < Detail of Late Medieval depiction of the Last Judgment in Fairford Church, England
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