Saints

Saints’ iconography is extremely popular in Christian art, where the image of a saint is employed as a reminder to the viewer of the just and pious qualities and achievements obtained during their life. Each saint has specific symbols associated to them, be it the tools employed to martyrize them, a special feature of the saint or objects related to their life stories. Accordingly, many professions or trades have associated patron saints who are believed to be the heavenly advocates of the group they represent and similarly certain images of saints may somewhat possess amulet qualities. Some major saints have distinctive physical appearances and features and as such do not rely on symbolism in their depiction, however the use of symbols to identify a saint is commonplace, especially in smaller works, for example, St. Stephen is often depicted with a group of stones, being the cause of his martyrdom.