serpent
Article
An emblem of Satan and sin. The tempter appeared in that form to our first parents in Eden. When seen in a cup or chalice it indicates poison or an incident of poisoning. On the other hand, a serpent twined around a cross is an emblem of Our Lord, recalling the brazen serpent which Moses erected to cure the Israelites in the desert.
Associated in Art with
- Adam the Patriarch
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Blessed Wilburgis
- Eve the Matriarch
- Saint Amand of Maastricht
- Saint Benedict of Nursia
- Saint Christina of Bolsena
- Saint Clement of Metz
- Saint Donatus of Arezzo
- Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon
- Saint Hilary of Poitiers
- Saint Hilda of Whitby
- Saint Honoratus of Arles
- Saint James of the Marches
- Saint John the Apostle
- Saint Julian of Anazarbus
- Saint Julius of Novara
- Saint Louis Bertrand
- Saint Magnus of Füssen
- Saint Mamertinus of Auxerre
- Saint Paternus of Avranches
- Saint Patrick
- Saint Philip the Apostle
- Saint Portianus of Miranda
- Saint Veridiana
MLA Citation
- “serpent”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 November 2016. Web. 16 April 2024. <>