palm
Article
An ancient symbol of victory. It was adopted by the early Christians to represent the triumph of the faithful over the enemies of the soul. They are the special badge of martyrs, and the Congregation of Rites in 1688 regarded the representation of a palm on a catacomb tomb as proof that a martyr was interred there, but this was later declared untenable.
The palm tree gives shade and fruit, and hence is emblematic of God‘s protection and grace.
Palm branches carried by the faithful on Palm Sunday are retained, burned, blessed and form the ashes used in the following year’s Ash Wednesday services.
Associated in Art with
- Blessed Marco Criado
- Saint Acacius of Byzantium
- Saint Accursies of Morocco
- Saint Achilleus of Terracina
- Saint Agapitus the Martyr
- Saint Agatha of Sicily
- Saint Agnes of Rome
- Saint Agrippina of Rome
- Saint Alexander of Bergamo
- Saint Alexius of Rome
- Saint Amalburga of Maubeuge
- Saint Anastasia of Sirmium
- Saint Andeolus of Smyrna
- Saint Angelus of Jerusalem
- Saint Ansanus the Baptizer
- Saint Apollonia of Alexandria
- Saint Augusta of Treviso
- Saint Bacchus
- Saint Barbara
- Saint Bavo of Ghent
- Saint Bellinus of Padua
- Saint Calamanda of Calaf
- Saint Columba of Sens
- Saint Domninus
- Saint Donatus of Münstereifel
- Saint Dorothy of Caesarea
- Saint Edisto
- Saint Emerentiana
- Saint Eulalia of Barcelona
- Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon
- Saint Eurosia
- Saint Febronia of Nisibis
- Saint Ferrutius
- Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen
- Saint Fidentius of Todi
- Saint Florian of Lorch
- Saint Foillan of Fosses
- Saint Fortunatus of Aquileia
- Saint Gervase
- Saint Hermagorus of Aquileia
- Saint Hermengild
- Saint John of Cologne
- Saint Julitta of Iconium
- Saint Justus of Trieste
- Saint Lambert of Maastricht
- Saint Leocadia of Toledo
- Saint Lucian of Antioch
- Saint Macra of Rheims
- Saint Magnus of Orkney
- Saint Mark the Evangelist
MLA Citation
- “palm”. Emblems of the Faith. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 January 2020. Web. 25 April 2024. <>