From a glance, the peacock comes across as a gaudy creature. This has caused many to consider it to symbolize vanity. On the contrary, Christians have used it to represent a host of other things that are holy and good such as: immortality, Christ’s resurrection, and God’s omnipresence. In addition, when the “peacock is portrayed drinking from a vase it symbolizes a Christian drinking the waters of eternal life” (Wilson). The peacock is packed with Christian symbolism; as a result, it is a prominent figure in many works of Christian art.
The Peacock pictured above is found in the Catacombs of Priscilla. In the context of the catacombs, the peacock more than likely refers to eternal life (or immortality). In the face of death, Christians kept an eternal perspective in light of life in Christ. The peacock symbolized eternal life because in ancient times it was commonly believed that even after death, peacock’s flesh never decayed.
In the Basilica of San Clemente there are multiple images of peacocks depicted throughout the church. They are used mainly to represent the eternal life as well as God’s omnipresence. The many eyes on the peacock symbolize how God can see everything.
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Works Cited
Basilica San Clemente. 2012. Web Page. 13 November 2014. <http://www.servizio-fotografico-roma.com/demo5/>.
Gast, Walter E. Symbols in Christian Art & Architecture. 2000. Web Page. 13 November 2014. <http://www.planetgast.net/symbols/symbolsp/symbolsp.html>.
Held, Andre. akg-images. n.d. Web Page. 13 November 2014. <http://www.akg-images.de/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&IID=2UMDHUM23A5W&LANGSWI=1&LANG=English>.
Wilson, Dr. Ralph F. Jesus Walk. 2014. Web Page. 13 November 2014. <http://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/peacock.htm>.
Christian Symbols In Art 