The spiral is a decorative and frequent symbolism with ancient origins. Probably it was used in its origins by Celts as a symbol of the expanding universe and life dinamicity. A spiral in San Gimignano (Si) Like other … Read More
The term “labyrinth” certainly comes from the Greek labýrinthos (λαβύρινθος), also derived from Labrys, a particular axe with a double blade. This weapon symbolized the government of the King of Crete, Minos. Hence, in ancient times the “labyrinth” was considered … Read More
The St. John’s Knot [1] is an ancient symbol dating back to many centuries before Christ, that has its origins in Northern Europe. The symbol appears in a 5th century BC remain, known as “Hablingo Stone” which was found at … Read More
The Vesica Piscis, known also as Almond, is a decorative symbol used by several cultures from Europe, Asia and Middle East. Graphically it is the central part of a figure obtained by the overlap of two circles. In fact, the … Read More
The term “Christograms” defines a combination of Greek or Latin words which indicates the name of Jesus Christ. The need to shorten the name of Christ was born during the Christian persecutions of the first centuries. However, the Christograms were … Read More
The ophitic (from the Greek òphis, snake) or knotted columns represent a decorative and symbolic elements whose meaning is debated. They are strictly related to the religious architecture. For this reason it is possible to find them mainly in cathedrals … Read More
Among the large number of terrestrial bestiary symbols enriching the religious buildings and the medieval palaces, it is possible to identify the griffin. Nonetheless, the representation of this mythological creature had had a great spread since the Classical age. … Read More
The symbology of the dragon, spread in the Eastern and Classical cultures, faced a great diffusion during the Middle Age preserving the same iconographic representations overtime. Some examples are the various friezes that decorate the Romanesque and Gothic churches of … Read More
1.The enigmatic Sator Square It was November 12th, 1936. The archeologist Matteo della Corte was doing an inspection in the Gymnasium at the archaeological site of Pompeii [1]. This large building, dating back to the 1st century BC, today … Read More
The Omphalos (also known as Sacred Center) belongs to a rich set of exoteric symbols, largely used for decoratives scopes and with a great symbolic tradition. This fascinating symbol corresponds to eight linear segments converging towards a central point … Read More