Doves and Medallion after St. Cecilia (SNV 36) Ceramic Tile

This panel, a detail of the lower portion of an antique image of St Cecilia (SNV 36), is full of Christian symbolism. The Chi Rho and the Alpha and Omega are, besides the cross and fish, two of the oldest Christian symbols. The Chi Rho, also known as the chrismon or sigla, is formed by the superimposition of the first two capital letters of the Greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos), the center of the chi (Χ) being intersected by the vertical stroke of the rho (Ρ). The additional letters, the Alpha (Α) and Omega (Ω, lowercase: ω), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, which flank the chrismon, symbolize the eternal existence of Jesus and of God. In Revelations, Christ is quoted as saying: “"I am the alpha and the omega; the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21:6, 22:13 - Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition [DRA]). + Furthermore, here the Chi Rho / Alpha Omega medallion is flanked by doves perched upon or rather holding olive branches in their claws. The use of a dove and olive branch as a symbol of inner- and later of civil- and world peace originated among the early Christians. It harkens back to the Old Testament story of Noah and the ark (Genesis 8:11 Douay-Rheims [DRA]). The text below is self-explanatory. + Image Credit (SNV 36): Detail from an antique image of St. Cecilia of Rome from a late nineteenth-century devotional print, artwork by J. Klein, chromoxylography by H[einrich] Knoefler (1824-1886), published by St. Norbert Book- and Art Printing, Vienna, Austria. From the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera.