What’s a Vesica Piscis?

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The vesica piscis is an ancient symbol that has been adopted by many religions, especially Christians. You may know a form of the vesica piscis, a fish that is often used as a symbol by Christians, but this ancient symbol was also used by pagan religions and even mathematicians once attached great importance to it. The vesica piscis has been so well integrated into human culture that you can probably find an example of it in the art or architecture of your region.

This shape is formed by overlapping two circles of the same size so that the perimeter of each circle comes into contact with the center of the other circle. The result looks like a Venn diagram, with an almond shape in the center formed by the overlapping circles. In Latin, this shape is called mandorla or almond, while the entire figure is called vesica piscis, or “fish bladder”. The mathematical relationship formed was of great interest to the Greeks, and still during the medieval era, when the vesica piscis showed up abundantly in art and architecture, reflecting the glamor of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

There are all kinds of symbolic meanings for the vesica piscis and the almond. Many early Christian art depict religious figures within a vesica piscis or mandorla, for example, and early Christians identified with a small jewel in the shape of a fish or an embroidered motif when Christianity was frowned upon in Europe. Pagans believed the shape was related to fertility, as the almond somewhat resembles the female reproductive parts, and consequently this pointed oval shape occurs in a surprising number of places.

In Celtic symbolism, some artists create triquetras, which are made by stacking three almonds to create a triangular shape. This sacred shape often appears as a motif in Celtic jewelery and as a decorative element in Celtic architecture, and appears in many different forms. Some artists even make crosses by combining four of these symbols; these crosses are known as Carolingian crosses.

Like many forms with ancient symbolic meanings, the vesica piscis appears in very many places, and is repeated again and again, even in cultures that have had no contact with each other. The common occurrence of this form illustrates the universal human fascination with mathematics and relationships. You can find the vesica piscis in works of art and architecture all over the world. It also appears in seals and logos, especially among Christian organizations, in which case it is common to see only the almond.

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