The Peacock Symbolism Photo Print

In Catholic art the peacock is used as the symbol of immortality. This symbolism is derived from an ancient belief that the flesh of the peacock does not decay. It is with this meaning that it appears in scenes of the Nativity. The 'hundred eyes' in the peacock's tail are sometimes used to symbolize the 'all seeing' Church. The peacock's habit of strutting and displaying the beauty of its feathers has caused it also to become a symbol of worldly pride and vanity. A peacock's feather is sometimes an attribute of St. Barbara, in reference to Heliopolis, the city of her birth. When first used as a symbol by the Christians, peacocks were often seen in conjunction with the chalice, drinking from it to ensure eternal life. St. Liborius, fourth-century French bishop of Le Mans and personal friend of St. Martin of Tours, has the peacock as his emblem. As a symbol of immortality (even St. Augustine believed the peackock's flesh to have "antiseptic qualities" and that it didn't corrupt), the peacock became a symbol of Christ and the Resurrection. Its image embellished everything from the Catacombs to everyday objects, like lamps, especially in early Romanesque and Byzantine churches. (The peacock, for obvious reasons, was also used as a symbol for pride, too) The Peacock in Byzantine and early Romanesque art was used to signify the Resurrection, because its flesh was thought to be incorruptible. (St. Augustine, City of God, xxi, c, iv.) The peacock is known as the bird with one hundred eyes. The eye-like patterns in its tail cause it to represent the stars, the universe, the sun, the moon, and the vault of heaven. To Christians this bird's many eyes are symbols of omniscience, the all-seeing God, and the all-seeing Church. Christ is portrayed as a Lamb with seven eyes "which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth" (Rev 5:6). The peacock's "eyes" also symbolize the beatific vision (i.e. the direct perception and knowledge of God as He truly is, enjoyed by angels, Christ, and the saints in heaven). In modern times the peacock's strutting and feather displaying has become a symbol of pride, arrogance, and vanity. During the Baroque period, the peacock often appeared at the Tenth Station of the Cross where Jesus was stripped to expiate our sins of vanity. Peacocks often play the role of the mythical phoenix in religious art. They are sometimes seen drinking from Eucharistic chalices or near the Tree of Life. Because of their association with the Tree of Life, peacock thrones were popular in ancient Babylon and Persia. Because Heliopolis is the city where the phoenix was said to build its rejuvenating funeral pyre, the peacock has become a substitutional emblem of that city. St. Barbara has a peacock feather as one of her attributes because she was born in Heliopolis. The peacock is a symbol of beauty, prosperity, royalty, love, compassion, the soul, and peace.