Abstract:
The symbol is an emblem or an image associated with a few words or
abbreviations on the item it represents. Religious symbols, the oldest symbols of
the world, have always helped to retrieve or to identify certain values, beliefs,
ideas and confessions of faith, having the primary goal of gathering together
those who share the same religious or cultural beliefs. To survive, the symbols
must be recognized as such and be properly interpreted within the context that
generated them. In modern times the question of the meaning and existence of
these symbols arose. To understand this symbolism, the history of the
construction types is not enough and references to biblical culture, which
renders the origin and development of symbols, are needed. This paper
identifies different representations of the grapevine being presented as
decorative motifs in sacred art and architecture. The grapevine appears from
ancient times represented in the drawings of the catacombs, in the Byzantine
mosaics or carved on the walls of the medieval cathedrals.
