The symbol of grapevine in the architecture of the sacred space

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.