St James' Cemetery » Memorials » Symbols » Religious

Religious Motifs

St James' Cemetery was an Anglican cemetery and therefore the religious motifs are examples of Christian symbolism.

Anchor: An anchor was an ancient symbol that became a Christian symbol of hope and faith in salvation.

Cross: In the Christian religion, the cross (†) is a symbol of Christ and Christianity.

Greek Letters: Alpha (A) and Omega (Ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet signifying the beginning and end of life. They are often used in conjunction with the Chi Rho (PX) symbol.
Chi Rho (PX) is an early symbol used by Christians formed from the first two letters of the Greek word for Christos - ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ.

Hexagram: The six-pointed star today most recognised as the Jewish Star of David is an ancient transcultural symbol that used to be more common in Christian symbolism as the Star of Creation.

IHS: IHS is a monogram representing Jesus Christ. It is an abbreviation of IHΣΟΥΣ - the Greek word for Jesus.

Scroll: A scroll can symbolise the law, or the scriptures (the Bible).