Skip to main content

Glossaries

Term Definition
I.C.X.C.

The name Jesus Christ: in Greek the I and the C form the first and last letter of 'Jesus', the X and the C of 'Christ'.

Synonyms - ICXC
I.H.S.

Are the first three letters of the Greek form of Jesus. In Hoc Salus means: herein lies salvation. In Hoc Signo (vinces): in this sign you will conquer. When the Roman Emperor Constantine saw this last sign in a vision and believing in it, he went into battle and won, he turned to Christianity.

Synonyms - IHS
I.N.R.I.

Stands for 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum' (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews). These letters usually hang above a crucifux.

Synonyms - INRI
ivy

As an evergreen plant, ivy was already the symbol of eternal life in ancient times. But also of loyalty, attachment, patriotism and persistence of desire. This is because the plant attaches tightly and firmly to a wall, tree or grave monument.

And later in the early Christian era, ivy leaves were depicted on sarcophagi and catacombs as a symbol of eternal connection and life. Even if the body was dead, that soul lived on. A pious saying of Hohberg (1675) reads: 'The ivy winds high around an oak, no gusty wind can tear it free. If someone enjoys God's assistance, then he comes up soon; no accident can harm him. '

Sometimes the funerary monuments are completely invisible in both summer and winter because of the ivy (Hedera helix). This creeping or climbing shrub with its dark green glossy leaves is sometimes undesirable and sometimes desirable because it contributes to the patina of a cemetery.

Synonyms - klimop