serpent
![[serpent]](http://saints.sqpn.com/ncd07753.jpg "22kb jpg detail from 'The Fall and Expulsion from Garden of Eden', a fresco on the Cistine Chapel, Vatican; by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1509-1510")
An emblem of Satan and sin. The tempter appeared in that form to our first parents in Eden. When seen in a cup or chalice it indicates poison or an incident of poisoning. In Christian art it is associated with
- Adam the Patriarch
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Eve the Matriarch
- Saint Amand of Maastricht
- Saint Benedict of Nursia
- Saint Hilary of Poitiers
- Saint John the Apostle
- Saint Julius of Novara
- Saint Louis Bertrand
- Saint Patrick
On the other hand, a serpent twined around a cross is an emblem of Our Lord, recalling the brazen serpent which Moses erected to cure the Israelites in the desert.
