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| The engraving on the front of the altar is of a female pelican feeding her young. A legendary story in antiquity told of the mother pelican nurturing her young by piercing her breast with her beak and feeding them her own blood. This image, an obvious symbol of self-sacrifice, later became applied to Jesus Christ, who redeems the world by pouring out His blood. Since the mother pelican's blood served as food for her little ones, the image of the pelican became connected most explicitly to the Eucharist, where Christ feeds his faithful with His own Body and Blood. Pelican imagery was once fairly common in liturgical art, most often appearing on altars or tabernacles. |  |
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| Total images: 12 | Last update: 11/14/07 9:51 PM | Generated by JAlbum 7.1 & Chameleon | Help | |