The Anchor Symbol
2nd or 3rd century
Crypt of the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome
The anchor is an early symbol for Christ. In somewhat later images it may symbolize hope (because of
Hebrews 6:18b-19a),
"the hope set before us, which we have as an anchor of the soul"
or it may be an attribute of St. Clement. The iota and theta to the left and right of the anchor are the first letters of the Greek words for "Jesus" and "God."
Read more about the anchor symbol and St. Clement.
Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.