I came across this Christian symbol and the possible meaning:



By joereal at 2007-11-26

From: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/lifestyles/664427,3_5_EL25_FAITHFOX_S1.article


No. 2: Floral motif
Here we have a floral motif with a mixed set of messages, all pointing to the Resurrection of Christ. Located above the entry door to this church, it looks from a distance like a fleur-de-lis, or flower-of-light. This is the symbol of the first-born son, appropriate for Jesus Christ as the only son of God. Also appropriate as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, as it implies the lily, a flower that traditionally sprang forth from the tears she shed upon the death of her son upon the cross, and the reason that flower is such a strong Easter symbol.

Based on that, one would expect the bloom to be a rose, also symbolic of the Virgin Mary. But on closer examination, it appears rather to be a pomegranate.

In Christian interpretation, it is a symbol of rebirth and healing. It represents the church, because of the bounty of seeds within one fruit.

Yet the roots of this symbol go back into Greek mythology and the story of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. She was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld, and taken there. When her mother finally found her, she prevailed upon Hades to release her. He did so, but required her to return to him for as many months as equaled the amount of food she had eaten while there. She had only had part of a pomegranate, but the seeds she ate were what counted. That, according to the myth, is why we have the winter months, because that is the mourning time Demeter spends while her daughter is in the underworld.

In Christian imagery, the pomegranate is a natural for death and resurrection. Early Christians believed the pomegranate tree was the Tree of Life originally found in the Garden of Eden. The shape of its fruit was the inspiration for the design motifs on the robes of the priests in Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and its top gave them the idea of the shape for his crown, a shape which has governed the design of crowns ever since. As this is taken from the motif of the Tree of Life, and because the pomegranate is also a symbol of wisdom, it lends power to the notion of the divine right of kings, as well as the symbolism and language surrounding Jesus Christ as the King of Kings.

So it is entirely appropriate that this symbol graces the portal of the church. But where, exactly, is this church?