Chapter I
What it means
The dove has two main meanings in the Bible. In Genesis, after the flood, Noah sends out a dove that comes back with a fresh olive leaf: the waters have gone down, God’s anger is over, and life can begin again. The dove with the olive branch is therefore a sign of peace and of a new start.
In the Gospels, when Jesus is baptised in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit comes down on him like a dove. Christian art has shown the Holy Spirit as a dove ever since, hovering above scenes of baptism, of the Annunciation and of Pentecost.
Chapter II
Where it comes from
Doves appear in the earliest Christian art, in the catacombs, often with an olive branch, as a sign of the soul at peace with God. In medieval churches a dove-shaped container sometimes held the consecrated bread above the altar, and painters placed the dove in countless scenes.
In 1949 Picasso’s lithograph of a dove became the poster for the World Peace Congress, and the dove was taken up across the world as a sign of peace.
Chapter III
Where you see it today
The dove is common in church windows, on baptism and confirmation cards and on Christian jewellery. Outside religion it stands for peace on posters, logos and at ceremonies, where white doves are sometimes released.