John the Baptist

John the Baptist – One of the symbols of St. John the Baptist is the lamb. During the Renaissance the lamb was often used in depictions of the Holy Family with  St. John as an infant. In this case the lamb represents  St. John’s role as the forerunner of Christ and his recognition of Him as the Lamb of God who would come to earth to save humanity.  The lamb standing on a book alludes to John’s teachings which foretold the coming of Christ and the shell on the banner represents John baptizing Jesus.