Vesica piscis

Vesica piscis

The vesica piscis is a shape which is the intersection of two circles with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. The name literally means the "bladder of the fish" in Latin. The shape is also called "mandorla" ("almond" in Italian).

The term is also used more generally for any symmetric lens. [mathworld|title=Lens|urlname=Lens]

Mystical and religious significance

It has been the subject of mystical speculation at several periods of history, perhaps first among the Pythagoreans. The mathematical ratio of its width (measured to the endpoints of the "body", not including the "tail") to its height was reportedly believed by them to be 265:153. The geometric ratio of these dimensions is actually the square root of 3, or 1.73205... (since if straight lines are drawn connecting the centers of the two circles with each other, with the two points where the circles intersect, two equilateral triangles join along an edge). The ratio 265:153 is an approximation to the square root of 3, with the property that no better approximation can be obtained with smaller whole numbers. The number 153 appears in the Gospel of John (21:11) as the number of fish Jesus caused to be caught in a miraculous catch of fish. Coventry Patmore has written a poem called "Vesica Pisces", Part XXIV of the Book I of his cycle "The Unknown Eros" (1877). [Archimedes of Syracuse: "On the Measurement of the Circle."] [Rachel Fletcher: "Musings on the Vesica Pisces". Nexus Network Journal (ISSN 1590-5869), vol. 6 no. 2 (Autumn 2004) [http://www.emis.de/journals/NNJ/GA-v6n2.html] ] [John Michell: "City of Revelation". Abacus, 1972. (ISBN 0-349-12320-9)] [John Michell: "The Dimensions of Paradise: The Proportions and Symbolic Numbers of Ancient Cosmology". Adventures Unlimited Press, Kempton, Illinois, 2001.] [David Fideler: "Jesus Christ, Sun of God: Ancient Cosmology and Early Christian Symbolism". Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1993.]

More recently, numerous new age authors have interpreted it as a yonic symbol and claimed that this, a reference to the female genitals, is a traditional interpretation. [Barbara Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (Harper San Francisco, 1983)] [Kevin L. Gest, The Secrets of Solomon's Temple (ISBN 0853182566)] [Kathy Jones, The Goddess in Glastonbury (1990)] [Margaret Starbird, Magdalene's Lost Legacy, Symbolic Numbers & Sacred Union] [Constance S. Rodriguez PhD, LCSW - Sacred Portals, Pathways to the Self (ISBN 9781403375926)]

Uses of the shape

In Christian art, some aureolas are in the shape of a vertically oriented vesica piscis, and the seals of ecclesiastical organizations can be enclosed within a vertically oriented vesica piscis (instead of the more usual circular enclosure).

The cover of the Chalice Well in Glastonbury, Somerset depicts a stylized version of the vesica piscis design.

References

ee also

*Halo (religious iconography)
*Ichthys
*Lens (geometry)
*Flower of Life
*Villarceau circles
*Triquetra
*Vesicle pisces
*Catch of 153 fish
*Venn diagram
*Dyad (Greek philosophy)
*Intersection (set theory)


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  • Vesica piscis — Vesica Ve*si ca, n. [L.] A bladder. [1913 Webster] {Vesica piscis}. [L., dish bladder.] (Eccl. Art) A glory, or aureole, of oval shape, or composed of two arcs of circles usually represented as surrounding a divine personage. More rarely, an oval …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Vesica piscis — La Vesica Piscis. La vesica piscis (vejiga de pez en latín) es un símbolo hecho con dos círculos del mismo radio que se intersecan de manera que el centro de cada círculo está en la circunferencia del otro. Esta forma se denomina también mandorla …   Wikipedia Español

  • Vesica piscis — Le Vesica Piscis Le vesica piscis est l intersection de deux cercles de même diamètre dont le centre de chacun fait partie de la circonférence de l autre. Le nom veut dire littéralement en latin le corps du poisson. Cette figure est aussi appelée …   Wikipédia en Français

  • vesica piscis — 1) fish bladder (a figure composed of two equal and symmetrically placed circular arcs) 2) literally vessel of the fish , the Christian symbol, a stylised fish. Of pre Christian origin since it is formed from the intersection of two circles as… …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • vesica piscis — /veuh suy keuh puy sis, pis is; veuh see keuh pis kis, ves i keuh/, Fine Arts. an elliptical figure in pointed form, usually one made by the intersection of two arcs and used, esp. in early Christian art, as an emblem of Christ. [1800 10; < NL… …   Universalium

  • vesica piscis — [ˌvɛsɪkə pɪskɪs, vi: ] noun (plural vesicae piscis vɛsɪki:, vi: ) a pointed oval shape used as an architectural feature and as an aureole enclosing figures such as Christ or the Virgin Mary in medieval art. Origin L., lit. fish s bladder …   English new terms dictionary

  • vesica piscis — f En el arte cristiano primitivo, figura elнptica, o con forma de almendra, que encerraba la figura de Cristo. Tambiйn llamada mandorla …   Diccionario de Construcción y Arquitectur

  • vesica piscis — ˈpiskə̇s, ˈpisə̇s, ˈpīsə̇s, ˈpēsə̇s noun Etymology: New Latin, literally, fish bladder : a pointed oval figure typically composed of two intersecting arcs; specifically : an aureole of this shape surrounding a representation of a sacred personage …   Useful english dictionary

  • Vesica — (plural vesicae) may refer too:;Anatomy *Vesica, Latin synonym of bladder, mainly used for the urinary bladder, also used for the gall bladder. * Trigonum vesicae urinariae , Latin synonym of trigone of urinary bladder;Shapes *Vesica piscis, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Vesica — Ve*si ca, n. [L.] A bladder. [1913 Webster] {Vesica piscis}. [L., dish bladder.] (Eccl. Art) A glory, or aureole, of oval shape, or composed of two arcs of circles usually represented as surrounding a divine personage. More rarely, an oval… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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