Author: Maciej Górnicki
OUR COAT OF ARMS
AND THE FLAG
Our Coat of Arms
The life of St. Paul was written by St. Jerome. As a sixteen-year-old, St. Paul, fearing bloody persecutions, took refuge in the desert. For many years he remained in seclusion, leading a modest life. To cover his naked body, he used the leaves of a date palm, the fruits of which he ate. Dates, however, were not St. Paul's only food; Every day he received half a loaf of bread brought by the black raven. In the last days of St. Paul's life, in the place of his retreat, St. Anthony visited. According to the story, the raven then brought not half but a whole loaf of bread in its beak so that both men could eat. In the conversation, St. Paul confessed to his guest that after his death, as a sign of unity with the community of the Church, he would like to be covered with the mantle of Bishop Athanasius, a very religious and legitimate man. St. Anthony set out to get his cloak, and when he returned, it turned out that St. Paul had already gone to the Lord. Anthony wanted to bury the hermit with dignity, but because as a man of advanced age, he did not have enough strength to dig a grave, two lions came to his aid. The animals dug a grave in which they very gently laid the body of St. Paul.
The Raven – symbolizes God’s messenger who flew to the hermitage every day with a piece of bread in its beak, giving St. Paul food to endure the hardships of a hermit’s life. During the meeting with St. Anthony the Hermit, a raven brought a whole loaf of bread.
The Palm Tree – The palm tree is a symbol of martyrdom. We see it in the images of those saints who gave their lives for their faith in Christ. Saint Paul the First Hermit did not have to shed his blood for Christ, but this does not mean that he was not a martyr. Devoting his life exclusively to Christ, cutting himself off from the earthly life, St. Paul condemned himself to slowly die in silence and solitude, as a sign of a great sacrifice and an act of martyrdom for Christ. The palm has another important explanation. It grew over the grotto where St. Paul has lived. It gave him shade, protection from the rain, leaves from which he made himself a tunic, and also the dates which he fed on.
The Lions – are a symbol of courage and strength. When St. Anthony did not have the strength to dig a grave and bury St. Paul the First Hermit, two lions suddenly appeared and, hitting the sand with their paws, dug a tomb in which the saint’s remains were buried.
Flaga Zakonu Paulinów
First there is white, then we have black, then yellow, and finally green.
The colors refer to the life of St. Paul.
White is a symbol of purity, virginity, innocence.
Black refers to the raven.
Yellow is identified with desert sand.
Green is a symbol of a palm tree.
