Religious Symbols: “IHS” son of “IOS” the Carpenter
Religious symbols can be traced as far back as religions. Carpenters building cathedrals were not simply workers but worshippers of Christ who expressed their own beliefs, proudly and prominently displayed, through their tools. The symbols on planes illustrated below are good examples. The largest of the planes is dated 1818, measures over three feet long, and displays an unusual cross on top of its mouth, above which are carved flowers coming out of a heart and a most intriguing intertwined logo. When read correctly, this logo spells out "M A R I A", a discreet allusion to the Virgin Mary.
Figure 67 Details of Plane dated 1818 engraved with logo containing a cross and
letters “MARIA”, a heart, and flowers (Tool ref. #1134)
Another example of this same unusual and highly symbolic logo is engraved on a 19th century church hammer. The head of this hammer exhibits on one side, the MARIA logo with the exact same design as above. The other side is dated 1827 and comprises decorative engravings. It is called a church hammer because carpenters used it only in connection with the erection of churches and related buildings. Once accustomed with the freemason symbols, one might notice also the letters A and M cross over in exactly the same fashion as the compass does over the square. There is no doubt this is a freemason’s representation of the Virgin Mary that proudly and discreetly includes his freemasonry appurtenance.
Figure 68 Details of a church hammer dated 1827 engraved with
a logo containing the letters MARIA” (Tool ref. #1693)
A third example of the MARIA logo, graphically conceived in exactly the same fashion, appears on a smaller plane of about thirteen inches. It also bears a cross on top of a rising sun, right at the mouth of the plane. It is dated 1764 and also displays flower carvings on each side.
Figure 69 Full plane and details of plane dated 1764 engraved with
logo containing the letters MARIA” (Tool ref. #1690)
The 16th century Italian plane below bears a nicely carved cross on its top. The cross these planes exhibit like other such symbols represents churches and cathedrals that their masters, the carpenters, built with them for over a thousand years. And what stronger testimony is there of the harmonious and beautiful work of these generations of artisans throughout Europe, than those worshipped houses of God that withstand centuries of wars of all kinds. It is quite impressive to witness these eight to ten century old buildings looking stronger yet than most new buildings erected today.
Not only do the masons deserve credit for standing cathedrals and pyramids, the carpenters do as well. It has been difficult at times to reconcile the two trades who most regularly and intricately worked together for centuries. Several building that collapsed in ancient history have sometimes provided the fiercest of fights between those two corporations. When Boileau set to write his manuscript from 1258 to 1268, he was trying to eliminate those ancient fights by spelling out rules and responsibilities for each corporation.
However, just ten years after it was written, a dramatic catastrophe occurred in the year 1278 AD. That year, the roof of the Orleans cathedral, among the most prominent cathedrals in France, collapsed during mass, killing hundreds. The masons immediately claimed that it was all because of poor carpentry. The carpenters publicly responded that this 7th century cathedral had already been destroyed by a fire in the year 929 AD and rebuilt in Roman style with good and elegant carpentry. So, to them it was all the masons fault. Yet, after the partial collapse of 1278 AD, the Orleans cathedral was rebuilt in Gothic style, only to be destroyed by the Huguenots in 1568. In 1601, French king Henri IV, a great patron of the arts, rebuilt it again.
From the masons’ perspective, all it takes is to simply look around to find many old buildings that have their stonewalls standing and their wooden roof missing. This might not, however, prove outright that masons are better builders than carpenters. In all fairness, stone was always proven more resistant than wood to a thousand years of wars, blizzards, fires, and storms. For any mason or carpenter, working for the Church was very honorific and guaranteed bread for several generations of their sons, their apprentices, and Compagnons. Christianity itself had several factions and branches. Compagnons used different symbols on their personal tools to show their allegiance.
Interestingly, a classic and discreetly coded religious symbol, “IHS”, can be found on both carpenters and masons tools. The three letters appear most often with a cross above them, sometimes on a small podium, and occasionally with a bleeding heart and three nails underneath.
Figure 74 Detail of 1788 Eucharistic Bread Iron. The cross is atop a podium
engraved with the letters “IHS” (Tool ref. #871)
In the first example, on the 1788 Eucharistic bread iron, the three letters "IHS" can very clearly be read underneath a large cross. Against the cross is a ladder and on top, a pair of pincers and a construction hammer.
The next example is of a church hammer with the same logo IHS with a cross in addition to three nails visible under the letter H. The other side of the hammer is engraved with the date 1814.
Figure 75 Church Hammer dated 1814 with the IHS logo, a cross in the H,
and three nails on the reverse face (Tool ref. #1677)
The third example is that of a small plane dated 1621 with the IHS mark with the cross and bleeding heart underneath as well as the three nails. It belonged to a carpenter as well.
Figure 76 Plane dated 1621 with IHS mark (Tool ref. #1684)
The meaning of IHS is Jesus or Ihesus as spelled in the Roman times. It can be first seen on the 8th century Roman gold coin bearing the IHS monogram among the full Latin inscription: "DN IHS CHS REX REGNANTIUM" (Lord Jesus Christ king of kings).
Throughout the Middle Ages the name Jesus was written Ihesus or IHS. For over one thousand year, there has been a debate as to the very significance of these three letters. Could it be simply construed as the abbreviation of the name Ihesus or did the masons and freemasons attributed it another meaning? Many wooden and metal tools were engraved by Compagnons and masters with this monogram IHS believing it meant in Latin "Jesus Habemus Socium" (Jesus as Our Partner). Others thought it stood for the Latin words "Jesus Hominum Salvatore" (Jesus Savior of Men). The Jesuits, under the leadership of San Ignacio de Loyola (1491-1556), made this monogram the symbol of their Society by adding a cross over the letter H and three nails under it. A Spanish theologian from Castile in Spain, Loyola launched the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, in 1534 from Paris, France, where he lived. Pope Paul III approved the new order in 1540 and a new chapter was written in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
Do the three nails here represent the crucifixion or are they a symbol of the Trinity? Some Compagnons actually believe that the nails stand for the letter V and that the sign reads in Latin "In Hoc Signo Vinces" (In This Sign you shall Conquer). A legend has it that the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (272-337 AD) saw those words under a Christian cross in the sky at noon on October 28, of the year 312 AD. Born on February 27, 272 in Naissus in the Province of Upper Moesia (now Serbia), Gaius Flavius Valentius Constantinus was a pagan who worshipped the sun. Constantine's armies of fifty thousand men were about to engage in the great battle of the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber River near Rome against Maxentius' armies of seventy five thousand men guarding Rome. That’s when Constantine had his vision. He claimed to have heard the words "In Hoc Signo Vinces". He vowed to convert to Christianity if he were victorious. Not only did he decisively win the battle but Maxentius drowned in the Tiber River while attempting to retreat. Constantine's victory paved the way for his triumphant march into Rome. He took over the Roman Empire and immediately converted to Christianity. More importantly, he made Christianity legal in the Empire by issuing the Edict of Milano, which from then on protected Christians from persecution. Three centuries of dark ages for Christians were over. But the codes and symbols on their tools remained generally hidden and cryptic.
Christianity had been declared illegal by the Romans; and until Constantine made it an acceptable and official religion, Christians had to meet in secret places to escape death. A small fish painted outside a house meant that worship was going to be held inside in secret. The reason for the fish to have been chosen as the symbol of Jesus is that the word fish in Greek is IXTHUS. In the 2nd century, Christians interpreted those letters to mean "Jesus (I) Christ (X) of God (TH) the Son (U), the Savior (S)", based on the meaning of those letters in Greek at the time:
➢ Iota: Iesus
➢ Chi: Christ
➢ Theta: Theou (“of God”, from the word Theos, God)
➢ Upsilon: Uios (son)
➢ Sigma: Soter (savior)
Ever since, Ixthus (fish) has become the symbol of Jesus for Compagnons and masters of every trade. Below is an example of a French green oak 18th century plane with a fish carved on its wedge in a deep patina.
Figure 78 18th century French Green Oak Plane with handle and
details of carved wedge with fish (Tool ref. #1037)
To this date, for French Christians the fish remains the symbol of Jesus. Further proof is that each year, on Easter Sunday, the bells on their way from Rome drop thousands of chocolate fishes in addition to the more traditional Easter eggs for children to seek and delight from. The fish represents Jesus while the egg symbolizes his resurrection.
One even more discreet way to claim allegiance to Christianity during the 1st and 2nd century AD, was to draw fish bones. This symbol became even more common than the fish to represent Jesus. It could pass for a simple pattern and was relatively easy to make. The fishbone can be found on many Compagnon tools; for instance on the two very heavy woodcutter iron wedges shown below.
Figure 80 Details of 1788 Eucharistic Bread Iron with engraved fishbone
on the inside plate (Tool ref. #871)
The fishbone can also be seen on the 1788 Eucharistic bread irons described more fully in the chapter on Old Eucharistic Iron Breads. Below in Figure 81 is a detail of just the fishbone.
They can be found on many carpenter’s planes and even on bakers tools. Here is an example of a family bread mark with an engraved cross and fish bones on its side. It is also an osier splitting tool. The bread mark was in use in France from time immemorial until the 19th century when there was primarily one oven in each village. The baker would mark the bread loaf of each villager coming to have his bread baked, with his own family stamp or mark, thus allowing the owner to find his or her own loaf after the baking was done. These marks were passed in the family from generation to generation. One may not realize today that the baker was highly respected and considered one of the noblest trades in the Middle Ages.
In some instances one may find a double fishbone as it appears on the blade of this fine Coupe-Marc (must cutting blade).
The must cutting tool is indispensable in the process of making wine and all its by-products. Once the grapes have been pressed, it is used to cut the must that remains and with which liquors can be made as well as mustards or flavoring for game like a piece of venison in a Burgundy wine sauce…. This particular must cutting tool
was born in Jarnioux, France in 1864. Its engraving says "B. Tondu a Jarnioux .1864.". The town of Jarnioux is in the French winemaking region of Beaujolais, near Lyon. The Henri family of Lyon owned the Jarnioux castle during the 16th century. B. Tondu designates the blacksmith who manually forged the blade and signed it. The two points around the date mean that the blade was forged by an aspiring Compagnon of the Tour de France (see Tour de France chapter for details).
Many Christian Compagnon carpenters carved their planes with a symbol relating to Jesus. Others felt the best way to express their beliefs and allegiance was to go back to his father, the most famous carpenter in history. They carved the letters IOS on their tools to represent an abbreviation of the name of Joseph. Below are two examples of IOS marks on 18th century planes and one on a Freemason stair maker saw dated 1757 comprising both the Freemason mark (square and compass) and the letters IOS on the opposite side of the blade.
Figure 88 Detail of Plane with engraving: “IOS” (Tool ref. #1077)
In all of the above tools it is interesting that the “IOS” mark is barely visible if not outright hidden inside the tool. Finally, it is worth noting that in Greek, “Ios” means the color purple. Not so surprisingly, it turns out to also be the color most closely associated with Church.