Vesica Piscis - Uses of The Shape

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, United Kingdom) depicts a stylized version of the vesica piscis design (see picture).

The vesica piscis has been used as a symbol within Freemasonry, most notably in the shapes of the collars worn by officiants of the Masonic rituals. It was also considered the proper shape for the enclosure of the seals of Masonic lodges.

The Vesica Piscis is also used as proportioning system in architecture, in particular Gothic architecture. The system was illustrated in Cesar Cesariano's Vitruvius (1521), which he called "the rule of the German architects".