Symbols of Love Repaid in St. Thérèse’s Coat of Arms
Article written by Theresa Doyle-Nelson
When St. Thérèse—at the age of 22—wrote down her childhood memories by order of the prioress (who happened to be her sister Pauline), she painted an intriguing piece of art at the end—a specially designed Coat of Arms to express her heart’s feelings and inspirations. This thought-provoking Coat of Arms design is nicely replicated in the St. Thérèse Tomb Chapel at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower. This Coat of Arms is full of insights that can help pilgrims to the Basilica better understand the soul of the Little Flower.
The Double Shield
Interestingly, St. Thérèse, like her sister Céline (Sr. Geneviève of the Holy Face), felt inspired to design a Coat of Arms with a double shield. If you look closely at the image, you will see that the shield on the left honors Jesus, while the right shield represents Thérèse herself. Another point to note on these two shields is that each side starts at the bottom with illustrations representing the childhoods of Jesus and Thérèse, and on top are images that represent the two adulthoods.
Left Shield
Starting at the bottom left, you can see the baby Jesus in His manger. This image points to the first part of the Little Flower’s religious name: Sr. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, which she calls the “titles of nobility, her wealth, and her hope.” St. Thérèse had a particular devotion to the infant Jesus that was reflected in her Little Way—her desire to love God in a trusting, unquestioning, child-like manner.
In the upper portion of the left shield is the Holy Face of Jesus—representing the second part of her religious name. The devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus through the imprinted-veil of St. Veronica was popular in 19th century France—a French Carmelite nun named Sr. Marie de Saint-Pierre received revelations from Jesus in the 1840s promoting this devotion. The devotion was recognized by Pope Leo XIII, and it captured the heart of St. Thérèse.
The vine dividing the shield diagonally represents “the image of Him who deigned to say to us: ‘I am the vine and, you are the branches, I want you to bear much fruit,’” Thérèse’s paraphrase of John 15.
Thérèse explains in her description of the Coat of Arms how the grapes in the hands of the baby Jesus represent her desire to amuse and delight the Child Jesus by offering herself as grapes to him and to “let herself be pressed by Him according to his whims.” The vine also winds up toward the Holy Face of Jesus with another cluster of grapes. Thérèse explains that this second cluster was to symbolize her wish to relieve the thirst of the adult Jesus during His Passion.
The harp to the right of the Holy Face displays another symbol of the great love Thérèse had for Our Lord in her desire to “sing eternally melodies of love to Jesus.”
Right Shield
The bottom portion presenting green grass depicts the holy and nurturing family in which the Little Flower was raised. Her parents, Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of four Discalced Carmelite nuns, were canonized in 2015.
The white lily represents Thérèse herself, growing sturdy from the rich soil of her family. The glowing star with the “M” in its center and extending its rays toward the lily of Thérèse represents Mary—“Morning Star” and “Star of the Sea” are among her titles. Thérèse had a great love for Mary and credited her for cherished help in life.
To the right of the lily is a mountain symbolizing Mount Carmel in Israel—the birthplace of the Carmelite Order. The reed creating the diagonal line between the two sections of the shield signifies the saint’s heavy reliance on Jesus: her awareness “that she is only a weak reed.”
In the upper right section of the shield, we see symbols of The Little Flower’s deep burning love for Christ and desire to give her life for Him, as He had done for her. Here she depicts a “flaming dart of love” intersecting a palm branch, “to merit for her the palm of martyrdom,” until such a time as she might have the opportunity to shed her own blood for Christ.
The triangle at the top right represents the “Adorable” Holy Trinity from whom Thérèse felt special graces and “inestimable gifts.”
Top and Bottom Extras
In the original illustration of the Little Flower’s Coat of Arms, you can find a few extra details. The top of the left shield has the Christogram: JHS (often written as IHS), representing the first three Greek letters of the name Jesus.
At the top of the right shield is the Little Flower’s monogram: FMT, for Marie-Françoise-Thérèse. Above the Coat of Arms is the crown of thorns, recalling Jesus’ Passion. Below the double-shield is a banner with the words: “Love is repaid by Love alone”—a quote of St. John of the Cross that resonated with Thérèse, for she included this motto both in her Coat of Arms and within the text of Story of a Soul.
Article first published in the Apostolate of the Little Flower Vol. 87, No. 1
Theresa Doyle-Nelson and her husband are parishioners at St. Stanislaus Church in Bandera, TX. Theresa is the author of Saints in Scripture; she also enjoys writing about St. Thérèse, and visiting the Little Flower Basilica when she can. You can find Theresa's blog, "The Hill Country Hermit" at: TheresaDoyle-Nelson.blogspot.com.
