The Holy Name, IHS
Christogram
- Known today as
- The monogram IHS, the first three letters of Jesus in Greek, often within a sunburst.
- Kind
- Sacramental, in 1 older authority
- Earliest authority here
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914)
Revised October 1, 2026: An authority added from a text read in full. Version 1, first published September 28, 2026.
The Holy Name, IHS: what was it used for?
Painted over doors and hearths, carved on beams, and worn, as a sign of protection and devotion.
The Holy Name, IHS: what does modern science say?
Seen everywhere in Catholic art and architecture.
The Holy Name, IHS: what lore surrounds it?
St. Bernardino of Siena spread its devotion in fifteenth-century Italy, preaching with a tablet of the name in gold rays and urging people to replace faction badges with it; the Jesuits later took it as their emblem.
The Holy Name, IHS: what did the older authorities say?
- The Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Catholic Encyclopedia opens its article by denying “that there is any intrinsic power hidden in the letters composing it,” yet records that St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John Capistran “carried with them on their missions in the turbulent cities of Italy a copy of the monogram of the Holy Name, surrounded by rays, painted on a wooden tablet, wherewith they blessed the sick and wrought great miracles,” and “recommended their hearers to have the monogram of Jesus placed over the gates of their cities and above the doors of their dwelling.” The monogram IHS “contains the first and last letter of the Holy Name” as written IHESUS and “is first found on a gold coin of the eighth century”; “some erroneously say that the three letters are the initials of: ‘Jesus Hominum Salvator.’”
Sources
- [21] Herbermann, C. G., et al. (eds.) (1907–1912). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Online at newadvent.org. Articles: Agnus Dei (H. Thurston); Amulet (M. Hassett); Ash Wednesday (H. Thurston); Bells (H. Thurston); Holy Oils (H. Leclercq); Paschal Candle (H. Thurston); Scapular (J. Hilgers). Read in part · the text read
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Jesus Christ, Holy Name of.” newadvent.org/cathen/07421a.htm Standard reference work
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Each quotation from the older authorities checked word for word against the text, read in full
- Sources
- 2 cited: 1 read in part, 1 standard reference work.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 28, 2026 · last revised October 1, 2026
- Chicago
“The Holy Name, IHS.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 1, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/holy-name-ihs.
- MLA
“The Holy Name, IHS.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 1 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/holy-name-ihs. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
The Holy Name, IHS. (2026, October 1). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/holy-name-ihs
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See Also
Also in The Catholic Encyclopedia
Holy water in The Catholic Encyclopedia · The Hand of Glory in The Catholic Encyclopedia · The holy water stoup in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Hagstone in The Catholic Encyclopedia · everything The Catholic Encyclopedia names →
Nearby in the alphabet
Hiera with agaric · Hiera picra (mastic, saffron, and other aromatics) · Holy wells (many of them sacred long before Christianity, visited for cures) · Hiera of Pacchius · Honey (Honey of bees) · Herb Paris (true-lover’s knot, a woodland plant with a single black berry)
Historical description, not medical advice.