Satan as Serpent and Dragon
The Woman Clothed in the Sun is menaced by the Great Dragon of the Apocalypse, Fresco, Abbaye St. Savin sur Gartempe, Chauvigny, France, 1090-1100
“And that dragon was cast down, the great old serpent, that is called the Devil, and Satan, that deceiveth all the world; he was cast down into the earth, and his angels were sent with him.” Revelation 12:9 Wycliffe Bible, circa 1380 (modern English translation)
Even though a dragon is a fantastical creature, a modern person will think of it as resembling a reptile or amphibian. We’ve been taught to think in scientific categories: it has scales or at least a hairless body; it resembles lizards with its four short legs, its claws, its snout, and its lipless mouth. Medieval religious clergy, especially those educated in classical literature before Christianity, would have a range of ideas for how to understand the idea of a dragon, mixing the idea of a fallen angel with all manner of underground creatures, concocting terrifying and unlikely snakes with wings. The dragon had a continuous association with Satan and Evil (with a capital “E”) from Genesis to Revelation. From the talking, treacherous serpent in Paradise who instigates humanity’s downfall, to the final battle of Armageddon and its eternal punishment of the unrepentant, Satan was a serpent, a dragon, and the Beast of the Apocalypse.
Within medieval churches, Satan appears as dragon and serpent multiple times. While churches give its followers narratives in which to understand who is their god, his pervasive goodness, and the profound nature of the salvation offered to them. They must understand why they, themselves, are flawed and must be redeemed. Satan, as the serpent and dragon, embodies the threat to their souls, the monster who must be watched for at all times.
Mosaic of Christ dressed as a Roman General, the Church Militant, St. Andrew’s Chapel of the Archbishop’s Palace, Archiepiscopal Museum, Ravenna, Italy, early 6th century
This mosaic is a rare example of the idea of the Church Militant, depicting Christ as a warrior. You can see him wielding his cross almost as a weapon. Beneath his feet he represses the lion, who represents secular authority, and crushes the serpent, who represents Satan and the heresies threatening Christians. Ravenna was the most important seat of the Byzantine Empire in the West in the 6th century (where and when this mosaic was made) and the Church there was intent on rooting out particular heresies. The placement of this mosaic in the archbishop’s private chapel was meant to clarify the man’s role in leading the Church in his archdiocese.
Serpent Menacing Lion, Bishop or Abbot’s Crozier, Limoges, Louvre Museum, Paris, France, 13th century
The serpent in this crozier encircles the lion, and bites him on his tail. The serpent represents Satan, and pervasive evil, while the lion represents Jesus. They are locked in battle for the soul of the Church. The curve of the crozier is worked in enamel and gilded copper, replicating snake-skin. The dragon and serpent could appear in various ritual items in a church to remind clergy and followers alike that the battle between good and evil was ongoing and everywhere.
Satan as Dragon Consuming a Sinner, Aquamanile, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters, New York City, circa 1200
This aquamanile (a pitcher for holy water) was used by a priest to wash his hands before mass. It is in the shape of a dragon devouring a sinner. The holy water would pour out of the dragon’s mouth, over the sinner and onto the priest’s hands, and then into a receiving basin. The dragon’s purpose is the same as the one in the crozier: in the performance of a holy ceremony, it reminds those present of the reality of evil and the important duty of vanquishing it.
Dragon Bench-end, Choir stall, Basilica of Saint Androche, Saulieu Abbey, France, late 14th century
The monks of an abbey would find these reminders of the devil and evil wherever they did their work. This dragon (above) greeted the monks as they filed into their rows of seats where they prayed, sang services, and conducted the business of their abbey, morning and night. Several carved creatures, many warning of sin and evil like this dragon, decorated the seats, keeping the monks mindful of the importance of their activities. Some figures, like this one, might appear to be whimsical by modern tastes, and familiarity might take the edge off the constant warning.
Dragon, Choirstall Finial, Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, England, circa 1510
The dragon on this bench-end in the choir stalls of Manchester Cathedral, by contrast, looks coiled and ready to bite any monk foolish enough to use it to steady himself as he ascends to his seat.
Crowned Demon, Rood Screen Partition, Work of Master Mason Jean Gailde, The Church of St. Madeleine, Troyes, France, circa 1508
Several passages in the Bible and in stories of saints’ lives have Satan speaking. The above image of Satan as a dragon gives him a human face and beard, making him seem capable of speech. His position on the gated stone barrier behind and beside the altar in Saint Madeleine in Troyes places him on guard to the clergy-only part of the church from the public. He would have been vividly painted when he was new and looked quite ferocious, warning away any of the public who might trespass.
Norman Carved Bowl featuring Centaur and an Amphisbena (two-headed dragon), Baptismal Font, Church of St. Mary, Luppitt, England, early 11th century
A church’s community regularly would see dragons in rituals directly pertaining to their lives. In Saint Mary’s Church, in Luppitt, the baptismal font has a carving warning of the evils threatening the soul brought to be baptized into the faith. The amphisbaena, or, two-headed dragon, symbolizes deception. It is being held on a leash by a larger demon on the right-side of this font (perhaps Satan) and followed by a centaur (symbolizing temptation to lust). The evils shown on this font embody the ways in which Satan will try to steal the soul of the newly baptized child, and the godparents at the ceremony must swear to protect the new Christian as he or she grows in the Church.
Michael Vanquishing Satan, Sculpture by Benedetto Anetelami, Parma Baptistry, Italy, circa 1196
In a similar sentiment to the one in one expressed in the Luppitt font, this sculpture in the Parma Baptistry depicts St. Michael destroying Satan. It is particularly apt for a building designated for baptism, because the sacrament of baptism is viewed as the first victory over evil and begins the raising and training of the young soul to guard itself from Satan and to keep close to the church as it aspires to heaven.
Men Fighting Satan, Bench-end, Church of the Holy Ghost, Crowcombe, England, 1534
Medieval English churches often decorated their pews with religious instruction and symbols. The bench-end shown above, from The Church of the Holy Ghost in Crowcombe, shows two naked men battling a two-faced dragon with spears. A grape-vine issues from a monstrous mouth beneath them, supporting them as they fight. The design is from a medieval pattern book which wood-carvers in England circulated. The two-faced dragon, like the amphisbaena on the font in Luppitt, is a symbol of Satan and his threat to humanity. The men represent innocent souls and their need to battle evil, with the grape-vine being the promise of Christianity to support and save them.
Mosaic of St. Michael battling Satan as a Dragon, Basilica of San Marco, Venice, Italy, 12th century
In this mosaic, the archangel Michael delivers the killing blow to the dragon, which is Satan. This version of Satan may be an allusion to paganism as a threat to the Church. The artist has chosen to make the angel very large in comparison to the size of the dragon, and in this way asserts that the Church is mighty against this threat. In most medieval images where Good is depicted in contrast to or in combat with Satan, the character representing God or Goodness, even if unarmed, is larger in scale than Satan, even if Satan is a dragon. If the character is a mere mortal, the scale may be reversed, to inspire parishioners to believe that they, too, can triumph over temptation.
Churches and abbeys sometimes had elaborate, terrifying tellings of the entire book of Revelation in various media: stained glass, paint on large boards, frescoes. These brought the story of the End Times alive for their audiences, in particular those who did not have access to bibles.
The Red Dragon and the Earthly Beast of the Apocalypse, Great East Window, York Minster, 1408
In York Minster, the Great East Window relates the entire story of the Apocalypse, in which Satan is named as The Dragon, evil itself. Here he appears in vivid red, wielding a scepter with the Beast of the Apocalypse, whose seven crowned heads represent the great cities of Roman Empire whom the author of The Revelation, John of Patmos, believed to be corrupt political entities. The dragon’s color associates him with fire, bloodshed, and destruction, but also with the red of the Roman imperium.
Red Dragon Menacing Woman Clothed with the Sun, Apocalypse Altarpiece, workshop of Master Bertram of Mindan, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, circa 1380
In this altar piece re-telling the book of Revalation, Satan, as the Red Dragon, attempts to attack the Woman Clothed in the Sun, who represents the Church. He vomits a river, in an attempt to drown her, but a hole opens up in the earth to sweep away the water before it can harm her. Satan’s power is shown to be terrifying and destructive, but the Church is shown to have considerable protective powers.
Satan as Dragon, Judgment Day Tympanum, Abbey of St. Pierre, Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, France, 12th century
Frequently, medieval churches would have a large tympanum over their main entrance, illustrating Judgment Day and its consequences for the saved and the damned. Satan could be present in a number of ways in the tympanum. In the image above, he is the red dragon, with multiple heads, the paint long lost. His main head has a human-looking face.
Hellmouth, Wall Painting, Abbey Church of St. Austremoine, Issoire, France, circa 1450
In the Last Judgment wall-painting in Saint Austremoine, Satan is also the entrance into Hell, which is the mouth of a dragon. Attendant demons collect the souls who awaken and are judged, damned, and then stuffed into his flaming maw.
Hellmouth with Satan stretched as Bridge for Sinners, Doom Painting, Church of Saint Peter and Paul, Chaldon, England, circa 1170
In the painting of Judgment Day in the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Chaldon, England, an angel reads the names of the damned and saved from his list. The saved in this image run through the flames of hell and leap over Satan to greet Christ. Satan is both bound and forms a bridge over the hellmouth. It appears here that he can be serpent and demon at the same time. Just as Christ could have multiple natures in the Christian church, so, too, could Satan.
St. George Fights the Dragon, Parma Baptistry, Parma, Italy, late 13th Century
Lives of the saints were important to teach believers how to avoid sin, and some saints were famous for dueling Satan in his dragon form. Perhaps the most famous was St. George, shown here in the Parma Baptistry. His iconography usually has him saving a maiden. The maiden represents the people of the area, and the dragon is usually paganism or heresy, which would make sense for placement in the baptistry, where new Christians are introduced.
Dragon attacking St. George, Church of Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay, Charente-Maritime, France, circa 1140
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