Giclée Print - St. Bernardine of Siena by J. Lonneman

St. Bernadine, the greatest preacher of his time, is especially known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. The Franciscan priest traveled throughout Italy on foot, spreading this devotion and promoting peace. He persuaded cities to remove their warring factions’ insignia from church and palace walls and replace them with a symbol he devised: the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, IHS, on a blazing sun. While preaching, he would hold a plaque in front of him with this monogram on it, and afterwards expose it for veneration.