Search
The fire represents the heart burning with divine love for the human race, while the thorns represent the sins of humanity causing pain to the heart of the savior.
People sometimes choose to have this design tattooed on the chest to symbolize their strong faith in Jesus Christ as their lord and savior.
They are also seen on other parts of the body, often an arm or the lower leg. Which part of the body the sacred heart tattoo appears on generally does not change the meaning of the tattoo.
Sacred heart tattoos may depict a human heart in a realistic way or use the more symbolic depiction of a heart that’s used in emojis and Valentine’s Day cards.
These designs have been popular in the Roman Catholic church since the 17th century, when a Parisian nun by the name of Margaret Mary Alocoque saw the sacred heart of Jesus in a vision.
When the sacred heart tattoo depicts the heart of Mary of the mother of Jesus, the heart may be surrounded by twelve stars. The stars represent twelve divine promises made by Jesus to the faithful.
The sacred heart of Mary may also be represented as being pierced through with swords, the swords representing the sorrows her son would undergo during his crucifixion and death.
By extension, a tattoo of the pierced heart of Mary may represent a mother who has been through a lot of trials and tribulations with her children.
