The Art of Symbolism
Saint Michael the Archangel
Michael's name is a question in Hebrew: Mi-ka-El, "Who is like God?". In Scripture he is the great prince who stands for God's people.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.”
In Scripture
Michael appears in the Book of Daniel as "one of the chief princes" (Daniel 10:13), in the Epistle of Jude as "Michael the archangel" (Jude 1:9), and in Revelation leading the armies of heaven against the dragon.
Defende nos
In 1886 Pope Leo XIII ordered a prayer to Saint Michael said after Low Mass. It begins "Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio" — "Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle". Those words are on our tee.
Raphael painted Michael trampling Satan in 1518, commissioned by Pope Leo X as a gift for King Francis I of France. It hangs in the Louvre.
