By Luke Luedy

It’s everywhere.

It’s on old, classical paintings. It represents the French nobility. It’s the logo of a National Football League team, the New Orleans Saints.

One can even spot it on the logo of our very university.

It’s the fleur-de-lis, a symbol depicting a lily flower with three leaves. Throughout history, the fleur-de-lis has appeared in countless different locations. From royal lineages to football teams, and everything in between, this symbol subtly conceals itself in our lives.

But what are the origins of the fleur-de-lis? Does it have a connection to Catholicism? And why does La Roche University use it in its logo?

Here’s a brief rundown on what the fleur-de-lis exactly is.

Roots of the fleur-de-lis

The origins of the fleur-de-lis as a common symbol dates back centuries ago, to France in thesixth century, roughly around 509 A.D. France was not even France yet, as it was a handful of tribal states.

Clovis I, the first official king of France, unified these states into one nation after a series of battles with warring factions. Clovis would ultimately create the symbol of the fleur-de-lis based on the experiences he went through in battle.

However, historians know relatively little of the symbol’s actual origins. Recorded history in the sixth century was sparse. According to Perfectly Provence, a website specializing in Southern French travel and culture, there are multiple accounts of Clovis’ relation to the symbol.

The article states that Clovis may have used a blue shield adorned with yellow lilies in battle and was victorious because of it.

Alternatively, a similar account details Clovis and his troops besieged in deep marshlands, ripe for an enemy attack. The article explains that Clovis spotted an area of shallow water, with yellow lilies floating on top. After Clovis moved his soldiers to shallower grounds, the early French army was able to survive. Clovis then held a deep fascination with the flower.

Regardless of what story is actually true, Clovis’ experience with the fleur-de-lis greatly changed him. It convinced him to denounce his pagan religion and convert to Christianity. And after becoming the first king of the now united Frane, Clovis would make the fleur-de-lis part of the French coat of arms. This would explain why the symbol is so commonly associated with French nobility and royalty.

Budding Catholicism

Clovis’ conversion to Christianity also marked a turning point in France. Pagan religions were going on the decline, as Christianity was becoming more widespread in Europe.

The Catholic church also was steadily gaining influence over the centuries. With Clovis I gradually converting the general French populace to Christianity, the church gained power. As such, the power of the Catholic church and the French nobility went hand in hand.

Many people saw the fleur-de-lis as a Catholic symbol as well as a monarchial one. The three leaves of the flower are said to represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Religious individuals commonly associate the symbol with the Virgin Mary.

Symbol of La Roche

And with La Roche University being Catholic, why exactly did its founders chose the fleur-de-lis as the school’s logo?

The ubiquitous symbol, as stated before, has multiple interpretations. La Roche University could be representative of many of these.

An author, who identifies herself as Seti, wrote an article on the fleur-de-lis for a spiritual website called ShunSpirit. She said that the fleur-de-lis could represent truth. Purity, growth, and unity were other common traits.

Clearly, there could be a plethora of reasons why the founders of La Roche chose the fleur-de-lis as its logo. The unity could represent the school’s international outreach. The growth could represent a student’s accumulation of knowledge. The truth could represent the university’s educational aspect.

Regardless, the fleur-de-lis means many things, and so too does La Roche. Our university means many different things to many different people, yet we are still bound together as a single community.

Though our roots may be different, we’re all still part of the same flower.