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# The goldfinch in depictions of the Holy Family and the legend of the crown of thorns
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/chasto-v-izobrazhenii-sviatogo-semeistva-mladenets-iisus-derzhit-v-rukakh-ptichku-libo-poluchaet-ptichku-iz-ruk-mladentsa-ioanna-krestitelia/
- Published: 2019-09-27T10:22:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T19:05:08.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Faith, Art, Nature

In depictions of the Holy Family, the infant Jesus often holds a little bird, or receives one from the hands of the infant John the Baptist. The bird is a goldfinch, the very one from the legend of Christ's ascent to Golgotha, which alighted on the crown of thorns and pulled out a spine, staining its own face with the blood of Jesus (goldfinches love to feast on thistles and prickly weeds). In paintings of the infant Christ, the goldfinch serves as a sign of the spirit of Christianity and of Jesus's destiny: when grown, he would suffer a martyr's death and atone for the sins of mankind.

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_1836@27-09-2019_13-22-47.jpg)

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_1837@27-09-2019_13-22-47.jpg)