In the year 386 at the Easter Vigil a catechumen from Africa was baptized by the venerable bishop of Milan. The bishop’s name was Ambrose; the catechumen’s name was Augustine. Each would be named a Doctor of the Church; each would be canonized as a saint. The baptism of St. Augustine by St. Ambrose is rendered in the north transept of the church. As a catechumen, Augustine frequently visited with Ambrose and was acquainted with Ambrose’s sacramental theology regarding baptism.
 
Much, but not all, of the imagery found in the baptistry floor mosaic of the church is inspired by Ambrose’s baptismal theology. It is the hope that the imagery found in the mosaic floor will provide a baptismal catechesis for generations to come. It is the hope of this pastor that every person who passes by the mosaic floor would reflect a moment upon one or other figure found there. In doing so they have a glimpse of St. Ambrose’s and St. Augustine’s understanding of baptism and may come to a deeper love and appreciation of their own baptism.

Msgr. Brian A. Mee
Pastor of St. Augustine Parish

One may note on entering the church that the floor mosaic around the baptismal font is framed by an octagon and the font itself is an octagonal shape. When St. Ambrose of Milan built the baptistry at Milan, he followed the common Roman design already found at the Lateran baptistry in Rome and baptistries elsewhere. The baptistry, as well as the font, were octagonal in shape. Ambrose drawing from his everyday reality, recalled that the octagon was the shape of several imperial tombs. Thus, he would refer to the baptismal font as being tomb shaped. He would teach how the one being baptized entered into Christ’s death and burial in the baptismal water and coming up from the waters would rise with Christ to new life. 
 
The number “8” already carried great importance in the Hebrew Scriptures. It was on the eight-string cithara that King David would sing of the triumph of the Lord. Eight was the number of individuals saved on Noah’s ark at the time of the Flood and it was eight days from the time that Noah sent the dove forth until it returned with the olive branch. The early Christians recalled that there were eight beatitudes, but of greatest importance was the “eighth day”. The eight-sided baptistry and font symbolized the eighth day, the day that Christ rose from the tomb. The seven days of the week were considered symbolic of the world’s time, while the day after the seven days, the eighth day, represented the day of the New Creation, the eternal day of everlasting life. Through the octagonal shape of the baptistry and font, two fundamental aspects of baptism are highlighted. In the baptismal waters one dies and is buried with Christ and coming up from the waters one rises with Christ to new life.

The casual visitor to St. Augustine is likely to be surprised, if not startled, when met by this rooster and tortoise upon entering the church. The two figures are pieces of an octagonal marble mosaic that surrounds the baptismal font. The incorporation of the rooster and tortoise in the mosaic is inspired by a 3rd- century mosaic found in the Basilica of Santa Maria in the town of Aquileia, Italy. That ancient mosaic depicts the victory of light over darkness; the light being represented by a rooster and darkness by a tortoise. In the 4th century, St. Ambrose of Milan, perhaps inspired by the ancient mosaic found in Aquileia, asked his congregation who was that rooster that crowed on that first Holy Thursday night, that night in which Peter thrice denied Christ. Not waiting for his rowdy congregation to reply, Ambrose responds to his own inquiry - the true gallus, the gallus mysticus, that calls out in the darkness is none other than Christ. He is the gallus mysticus who calls us out of the darkness of sin into His light and life. It is Christ, the gallus mysticus, who heralds the dawning of that day of the New Creation. The rooster in the mosaic is a representation of Christ and a reminder to us as we enter the church that Christ calls us out of the darkness of our world into His salvific light. The tortoise on hearing the call of the rooster sticks his head out of the darkness of his shell. The tortoise represents each of us being called forth by Christ out of the darkness of our personal doubts and sin.

The font is surrounded by the sun, the moon and the waters flowing from the font. The flowing waters remind us that “this sacrament is also called ‘the washings of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,’ for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one ‘can enter the kingdom of God.’” (CCC 1215)

The sun embracing the font reminds us that, “‘This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding…’. Having received in Baptism the Word, ‘the true light that enlightens every man,’ the person baptized has been ‘enlightened,’ he becomes a ‘son of light,’ indeed, he becomes ‘light’ himself.’” CCC1216)

The moon embracing the font on the opposite side from the sun represents the Church (cf. “The Sun and the Moon” in booklet). The moon positioned at the font reminds that, “Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: ‘For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.’” (CCC1267)

Situated above the rooster and the tortoise is the baptismal font embraced by the sun and the moon. Both images are important in the theological writings of St. Ambrose of Milan. One of Ambrose’s primary images of Christ is that of lumen aeternum, Eternal Light. He is the life-giving sun; the Church is the moon which receives her light from Christ. 

Christ, as the life-giving sun, provides the world with light and heat. Christ has brought these qualities into the world grown dark and cold with sin. Christ enters the world to bring man salvation by overcoming Satan. Yet, this is only accomplished when Christ the sol iustitiae (Sun of Justice) sets by His dying on the cross and rising after three days to shine over the whole world. Christ, as the sun, also enlightens the minds of men to know His divine mysteries.
 
As the moon receives her light from the sun, so the Church, the vera luna (true moon), receives her light from Christ. If there were no sun the moon would be without light, she would be lost in an eternal night. Without Christ, the Church would be lost in the darkness. It is only through Christ that the Church is able to shine in the darkness of this present world. At the baptismal font, Christ and the Church embrace. As the moon bathes the Earth in her dew, the Church bathes the catechumen in the waters of the baptismal font. The Church united to Christ becomes the life-source and spiritual mother of souls. Those souls of the just are the stars shining in the darkness of the world. The moon and the stars, the Church and her “just ones” shine with Christ’s light in the world. The stars provide a dual symbolism. The stars represent the saints, but likewise, the three stars represent the theological virtues: faith, hope and charity. These virtues are to shine in the Church and in every believer’s soul.
 
As we step back, we include the rooster and the tortoise in the scene. The rooster announces the rising of the sun, Christ; the gallus mysticus, announces that through His rising, His life will shine in His Church and her faithful. The tortoise coming forth from its darkness at the song of the rooster sees the moon and the stars. 

As the moon represents the Church, the stars represent those righteous ones that have passed through the baptismal waters and now are shining witnesses of Christ and the saints. Above the rooster and the turtle, there shines three stars - a stellar reminder of the Trinity. The saints are represented by the stars. The three stars also represent the Trinity, whom we invoke as we bless ourselves with holy water from the font. The three stars are also a reminder of the virtues of faith, hope and charity. 

The tree in the left bottom corner of the octagon represents the Tree of Forbidden Fruit found in the Garden of Eden. The tree in the opposite corner represents the Tree of Life found in Paradise. Each contains a fruit. The “forbidden fruit” is traditionally represented as an apple, but here is represented as a pear. The use of the pear is in acknowledgement of our patron saint, Augustine of Hippo.
 
St. Augustine in his Confessions tells a story from his youth. He writes that there was a pear tree close to his family’s vineyard, abundant with fruit. Late one night, Augustine and his friends robbed some of the pears from the tree. They had no reason for doing so, they did not steal the pears because they were hungry and wanted to eat them, rather, they took the pears and fed them to the hogs. According to Augustine, there was no purpose to behave such other than they were forbidden to behave so. For St. Augustine, this represents sin in its starkest form – to do evil just for evil’s sake.
 
In the opposite corner from the Tree of Forbidden Fruit is found the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is mentioned in the Book of Revelation; it is found in the Heavenly City and bears twelve kinds of fruit. The fruit represented on this tree is the pomegranate. The pomegranate fruit represents the Church – as the pomegranate consists of many seeds, through baptism the many become one in the Church.

There is a legend concerning a saint by the name of Expeditus. It is said that when Expeditus had decided to give up his pagan life and be baptized a Christian, the devil appeared to him as a raven. The raven cawed “Cras, cras, cras,” which means in Latin, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.” Thus, the devil tempted Expeditus to put off his conversion for another day, put off accepting Christ. The devil knowing that if he could convince Expeditus to delay his conversion a day it would be all the easier to convince him later to delay yet again. Expeditus, on hearing the crow responded, “Hodie, hodie, hodie,” which is Latin for “Today, today, today.” We are to be expeditious in responding to the Lord. “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:15)

The raven and the dove presented in the floor mosaic with the cascading waters between them recalls the story of the Flood in the Book of Genesis. St. Ambrose uses the story in his baptismal catechesis. He notes that at the flood the raven that represents sin is sent out and does not return. So it is to be for one who goes through the baptismal waters; sin is washed away not to return

The dove represents the Holy Spirit. It was as a dove that the Holy Spirit appeared above Christ at His baptism in the Jordan. In the story of Noah’s Flood it is the dove alone that was not swept away by the storm but returned to the ark bearing an olive branch. The olive branch is a symbol of the peace established through baptism between heaven and earth. The olive branch bears seven leaves, representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit given through Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation. 
 

Below the baptismal font are found two deer drinking from the water that streams from the font. The scene recalls the words of the Psalmist, “Like deer longing for running water, my soul longs for you my God.” (Psalm 42) St. Augustine in his commentary on the psalm, states that this may be understood as the cry of the catechumens as they make haste to receive the graces that flow from the baptismal font.

Augustine, perhaps relying on Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, states that the deer seeks out the serpent, drawing serpents out of their nests and then destroying them. Destroying a serpent, the deer becomes very thirsty and seeks water to quench its thirst. For Augustine, the serpent is a symbol of one’s vices, on overcoming those vices the person longs for the Living Water.

A final observation that Augustine makes regarding deer is how they support one another as they swim through waters to reach their destination. One takes the lead and forms a train; each that follows rests his head on the one that goes before. When the lead deer grows tired, he goes to the rear of the train and rests his head on the one that goes before. Such behavior reminds Augustine how St. Paul instructs the Christian community, “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)