The “Sacred Heart of Jesus” is a widely practiced and well-known Catholic devotion, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of “God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind”. The devotion is especially concerned with what the church deems to be the long-suffering love and compassion of the heart of Christ towards humanity.

The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross, and bleeding. Sometimes, the image is shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Christ’s passion, while the flames represent a furnace of ardent love.