St Clement's Church, Oxford

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul,
firm and secure."
Hebrews 6 v19.

St Clement was the 4th Bishop of Rome. He was martyred in about 100 AD by being thrown into the sea with an anchor tied around his neck. The anchor became his usual emblem in art.

The most famous church dedicated to him in this country is St Clement Danes, whose parish emblem is an anchor. Clement is also patron of the Guild of the Glorious and Undivided Trinity (Trinity House) which looks after lighthouses and lightships.

The anchor was used as a disguised form of the cross in early Christian inscriptions in the catacombs. In Christian symbolism the anchor is a sign of security, steadfastness and hope.