Sillon logos

You can find the most well known logo used by the Sillon in the top left corner of this page.

The most famous of these logos is of course that of Saint Francis at work behind the plough tracing the Furrow – Sillon in French – from which the movement took its name.

Let’s take another larger look at this image which comes from a painting done in Rome around 1883 by the French artist, Théobald Chartran (1949-1907). On show in Paris at the Univeral Exposition in 1889, it made a great impression on the young future sillonnists, then students at Stanislas College.

Here’s the next Sillon logo the sheaf of wheat – very symbolic in Christian imagery and prophetic in terms of the Sillon’s own destiny – recalling the scriptural grain of wheat which must die in order to give life.

And, of course, last but not least the art nouveau style S logo on a floral background where the ivy represents immortality or life everlasting – an often used 19th century symbol. Somehow, there also seems to be a prophetic element here as well. Recall Marc Sangnier’s final exhortation “The mission of the Sillon has not yet been accomplished”.