The Sacred Heart Tattoo Meaning and 105 Tattoos to Warm Your Heart

The sacred heart tattoo meaning is usually associated with Christ's sacrifice for humanity and the repenting of sins to make yourself worthy of this sacrifice.

Not only am I an art history major but I have also travelled to countries where Catholicism is very significant. This fueled my interest to learn more about the various tattoo designs I had to create, including the Sacred Heart.

Here is what you need to know.

What is the Message of the Sacred Heart?

Before you get a sacred heart tattoo, you have to first understand the meaning behind the sacred heart image.

The Sacred Heart is one of the most important religious icons of the Christian faith. The reason that it is so significant to the Christian or Catholic faith is because it is a representation of the mystical and physical heart of Jesus Christ.

The Sacred Heart represents Christ's sacrifice when he gave his life so that his followers' may be forgiven. It is a symbol of his eternal and undying love for humanity.

The heart is meant to be a representation of Jesus Christ and his love. The thorns circling the heart is the crown of thorns that he was forced to wear during his crucifixion. There is often a cross pictured right above the heart.

The flame emerging from the heart or surrounding the heart is meant to symbolize divine love and divine light that is spread out to all. The flaming heart is also sometimes drawn with a sword or lance piercing the heart, once again reminiscent of the crucifixion.

The Roman Catholic Church also refers to the Sacred Heart as the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church added a feast in honor of the Sacred Heart to its calendar. During this celebration, people ponder the divine love of Jesus and repent their sins.

In short, the Sacred Heart tattoo symbolizes Jesus Christ's love for people. It can also be a way to be constantly reminded of the sacrifice that he made.

The Sacred heart should not be confused with the Immaculate Heart. The Immaculate Heart is related to the Virgin Mary, Christ's mother - it depicts the heart of Mary.

The Immaculate Heart is more of a representation of the Virgin Mary's life, including important events. The Immaculate Heart is also a sign of devotion to God.

On the surface, the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart can appear quite similar. So, it is important to understand the difference before going to a tattoo artist.

Sacred Heart Tattoo Designs

Here are the Sacred Heart tattoo designs that you can check out:

Authentic Sacred Heart Tattoos

If you are looking for a Sacred Heart tattoo to depict your faith, it is a best to stick to sacred heart tattoo designs that were originally created by the Catholic Church.

This Sacred Heart tattoo on the forearm is just the right option for you. As you can see, it contains the fundamental elements such as the heart, thorns, cross, and halo of light. It is also a fairly minimalistic design which is a great option if you are looking for something basic.

This is another great example of a Sacred Heart tattoo that represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is a little more flair included here, though. As you can see, the heart has more of a cartoon feel and the light and clouds are more stylized. Still, the imagery is true to the authentic Sacred Heart tattoo designs.

You will find that the authentic or religious designs will almost always be grey sacred heart tattoos. This is to add an air of importance and significance to ink. Also, keep in mind that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the most tragic of all religious events. The grey sacred heart tattoos reflect this.

If you want to add some color to your Sacred heart tattoo, you certainly can. In fact, this tattoo is one of my favorite designs. It is proof that you can honor the original design while still taking a few artistic liberties of your own to create a truly unique work of art.

Bleeding Heart Sacred Heart Tattoos

In some ways, these Sacred Heart tattoo designs are quite similar to that of the authentic tattoo ideas.

However, the bleeding imagery doesn't always appear with all of the original images. Due to this, the bleeding Sacred Heart tattoo is a rather unique piece of ink.

Now, the blood can mean a lot of things. It could be a literal depiction of the wound of Jesus at the site that he was pierced by a blade. It could also be a nod to the fact that the blood of Jesus is meant to wash your sins a way. As the Sacred heart is already symbol for repenting, the blood drops can give it additional meaning.

There are also those who use the blood on their Sacred heart tattoo as an artistic element. This is an especially good fit due to the presence of thorns, blades, and similar imagery.

You may not be looking for anything fancy with your tattoo. In fact, you may be looking for a small sacred heart tattoo. If so, this is a beautiful design. It is small and minimalistic but it still holds a great deal of meaning.

In this Sacred Heart chest tattoo, this tattoo design can be quite religious. Therefore, if you would like to take your ink to the next level, this is one way to do it.

As with the authentic designs, many of the bleeding heart Sacred heart tattoo ideas tend to be done in black and grey. If you want a different approach, check out this Sacred Heart chest tattoo. There is color but they are just muted enough to still offer a somber look at the tattoo.

It should also be noted that Sacred Heart chest tattoos can be more significant than tattoos placed on other parts of the body. This bold placement ensures that the eye is immediately drawn to the spot. This can be a sign of proof of the greatness of your faith.

In the mood for a Sacred Heart neck tattoo instead? Then, this is a design that you might want to consider. It is simple yet eye-catching. In some ways, the placement on the neck can be quite a powerful sign. Not only is the tattoo highly visible, but it is also in a place where it is quite painful to get tattooed. This can echo the pain that Jesus felt, dying on the cross for humanity's sins.

Want a little color but not too much? Then this a piece of ink you should certainly consider. The only bit of color is the red in the blood. However, it is so stark and significant that this tattoo doesn't actually need any more color.

With this Sacred Heart tattoo, the daggers are included in the tattoo design to give it more context. Due to the fact that there are two daggers, this is more of an artistic take on the Sacred Heart tattoo idea.

Of course, in this Sacred heart tattoo, you can enjoy the best of both worlds - artistic and religious in equal parts.

If you would like to add more meaning to your tattoo, here is a great way to do this: add roses to the mix. Roses aren't just for adornment, they also have significance to the Christian faith.

The roses are associated with Mother Mary and with purity in general. It is also associated with the confessional seal. Therefore, the roses could be a symbol of the sins that you reveal and repent to the Lord.

Looking for other Sacred heart tattoo designs based on this concept? Here they are:

Religious Sacred Heart Tattoos

You may be trying to figure out why there is a special category for religious tattoos - after all, isn't a Sacred Heart tattoo more or less religious?

Well, that's true but the following tattoos incorporate other religious and Christian elements into the Sacred Heart tattoo. This includes Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and various other elements.

For instance, did you know that a dove is a sign of salvation? It is sometimes also used to depict the Holy Spirit. It is used to signify that someone has been cleansed of their sins. This is especially meaningful as the Sacred Heart is also a symbol of this.

The three crosses is yet another symbol found in Christianity and that can accompany the Sacred Heart. In some instances, the three crosses represent the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the two men beside him. The three crosses are also used to symbolize the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - the Holy Trinity.

Of course, the following Sacred Heart tattoos are just concepts. You can use them as inspiration for you own Sacred Heart themed tattoo and decide to use elements and imagery from Christianity that have meaning to you.

Therefore, if you want a Jesus tattoo along with your Sacred Heart tattoo, these are the designs you should consider.

Traditional Sacred Heart Tattoos

In case you're wondering what a traditional sacred heart tattoo refers to, the answer is the traditional style of tattooing. This is an old tattoo style that relies on bold lines and colors. It also lends a vintage feel to the Sacred Heart tattoo designs.

I should warn you that the traditional sacred heart tattoo isn't always traditional in terms of how the Sacred Heart image is depicted. In some cases, the tattoo can remain true to the Sacred Heart elements. In other instances, the traditional sacred heart tattoo can deviate from the original design.

In any case, here are the Sacred Heart tattoo designs so that you know what kind of ideas area available:

There is also the neo-traditional style. This is a slightly updated version of the traditional style. So, there is a greater number of color options to choose from.

Artistic Sacred Heart Tattoos

Do you want to throw all the Sacred Heart tattoo rules out of the window? Perhaps you aren't very religious or maybe you just want something different. Well, the good news is that there are plenty of designs for you to choose from.

From romantic to downright zany, the Sacred Heart tattoo can take on many forms when you want to get creative. So, your first order of business is to decide just what kind of vibe you want with your Sacred heart tattoo.

Keep in mind that just because your Sacred Heart tattoo is creative doesn't mean that it can't be meaningful. You can hide a lot of different clues to the meanings within the Sacred heart tattoo to point out its significance.

Best of all, you can get it anywhere - even a creative Sacred Heart hand tattoo looks really cool!

What Goes On a Sacred Heart Tattoo?

Be aware that there can be quite a few variations among Sacred Heart tattoos. However, this is true for traditionally depicted Sacred Heart designs as well.

If you intend to be true to the original imagery, your Sacred Heart tattoo should consist of a heart in the middle. This may be surrounded by thorns or the thorns may be wrapped around the heart.

In some instances, the top of the heart is aflame. In another version, the flames or light may be all around the heart, much like a halo or a burning heart. Sometimes, this may be all there is to it. However, there may also be a lance or sword piercing the heart.

Is Sacred Heart Tattoo Always Religious?

It is only natural to wonder:

Are Sacred Hearts religious?

Well, yes and no. The original Sacred Heart was meant to be religious and the tattoos based on this tattoo design were all religious.

However, as the symbol grew in popularity, people began to become increasingly more artistic with the the Sacred Heart tattoo designs. More people began to adopt the Sacred Heart design without really considering its meaning.

So, no, the Sacred Heart tattoo design isn't always religious. If you would like your tattoo design to seem more religious, pay attention to all the details that make it so.

Otherwise, feel free to be as artistic as you like. In fact, if you like the Sacred Heart tattoo designs but don't want any religious affiliations, you may want to tweak the Sacred Heart design accordingly.

As you can see, the meaning behind the Sacred Heart is quite lovely. If you love the significance of it, there is now only one thing left for you to do. Go ahead and choose the tattoo design that aligns with your religious and artistic preferences!