IHS
Monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus. It is taken from the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek, which have been latinized to “IHS.” The monogram appears in liturgical art and architecture, especially vestments. Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus was popularized by the Franciscans in the fifteenth century. Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444) displayed the monogram on a tablet at the end of his sermons to encourage devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. See Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, The.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.