Ĭonstantine felt that Licinius was an agent of Satan, and associated him with the serpent described in the Book of Revelation ( 12:9). The iconography of Michael slaying a serpent goes back to the early 4th century, when Emperor Constantine defeated Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople in 324 AD, not far from the Michaelion, a church dedicated to Archangel Michael. He may be standing over a serpent, a dragon, or the defeated figure of Satan, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance. Like other angels, in late-medieval Western art he may have what are known as feather tights, with large feathers over most of his body, as on the Holy Thorn Reliquary. In most depictions Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield, in the style of a Byzantine officer, which is typically found even in Western depictions, though some late-medieval ones have him in contemporary knightly armour.

Statue of Archangel Michael at the University of Bonn, slaying Satan as a dragon. The angel who rescues Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the 'fiery furnace' in the Book of Daniel Chapter 3 is usually regarded in Christian tradition as Michael this is sometimes represented in Early Christian art and Eastern Orthodox icons, but rarely in later art of the Western church. He is very often present in scenes of the Last Judgement, but few other specific scenes, so most images including him are devotional rather than narrative. the stone casket at Notre Dame de Mortain church in France. Some depictions with Gabriel date back to the 8th century, e.g. Archangel Michael may be depicted in Christian art alone or with other angels such as Gabriel or saints.

Saint michael iconography