The Shamrock

By Kayla Webley Tuesday, Mar. 16, 2010

St. Patrick is credited with taking Christianity to Ireland around A.D. 432. To sell his message, Irish legend says he chose the shamrock as a symbol of the Christian church. Its three leaves were meant to represent the Holy Trinity: God, Son and the Holy Spirit, joined together by a common stalk. Apparently, the shamrock campaign worked: by the time of St. Patrick's death on March 17, 461, he had created a number of churches, schools and monasteries dedicated to the faith.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1972553_1972551,00.html#ixzz0iR3X4aIx