Olive plants have long played an important role in Christian symbolism. It was an olive branch that marked the end of the flood in the biblical episode of Noah’s ark, and in Psalms 51:10 the fruit of the olive tree stands as a symbol of the blessings of God in the lives of believers. 

But not many of us may know that a rare white olive tree, also known as Madonna’s olive, has been used to make holy sacramental oil in Southern Italy for centuries.