A short, ornamental staff whose headpiece is decorated with a coat of arms, borne before eminent ecclesiastical, magisterial and academic bodies as a symbol of jurisdiction. Properly, mazza is a club-shaped beaten silver stick carried by mazzieri (mace-beaters), and Swiss Guards, in papal chapels at bishops’ consecrations, and by papal messengers. Mazzi date from at least the 12th century.
(1) A short, richly ornamented staff, often made of silver, the upper part furnished with a knob or other head-piece and decorated with a coat of arms, usually borne before eminent ecclesiastical corporations, magistrates, and academic bodies as a mark and symbol of jurisdiction.(2) More properly, the club-shaped beaten silver stick (mazza) carried by papal mazzieri (mace-bearers), Swiss Guards (vergers), in papal chapels, at the consecration of bishops, and by the cursores apostolici (papal messengers). When in use the mace is carried on the right shoulder, with its head upwards. Formerly cardinals had mace-bearers. Mazzieri, once called servientes armorum, or halberdiers, were the bodyguard of the pope, and mazze (clavae, virgae) date back at least to the twelfth century (virgarii in chapter 40 of the Ordo of Cencius).-----------------------------------The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IXCopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, CensorImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
A mace is a hand weapon with a short handle and a heavy head made of stone or metal.
Before people learned to make strong metal weapons, soldiers used the mace in close combat. They swung it like a hammer to strike an enemy. The heavy head had to be firmly attached to the wooden handle so that it would not fly off or break.
The handle was wider where the soldier held it and became narrower near the head. This shape helped prevent the weapon from slipping. A soldier could carry the mace in one hand or attach it to the wrist with a loop.
The mace was one of the oldest weapons. Ancient symbols for fighting sometimes show a hand holding a mace and a shield. From about 3500 to 2500 BC, the mace was a main weapon in personal combat. It was especially effective before soldiers began wearing helmets.
Even after people stopped using the mace in battle, it remained a symbol of the authority of a king or a god (compare Psalm 2:9).
See also Armor and Weapons.
Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.