The dove. At the end of the flood, whose symbolism refers to Baptism, a dove released by Noah Returns with a fresh olive-tree branch in its beak as a sign that the earth was again habitable. 58 When Christ Comes up from the Water of his baptism, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes down upon him and Remains with him. 59 The Spirit comes down and Remains in the purified Hearts of the Baptized. In certain Churches, the Eucharist is reServed in a metal receptacle in the form of a dove (columbarium) suspended above the altar. Christian iconography Traditionally uses a dove to suggest the Spirit.