Church of St Mary And Saint David, Kilpeck, Herefordshire 28 April 2014
The right hand figure is a Celtic knot configuration of writhing serpents.
The Church of St Mary & St David dates from 1140, but was built on a much earlier Christian site. It is justly famous for its riot of carved figures, a bizarre mix of Celtic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon and pagan imagery, much of it taken from Bestiaries. Probably the most famous figure is the notorious Sheela na Gig, described more fully in her own entry. The phrase which kept coming into my mind was "mediaeval masons munch magic mushrooms" - it would certainly explain a lot! With some fabulous creatures devouring humans, the works of Hieronymus Bosch spring to mind. The south door is another famous feature, with its intricate carvings. The masons' work is, despite being in soft sandstone, remarkably well preserved and in its original state apart from some of the external figures destroyed by the Victorians since they are said to have depicted "male arousal"; clearly the Sheela na Gig wasn't included. There is too much at Kilpeck to record in detail here; there is a lot of information on the internet, and it is a place well worth visiting.
Church of St Mary And Saint David, Kilpeck, Herefordshire 28 April 2014
The right hand figure is a Celtic knot configuration of writhing serpents.
The Church of St Mary & St David dates from 1140, but was built on a much earlier Christian site. It is justly famous for its riot of carved figures, a bizarre mix of Celtic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon and pagan imagery, much of it taken from Bestiaries. Probably the most famous figure is the notorious Sheela na Gig, described more fully in her own entry. The phrase which kept coming into my mind was "mediaeval masons munch magic mushrooms" - it would certainly explain a lot! With some fabulous creatures devouring humans, the works of Hieronymus Bosch spring to mind. The south door is another famous feature, with its intricate carvings. The masons' work is, despite being in soft sandstone, remarkably well preserved and in its original state apart from some of the external figures destroyed by the Victorians since they are said to have depicted "male arousal"; clearly the Sheela na Gig wasn't included. There is too much at Kilpeck to record in detail here; there is a lot of information on the internet, and it is a place well worth visiting.