![]() ![]() Archeologists ignored them while museums locked them away out of public eyes. Embarrassed clergymen pried them out of church walls. When these bizarre carvings first came to scientific attention some two centuries ago, they were considered too vulgar, lewd, and repulsive for serious study. Their origin and significance remain a mystery.Ī sheela-na-gig at the Church of St Mary and St David at Kilpeck. These figures usually occur in isolation, unattached and freed from any background that could establish their provenance. ![]() But a sizable number of them have also been found in castles, holy wells, bridges, culverts, and pillars. They are not something you would expect to see in a church. What makes these figures so puzzling is the fact that they occur predominantly in medieval religious buildings, such as churches and monastic sites. She is shown using her hands to pull open and proudly display her exaggerated genitals. Sheela-na-gigs are medieval stone figures of a naked woman spreading her legs. ![]() But the most extraordinary of all is that of a sheela-na-gig. The Church of St Mary and St David at Kilpeck in the English county of Herefordshire is famous for its Norman carvings of writhing snakes and mysterious beasts. ![]()
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