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Mermaids (fr: Sirène; it: Serena)
FRANCE - SPAIN - ITALY - BRITAIN
Paradoxplace Pages about Medieval Christian Church Architecture, Art and History
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MERMAIDS IN FRANCE
St-Pierre de la Bouïsse, St-Côme-d'Olt (Lot (Olt) Valley)
Photo © Holly Hayes, Sacred Destinations
A mermaid helps with the fishing - priory church of Notre Dame de Cunault, in western Loire country between Angers and Saumur.
Link to another photo of the mermaid capital at Cunault - the photo is one of a large collection put together by Julianna Lees' on her Picasa Web photo pages - she also has a site devoted to green men
Basilique St-Julien-de-Brioude
Postcard Photo
A Siren Capital rescued by Viollet-le-Duc during 1800s restorations and now in the rarely open museum at Vézelay
Notre Dame de Villefranche-de-Rouergue - one of a rare set of in-situ misericords in France.
IN SPAIN
Puerta de las Platerias - Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
In the archivolts in the Puerta de las Platerias there is a a sad little fish carrying mermaid who seems to have been arrowed by the dashing Sagittarius on the opposite side of the archivolts.
IN ITALY
Photo © Robert Veel - Academy Travel
An eagle holding a two bodied something, a mermaid (topped by a greenish man) and spectators - S Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, Pavia. Fascinating to know who the spectator heads were modelled on - the only other sculptured representation like this we have seen is in Monte Sant'Angelo in Puglia.
A paradox expedition to the Romanesque Po Valley churches grows more likely by the photo !
Photo © Julianna Lees
A sister mermaid and landman on a door capital in S Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, Pavia
Photo © Robert Veel - Academy Travel
A mermaids capital in Santa Croce, Parma - in the centre the Luxuria serpents are moving in
Photo © Holly Hayes, Sacred Destinations
Byzantine floor mosaic (c500), Cattedrale di Pesaro (le Marche)
A pair of mermaids doing a bit of head butting in San Quirico Val d'Orcia
Large floor mosaic (c1150), Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunciata, Otranto (Puglia)
Whilst bicaudalism is all the go in Italy, this is the only one we have ever seen with a modestly crossed tail - she's over 800 years old and you'll find her in Trani Cathedral.
IN BRITAIN
Mermen guard the corners of the font of the Church of Saint George, Anstey (Hertfordshire)
A weathered little mermaid from the tympanum of the richly decorated South Door of the church of Saint Nicholas, Barfreston (Kent).
This 560 year old mermaid holds a mirror in her right hand, and would earlier have been holding a comb in her left (like her French sister higher up in the page).
St Laurence, Ludlow (Shropshire) - Misericord 1430 - 1450
This mermaid in a roof boss in Sherborne Abbey has hung on to her mirror, comb and nipples (the advantages of being well well out of reach).
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