Penis Carving on Church at O Leboreiro,Melide etapa 29

[Anniesantiago]

Ok, I've put off asking this for years, but I can't find the answer, so here goes.

WHY is there a penis carving on the outside of the church at O Leboreiro?
It is nestled up near the roof.

I looked for it this year, and I think it may be gone, but it was definitely there up until this year.

Just curios.
Did someone do it as a joke or is there a meaning, like fertility or ???

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It isn't alone.

 

[Anniesantiago]

It isn't alone.
View attachment 8410

Hahah! Yes, I've seen that one and others as well.

 

[Stefania13/14]

Are these signs of fertility perhaps? If there are many along the way it doesn't seem likely to be a joke (IMHO).
Stefania

 

[StuartM]

It isn't alone.
View attachment 8410

There is a church in the Cele valley with a statue very similar outside. From one side it is a knight, from the other an unmistakable phallus.

 

[houstongirl]

Hi, new to site. Will hike this May . I have seen this symbol in Italy in Pompeii. I believe it means the way to the brothel. The way the symbol is positioned will lead you there. Hope this helps. I will be sure to look for these symbols just for fun.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Carvings in Pimbo

 

[bystander]

It's a prediction of the space shuttle!

 

[NoQ]

A lot of pre Christian sites portrayed phallic symbols. When Christianity tamed the savages, some aspects of their religion were kept to appease.

 

[TerryB]

The Roman soldiers left a number of these around Britain - especially along Hadrian's Wall. What is perhaps more interesting is the number of "Sheela-na-gigs" there are on churches in the British Isles. Never seen one in Spain, but then again I have not really been looking. Usually these are found high up on the north side of the chancel or tower. This is the famous one at Kilpeck in Herefordshire.

 

[Tincatinker]

I don't recall being a savage or that my people were ever tamed. Some of the things that were and are done to us are for debate elsewhere than this lovely forum.

Many per-Christian centres of worship contain symbolism related to both the phallus and the vagina, think arches, doorways and tunnels as well as pinnacles and towers, until the mono-theists started suggesting that there was an all-powerful creator the power of the mother to create life was a significant driver of belief and worship. The Christian acquisition of ancient sites of worship was bound to involve acquisition / assumption of some of that symbolism too.

Curiously, though obviously, the use of the phallus has long been associated with the presumption of the male god-head and with the patriarchy of the churches usurpation of the rites and sanctities of the mother goddess. You may enter a church via an arch but you worship beneath a tower or spire.

 

[alexwalker]

I have seen this symbol in Italy in Pompeii. I believe it means the way to the brothel. The way the symbol is positioned will lead you there.

Correct. Also, on the island of Santorini (Greece), in the ruins of Ancient Thira close/on the way up to Mount Elias, there is one, pointing to the (ruins of) the brothel. As is told, the brothels in Pompeii also had paintings of their "special offers" above the door. There is no reason I should know so much about brothels, but i know this...

 

[Houlet]

It was NOT me! And I'd like another 137 offences to be taken into consideration, Your Honour..

 

[t2andreo]

This was hugely fascinating and entertaining. It was also somewhat informational. You guys made my day. I am going to have to pay closer attention to the erotic and profane, instead of just the religious aspects of my forthcoming Camino in April & May this year.

Thanks for your efforts to brighten my day!

 

[scruffy1]

Bourges Cathedral on the Vezelay Chemin possesses another sort of statue in a similar vein-buttocks sticking out of the wall(!)-stone masons and carvers were often a rowdy lot, transient and the work of particular artists may be identified by style in different churches and cathedrals built all along the Camino. They often were required to work tremendous hours for little pay and often used the medium as a poor man's revenge. A rather beautiful site may be found here:
http://www.lightmediation.net/blog/podcast/december/cathedrals.pdf
and yes the Bourge buttocks appear there.
Considering the character of most of the masons the most obvious interpretation of the example from O Leboreiro is not phallic as such nor fertility rather and I am attempting to say this in a manner least offensive, "Up yours". As to the Bourges cathedral, I think it is rather self explanatory.

 

[StuartM]

A lot of pre Christian sites portrayed phallic symbols. When Christianity tamed the savages, some aspects of their religion were kept to appease.

This is very apparent in the pre-romanesque churches round Oviedo. Very beautiful, no saints or Bible scenes, all decorated with nature and animal symbols.

At Naranco there is a bizarre image of a naked man doing a handstand while having his bare arse whipped by another man. The guide said they were acrobats. Whatever the explanation it's the strangest image I've ever seen in a church!

 

[Stefania13/14]

Bourges Cathedral on the Vezelay Chemin possesses another sort of statue in a similar vein-buttocks sticking out of the wall(!)-stone masons and carvers were often a rowdy lot, transient and the work of particular artists may be identified by style in different churches and cathedrals built all along the Camino. They often were required to work tremendous hours for little pay and often used the medium as a poor man's revenge. A rather beautiful site may be found here:
http://www.lightmediation.net/blog/podcast/december/cathedrals.pdf
and yes the Bourge buttocks appear there.
Considering the character of most of the masons the most obvious interpretation of the example from O Leboreiro is not phallic as such nor fertility rather and I am attempting to say this in a manner least offensive, "Up yours". As to the Bourges cathedral, I think it is rather self explanatory.

Thanks Scruffy 1 for the education. Very interesting.
Stefania

 

[Tia Valeria]

....................-stone masons and carvers were often a rowdy lot, transient and the work of particular artists may be identified by style in different churches and cathedrals built all along the Camino. They often were required to work tremendous hours for little pay and often used the medium as a poor man's revenge. ................

A similar thing with wood carvers. Terry took these photos on one of our walks. He called it 'A Carver with Attitude'

 

[scruffy1]

A similar thing with wood carvers. Terry took these photos on one of our walks. He called it 'A Carver with Attitude'
Belgium has its Mannekin Pis in stone Leon has its Angelicae Pis in the choir stall-these people were awful!

 

[daandownunder]

Not a penis, but it is on the cathedral in Santiago... To be seen when taking the (guided) tour to the roof. Some kind of mason's "protest" (I went on the Spanish one, got a lot, but not all of it... Sorry!)

 

[obinjatoo]

I don't recall being a savage or that my people were ever tamed. Some of the things that were and are done to us are for debate elsewhere than this lovely forum.

Many per-Christian centres of worship contain symbolism related to both the phallus and the vagina, think arches, doorways and tunnels as well as pinnacles and towers, until the mono-theists started suggesting that there was an all-powerful creator the power of the mother to create life was a significant driver of belief and worship. The Christian acquisition of ancient sites of worship was bound to involve acquisition / assumption of some of that symbolism too.

Curiously, though obviously, the use of the phallus has long been associated with the presumption of the male god-head and with the patriarchy of the churches usurpation of the rites and sanctities of the mother goddess. You may enter a church via an arch but you worship beneath a tower or spire.

Can anyone truly claim to be descended of the "Original" inhabitants of the island? While it is true, it's one of the last places the ice retreated from and there is evidence of early humans there, any "blood" or genetic material from those original folks has been diluted and or absorbed to almost non-existent has it not? That is not to say of course that some traditions have not been preserved or have resurfaced from time to time. And I certainly would not be one to call anybody a savage... Just a thought...

 

[Anniesantiago]

Correct. Also, on the island of Santorini (Greece), in the ruins of Ancient Thira close/on the way up to Mount Elias, there is one, pointing to the (ruins of) the brothel. As is told, the brothels in Pompeii also had paintings of their "special offers" above the door. There is no reason I should know so much about brothels, but i know this...

If a person is visiting Pompeii, all of the erotic art is at the museum in Naples.
You won't get to see it unless you ask to see the "special room."
How do I know this?
Dont' ask ::laughing::

 

[Tincatinker]

Can anyone truly claim to be descended of the "Original" inhabitants of the island? While it is true, it's one of the last places the ice retreated from and there is evidence of early humans there, any "blood" or genetic material from those original folks has been diluted and or absorbed to almost non-existent has it not?.

"Wise is the man who knows his own father" it is said. Though when the UK television series "Meet the Ancestors" compared DNA recovered from paleolithic remains found in the Cheddar Caves with current modern humans living in the locality they found strong lineage to a local school teacher. Much to the amusement of local school children.

If I wasn't such a primitive I'd try and find a link and post it.

Edit: I thought I would try and find a link, and discovered memory is a tenuous vessel for facts. This from Wikipedia -
In 1996, Bryan Sykes of Oxford University first sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of Cheddar Man, with DNA extracted from one of Cheddar Man's molars. Cheddar Man was determined to have belonged to Haplogroup U5, a branch of mitochondrial Haplogroup U, which has also been found in other Mesolithic human remains.[2] Sykes got DNA from the 9,000-year-old Cheddar Man's tooth and from a 12,000-year-old Cheddar tooth from the same cave.[3]

Bryan Sykes's research into Cheddar Man was filmed as he performed it in 1997. As a means of connecting Cheddar Man to the living residents of Cheddar village, he compared mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) taken from 20 living residents of the village to that extracted from Cheddar Man’s molar. It produced two exact matches and one match with a single mutation: schoolteacher Adrian Targett. Other members of the Targett family still live in the same area of Britain, 9,000 years later.[4] The two exact matches were schoolchildren, and their names were not released. They, like anyone else carrying haplogroup U5 today, share an ancestor with Cheddar Man of many thousands of years ago through his maternal line.[5][6]

 

[scruffy1]

The church at O Leboreiro is of gothic architecture with some Romanesque. A good example of Romanesque architecture apart from being painted in bright colors on the outside ( unfortunately all the paint has been removed from them ove the years ) is precisely the use of erotic details as the mentioned penis. They were used as a sex education class at the time ( the church has changed a lot since then).

Along the Camino peregrinos will come across quite a number of Romanesque churches with similar details. Could be a good thread with photos of the different churches .

Ondo Ibili

Very true!!! San Isodoro in Leon is a marvelous example-one must take the tour in order to fully comprehend the magnificence!

 

[grayland]

I thought they found cheese in the cheddar caves????