SHEELA NA GIG
Sheela na gig
It one of the many paradoxes of this country that some of the most obscene sculptures ever made are found in churches. They are often hiding among corbel stones or high up on a bell tower, sometimes only coming to light when an exterior wall is removed. They were not meant to be seen by the laity or even as some have suggested, to be worshipped. These were not made by artists. They are not finely-crafted misericords, designed to amaze and amuse. They are crude and roughly-hewn and designed to shock. I believe they were made by the church builders, the journeymen stonemasons, who having suffered years of prejudice and criticism, could walk away with a big smile.