Photos of the Norman Kilpeck Church Romanesque Sculptures

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Photos of the Beautiful Intriguing Norman Kilpeck Church Romanesque Sculptures. Noman Romanesque Church Sculptures. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.  (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Beautiful Intriguing Norman Kilpeck Church Romanesque Sculptures

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Photos of the Romanesque Norman Sculptures of St Mary and St David (1140 AD), Kilpeck England.

One of the great Norman Romanesque treasures of England is to be seen at Kilpeck church in Herefordshire. Its remote location probably saved its incredibly well preserved Norman Romanesque sculptures from the ravages of the reformation and Puritans.

Kilpeck church is a fine example of a Norman church architecture with a Byzantine style apse at the eastern end of the church.

The incredible sculptures of Kilpeck Church south door and the corbel sculptures that run around the church, are a real treasure.

Our modern eyes have lost the meaning of a lot of medieval iconography of the Kilpeck Church Sculptures. It is often difficult to read medieval religious art because we are not taught the same mythology today.

During the medieval era one of the most popular books was the Bestiary. This was an illustrated compendium of creatures. Animals and birds were illustrated accompanied a description of each creatures attributes. The Bestiary illustrated not only known animals but also creatures that were thought to exist such as the Unicorn and other exotic creatures.

The more fanciful sculptures of Kilpeck Church are based on the creatures from the Bestiary. The meaning of some of the sculptures can be found in Bestiaries but the meaning of other creatures have been lost.

A grotesque corbel known as a Sheela-na-gig at Kilpeck Church depicts a female holding open a huge vulva. It is possibly a moral tale of the temptations of women to be avoided. The Sheela-na-gig is a pagan creature and it is possible many of the creatures at Kilpeck were based in folklore.

The creativity in the Kilpeck Church sculptures is both endearing and mysterious. To the modern viewers the Romanesque art can be enjoyed for its creativity and style if not for its original meanings.

A Free ebook of the Corbels Sculpture of Kilpeck Church can be downloaded from this site. Scroll down to download.