Herefordshire
GRÜNE MÄNNER VON KILPECK 1
Nächste Orte: Hereford

 


KILPECK 1

KILPECK 2

KILPECK 3

Templar Sanctuary
KILPECK
Church of St.Mary and St. David
Oppression & Resistance

 

The famous south doorway

Dragon/Beast Green Man

Dragon and Green Man are two manifestations of the ancient Vegetation Gods

Apart from some bishops no any Christian symbol can be found in Kilpeck church. It must have been the scene of fierce controversies between the new faith and traditional religious convictions

The foliage bearing a granate apple fruit, symbol of fertility and affluence

The tympanum

 

Foliage and fruits as Tree of Life, the ancient symbol of the Cosmic Mother

Pagan images like the Green Man serve various purposes. First of all it proves that these symbols were still very powerful. The church could not prevent the people from carving them. Secondly, the Church used them for its own purposes The former tried to convince people that the presence of Pagan Gods only showed their subservience to the Christian belief

Yes, I was there

Two springers, creatures of the Maternal Sea

Again, it is very unique that Christian symbols are almost entirely absent in Kilpeck's church. It could even mean that the kind of Christianity practised was thoroughly heterodox. The kind of images used seem to prove this. Links with pre-Christian Near Eastern religions support this hypothesis

Man (woman) as part of nature

Two masks in between the medallions. What do they represent?

One mask and two phoenixes....

The apex of the arch to the south doorway. Until now most authors limit themselves to descriptions only, while some try to interpret them according to Christian tradition. Nobody tries to understand these carvings out of their original e.g. pre-Christian context....

.....representing the Lady and Her Beasts, as they can be found in the Middle East (Canaan, Ugarit)

They also - typically - focus on familiar images, rather than looking at the unfamiliar. So, these masks in between are much more intreguing than the dragons and phoenixes....

It is even more amazing. The masks, representing the Cosmic Mother, can be found both westward from the Middle East and Eastward, e.g. in China (via Anatolia) and on Java (via Persia and India). The meaning remained the same. On LINK Java the Mother and Her Sons (Daughters) is called Kala and Makara

It is almost certain that these symbols have been brought to Europe by the Templars. It is an expression of their heretical faith and has nothing to do with orthohodox Christianity. In order to repair the damage pagan images were later "re-interpreted" in the book "The Bestiairy".

My title for the Kilpeck Church "Oppression & Resistence" reflects the intense struggle that must have taken place. The Church clearly has tried to condemn in the fiercest ways the original inspiration. Especially mysogynist terror must have been prominent (see next page with the famous "Sheela"). Still amazing that this church has survived!

Lady (mask in the centre) and Her Beasts (Dragons left and right)

Ditto

The apse of Kilpeck Church, source of great mystery...

Cat-like faces with foliage can be found at several crucial places in Europe. One of the most famous is LINK Eunate Chapel in Navarra, Spain. It is a proven fact that these images of Green Men/Beasts were brought by Templars from the Middle East. They symbolize the Son/Lovers of the Cosmic Mother

Green Men are the guardians of the Mother. Thus it wouldn't be a surprise - admittedly it is speculation - that the original Deity of Kilpeck Church was a Goddess e.g. a Black Madonna. A main reason for the clergy's virulent hatred of femininty...

The name: "Church of St.Mary and St.David" might confirm my thesis. King David was the father of Solomon, the latter being the builder of the Jewish Temple. The Holiest of Holiest was called "Womb of Astarte". David, the father, however, wasn't a woman-friendly king. By creating a shortcut between Mary and David, the clergy might have tried to demonstrate its dominance!

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 © 2000-2010 Copyright Han Marie Stiekema
Last revising: 04/17/12