Castille & León
GREEN MEN OF ASTORGA 1
Nearby places: Ponferrada, Sasamon, Burgos

 


ASTORGA CATHEDRAL
A Miracle

It was simply on my road. Ah, yes, I thought why not and I drove into the city. I have not deplored it. Because what unfolded itself before my eyes was a beautiful facade decorated with fine Green Men.....

 

 

Through my focussing on the Gren Men I totally overlooked a veranda with many female figures. It started with a Tree of Life, a Symbol of the Great Mother. Because the Tree is revered by women, they have to be Goddesses or "Apsara's", female angels....

 

Here the only man....

Again a Symbol of the Cosmic Mother, namely the Cauldron of Abundance, also called Grail....It is protected as can be expected by the Green Man. Mother, Goddess, Grail, Green Man and Parcival, they are all part of a integrated story....

 

A rare image: Green Man between Renaissance and Barock style

The Astorga Cathedral is also special because one can find here three episodes - three transformations of the Green Man - on one facade. Above the "original" gothic figures with leaves in/out of the mouth. Left/right he has still leaves in the mouth, while already belonging to the    Plateresque (Renaissance) style. At last (below) he has degenerated entirely into a sweet Barock little angel.....LINK: Coimbra, Tomar, Estella

Revealing Discovery
Note 10

Ditto

Again a Goddess (Vouivre-art) with on her side a Green Man

GREEN MEN OF ASTORGA 2

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 © 2000-2010 Copyright Han Marie Stiekema
Last revising: 12/31/09