But the most extraordinary of all is that of a sheela-na-gig.
Sheela-na-gigs are medieval stone figures of a naked woman spreading her legs.
She is shown using her hands to pull open and proudly display her exaggerated genitals.
They are not something you would expect to see in a church.
These figures usually occur in isolation, unattached and freed from any background that could establish their provenance.
Their origin and significance remain a mystery.
A sheela-na-gig at the Church of St Mary and St David at Kilpeck.
Embarrassed clergymen pried them out of church walls.
Archeologists ignored them while museums locked them away out of public eyes.
It was only in the last few decades that academics have turned their interests to these curious carvings.
They might also have been used as protection against evil, and hence their positions over entranceways.
The emphasis was always on the genitalia, which were made disproportionately larger.
These Romanesque female exhibitionist carvings might have given rise to sheela-na-gigs.
The origin of the name, sheela-na-gigs, is also a mystery.
But some scholars have expressed doubt on the connection since very few sheela-na-gigs are shown with breasts.
The Heritage Council of Ireland has identified at least a hundred examples across the island.
There are also about forty-five carvings in Britain.
Sheela-Na-Gig at the Romsey Abbey in Romsey, England.
Photo credit:Jim Champion/Flickr
A Sheela-Na-Gig at Royston cave in Royston, England.
Photo credit:picturetalk321/Flickr
Left: A sheela-na-gig on town wall in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland.
Photo credit:Mairead/FlickrRight: A sheela-na-gig at a museum.
Photo credit:Bart Maguire/Flickr
A Sheela-Na-Gig in Rodel, Scotland.
Photo credit:theilr/Flickr
Sources:Britannica/Wikipedia/Barbara Freitag/Nicola McDonald
