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  • 2021-08-03 (xsd:date)
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  • Does All Saints Church in Hereford, England, Really Have This Crude Figure? (en)
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  • In August 2021, a photograph supposedly showing an 800-year-old relief sculpture of a man exposing himself on the ceiling of a church in England was circulated on social media. The following image features, well, a man exposing himself. (This image may not be suitable for all viewers.) This is a genuine photograph of a relief sculpture at the All Saints Church in Hereford, England. We've found several additional photographs of this crude sculpture. While we can't say with absolute certainty when this was carved, it was likely created when this church was built in the 1300s. Britain Express reports that construction on All Saints Church in Hereford started around 1200 AD. The original building was damaged, most likely from an earthquake, and had to be rebuilt. It was completed circa 1330 (which is about 700 years ago, not 800): While the church has been renovated since then, it appears that this was one of the original carvings from the 13th century. RRA Architects was responsible for the renovations in the 1990s. The company writes on their website that the focus was on repairing substantial fabric decay. During this renovation, RRA Architects also added a second level to serve as a seating area for a newly installed coffee shop. (The church still holds regular services but visitors can also eat at cafe): RRA Architects writes: While this relief sculpture may have been difficult to see when the church was first constructed, the addition of a second level gave customers a better look at the spandrel — the sometimes ornamented space between the right or left exterior curve of an arch and an enclosing right angle, according to Merriam-Webster — where this flashing bishop resides. You can get a look of exactly where this sculpture can be seen on Pugin-tiles.com, a website dedicated to the work of English architect A.W.N. Pugin. We investigated a similar rumor that supposedly showed an astronaut carved on the walls of a church in Spain that was constructed in the 12th century. In that case, however, we found that the carving had been actually added to the church during renovations in the 1990s. That doesn't appear to be the case here. (en)
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