Near the crossing of the Nave, we noticed a red ceiling. In the center of the ceiling, four peculiar faces stared down at us. Through our travels, we’ve come across these demon-esk faces before.
Known as the “Green Man” because of the greenery surrounding the face, you’ll find these creepy fellas in many churches built in the Middle Ages in Europe.
No one is quite sure where they originated, nor what they mean, but there’s evidence of them going back to the first century AD.
Speculation is they are a Pagan symbol, as Pagans once worshiped trees. Others believe they represent the seasons, symbolizing birth, death, and rebirth. Both sound like logical explanations to us. We’ve seen many pagan symbols in churches across Europe. However, we’ve also seen lots of these Green Men surrounded in spring flowers while others had autumn leaves.