The Green Man of Cercles
The Green Man, or “Masques Feuillus,” is often carved into many pre-Reformation churches in Europe, especially in England and France. The Church often embraced pre Christian symbols, festivals and sacred places, and incorporated them into their own.
The Green Man is a personification of Nature, a symbol of fertility and rebirth. In medieval minds, he is a force both benevolent and to be feared.
The Green Knight of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight serves as both monster and mentor to the young Gawain. He belongs to a world which seems antagonistic to but is in the end harmonious with the Christian one.
The Green Man of Cercles is a beautiful example of the integration of Nature into a place of worship.
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