Castus castor (the chaste beaver): some reflections on the iconography of the southern portal of Santa María de Uncastillo
Doron Bauer
The Romanesque church of Santa María de Uncastillo (Aragon) presents us with a rich and elaborate sculptural program. Particularly intriguing is the imagery southern portal’s archivolts. Avoiding repetition, each voussoir carved unique depiction. Animals, hybrids, fantastic creatures are dispersed among humans engaged in various activities. apparent iconographic incoherence has led scholars to dismiss archivolts’ as mere drollery, or alternatively, view it collective image community. None previous interpretations explained relation sacred substrate on which resides – wall. In this article, I propose new reading prominent portion imagery, namely, central vertical axis argue that four voussoirs aligned along generate reference castration. Castration High Middle Ages was double‐sided cultural phenomenon. On one hand, castration common institutionalized social practice, especially twelfth‐century Aragon. other, its outcome served an important religious metaphor for chastity.
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies