A mystery carving in a Sussex church which could depict chastity
The carving is to the left of the altar in the medieval church, close to another believed to represent Lewinna, the only female saint from Sussex.Mr Gordon said: "I was showing a group around and a woman said to me 'that's not a dog, it's a beaver biting its testicles off'."She explained to me that in Christian art a beaver represents self-sacrifice and chastity."He added: "In medieval times people used to catch the beaver for the medicine that was inside its testicles."People believed that if a beaver thought it was going to get caught it would bite its testicles off to escape."I think that's a far better explanation of this creature than Saint Lewinna's dog."I have found plenty of references in medieval manuscripts which show beavers in exactly the same style as the one depicted at Alfriston."
In 2024, Mr Gordon persuaded one of the top beaver experts in the country, Derek Gow, to visit the church."He looked at the figure and confirmed it was in fact a beaver and not a dog."The medieval church draws in tourists from all over the world. Mr Gordon believes it is important that people know the truth about its contents. "People coming into the church should be informed about what it is they are seeing."Dogs may be a faithful companion to people, but in Christian art it's the beaver which represents Christian values."
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