In which Christian churches can you see crocodiles? Living and dead! (6 photos)

Imagine walking into a church and there is a crocodile there. Do you think this is the beginning of a joke or news from the Onion? No, this is reality: stuffed reptiles appeared in religious buildings in Europe back in the Middle Ages.





Seville Cathedral



The crocodile appeared in the Seville Cathedral back in the 13th century, when King Alfonso X ruled Castile and Leon. Once he received a whole bunch of exotic gifts from the Egyptian emir: among them were a giant live crocodile and an elephant.

The elephant, unfortunately, died on the way, but one of two things happened to the crocodile: the first legend says that the animal lived for a long time and adopted Christianity, and the second - that the crocodile could not stand the new situation and died. In any case, the reptile's skin was stretched over a wooden figure and left to dangle under the roof of the cathedral.

Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy





Several more dead crocodiles can be found in Italy. One of them hangs under the roof of the Church of the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, Curtatone. The stuffed beast has been here for 500 years, reminding parishioners how close the forces of evil are.

Chapel of the Virgin Mary in Macerata



Another crocodile was hung from the wall of the Chapel of the Virgin Mary in Macerata. The death of the beast dates back to the end of the 16th century, and its appearance is explained by two reasons. A more realistic one is that the crocodile was brought by the crusaders returning from distant lands; the second, romanticized, says that the animal itself came to the city in 1589. According to it, the crocodile devoured livestock until one brave man pierced its belly with a fork.

Church of Saint Mary in Ponte Nossa



Another ancient crocodile is preserved in the Church of St. Mary in Ponte Nossa. The first known record of him dates back to 1594: in it the vicar general calls for the removal of the crocodile skin from the church. As you might guess, they are still in no hurry to carry out the clergyman’s order.

Church of St. Spyridon in Oranienbaum



But there are also live crocodiles in churches, and they are located much closer - 40 kilometers from St. Petersburg. The animals were sheltered by priest Oleg Emelianenko, rector of the Church of St. Spyridon in Oranienbaum.

Oleg created a whole zoo at the temple: not only three Nile crocodiles live here, but also a raccoon, turtles, rabbits and roosters.