Ruth: “If God exists; there is only one,” said a local fellow who volunteered to show us all the heretical sculptures in the Troia Cathedral.
When someone just begins to act as an unsolicited guide I am generally wary, but in this case we were delighted by our tour of this exceptional Church. The jewels of this beautiful 11th century Cathedral go well beyond simple Christian heresy. This is a church for all: not just Christians, but for Jews and Moslems. Imagine such a wonderful and inclusive concept and then ponder on the fact that this came to be in the Middle Ages. Christians, Jews and Muslims all contributed to the cost of the construction of this church and their support is reflected in the carvings that adorn it. Stars of David sit beside the symbols of the Koran and Jesus. There are even Sufi carvings included in the mix. What is even more baffling is that somehow the more recent Catholics of Troia did not seek to “cleanse” their cathedral of all it’s heretical iconography. As well, they have not hit this Romanesque jewel with baroque renovations.