Sheela na Gigs

Stone carvings of naked women, displayed with exaggerated genitalia, set into the walls of medieval Irish churches and castles. About 100 are known on the island of Ireland, more than anywhere else in Europe. Their purpose has never been settled. Theories range from pagan fertility figures to Christian warnings against female lust. From the 17th century onward many were removed, relocated, or destroyed, with a particular spike in the Victorian era when polite society found them embarrassing. The Kiltinan one was stolen in 1990. It is still missing.