|
Iain
I believe that St Patrick was at
Lerins monastery, an isle off
Southern France, before he went to
Ireland. He would have
been influenced by eastern thought
there. Probably, too
there was an artistic influence from
Persia and the East
on the early celtic (Irish) designs.
But I do not believe that the Lion
as a symbol or artistic design is
used often in the early
Irish illuminated books. One
would think that such a potent symbol
in the flowering of the Celtic Church
in Ireland would have been
more conspicuous.
The first English use of the Lion
could be by the Norman Plantagenet,
Geoffery of Anjou, who definately
used the animal on his shield.
Mark
Anderson
|