Peacocks Approaching the Cross
Atrium, Poreč Cathedral, Croatia
The design is a variant of the image type in which deer approach a fountain or kantharos. In either case the creatures symbolize Christians in general and
catechumens
candidates preparing for baptism
in particular. The peacocks' undeployed tail is usually pictured as here, in a shape like that of the business end of a shoehorn.
The smaller birds above the peacocks represent two different species that I have not yet identified.
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Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.