Is this a talisman to ward off the ‘evil eye’ or is it the Freemason symbol that reminds us that God sees all? Is there a connection between the two? I can’t wait to read Veronica Di Grigoli’s latest book, How to Protect Yourself against the Evil Eye, to find out.
I spotted the eye perched above the altar in the Church of Saint Chiara in Noto, Sicily. As it is enclosed by a triangle and surrounded by rays of light, I guess it is most likely to be the Masonic ‘all-seeing’ eye.
But perhaps there is also a practical meaning?
For example, it may be warning visitors to watch their step in case they try to exit via the original main entrance to the church. Doing so has involved a perilous drop since the street level was lowered by around two metres.
As you dust yourself off and look back in anger and embarrassment towards the church, you would no doubt be able to see the top of the apse and a gloating image saying ‘Eye told you so’.
This is my fourth post in a Five Photos/Five Stories blog challenge that reached me courtesy of Sandy at Hoarder Comes Clean. The rules are: “Post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph and each day nominate another blogger for the challenge.”
Today’s nomination is Veronica of Sicilian Housewife fame who writes all sorts of interesting blog posts and books. In addition to books about the evil eye, she has just published ‘The Dangerously Truthful Diary of a Sicilian Housewife’.
Tomorrow’s photo: Superficial.
Photos: Pip Marks (2015)
Categories: Travel
Sustainability soapbox 
Do let us know when you find out, Pip!
Will do – unless Veronica tells us first…
Did you see the response from Veronica (who knows all)?
The plot thickens, because the short answer is that nobody really knows!
In Ancient Egypt they used the eye of Horus symbol to ward off the evil eye. the Egyptians considered the sun to be the eye of the sky god Horus looking down at us all and his light drove away evil and the evil eye… so setting it in a pyramid in later cultures could refer to this Egyptian origin.
The eye in a pyramid was used by the Illuminati in the 16th and 17th century, a secret society founded in germany which eventually spread over Europe and America. Nobody knows what they were really up to, but they were Christians who helped each other out and it is generalyl thought they were like the Freemasons. They had a lot of money and power between them and they funded the building of lots of churches – where you see this symbol, you can be sure they put their money.
Some people think they used the eye to symbolise enlightenment and the discovery of truth, but some think they used it in the ancient sense, to ward off evil. I think you can use a symbol to mean more than one thing at once, so my vote goes with both!