Randazzo Vecchio

The Randazzo Vecchio statue in Sicily bears a number of similarities to the Mithraic lion-headed god Aion, particularly in the common motifs of the serpent and the lion that accompany both figures. Moreover, the remains of the original Randazzo Vecchio, still embedded in the northern wall of the Church of San Nicola, show that the statue once wore a Phrygian cap, similar to that of Mithras himself. These parallels suggest a possible cultural or religious link, or at least a common iconographic influence. Although the present statue, a later 18th-century copy, has been modified to include an…