The Christian church became a protective haven for the mostly illiterate people. Romanus knew the legends that the townspeople of Rouen did not know. The oldest gargoyles have been found in present-day Egypt from the Fifth Dynasty, c. The functional and practical waterspout has also been found in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Gargoyles in the shape of dragons are found in China's Forbidden City and imperial tombs from the Ming Dynasty. Waterspouts became more ornate toward the end of the Romanesque architectural period.
The Middle Ages was a time of Christian pilgrimage, often with the pillaging of sacred relics. Sometimes cathedrals were specially built to house and protect sacred bones, such as those of Saint-Lazare d'Autun in France. The mythical Greek chimera became a popular figure stonemasons used as gargoyles. The sculpting of the functional gargoyle became especially popular in the Gothic building boom across Europe, so gargoyles have come to be associated with this architectural era.
French architect Viollet-le-Duc extended this association to Gothic-Revival as he creatively restored the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral with many of the famous gargoyles and "grotesques" seen today. These more modern gargoyles are made of metal and look like heads of American eagles—protrusions that have been called "hood ornaments" by some enthusiasts. By the 20th century, "gargoyle" functionality as waterspouts had evaporated even if the tradition lived on.
Between and , Walt Disney Television Animation produced a well-received cartoon called Gargoyles. The main character, Goliath, says things like "It is the gargoyle way," but don't let him fool you.
Real gargoyles don't come alive after dark. To a certain generation, this series is a remembrance of things past. As the functional waterspout aspect of gargoyles diminished, the creatively monstrous sculpting grew. What is called a gargoyle may also be called a grotesquery , meaning that it is grotesque. These grotesque sculptures can suggest monkeys, devils, dragons, lions, griffins , humans, or any other creature.
Language purists may reserve the word gargoyle only for the objects that serve the practical purpose of directing rainwater from the roof. Because gargoyles are by definition on the exterior of buildings, they are subject to natural elements—especially water.
As slender, sculpted protrusions, their deterioration is imminent. This bored-looking grotesque overlooks the streets of Paris from the Notre Dame Cathedral. A gargoyle is used as a waterspout. They are much more common than gargoyles. A groove is cut along the top of the statue. But the oldest gargoyle is found on a building in Turkey. The ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks also carved gargoyles to use as drain spouts on their buildings. Looking up at a gargoyle on St.
Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. After the s, gargoyles became much less common on buildings. This function, technically speaking, distinguishes gargoyles from other stone beasts like grotesques and bosses, although these days the term encompasses all sorts of decorative creature carvings.
The word gargoyle derives from the French gargouille , meaning "throat. For centuries, according to the story, the dragon swallowed up ships and flooded the town, until around BCE, when a priest named Romanus came along and agreed to vanquish the beast in exchange for the townspeople's conversion to Christianity. Romanus tamed the dragon by making the sign of the cross, then led it into town where it was burned at the stake.
Because most Medieval Europeans were illiterate, the clergy needed visual representations of the horrors of hell to drive people to the sanctuary of the church. Churches would also model gargoyles after the creatures worshipped by pagan tribes, thinking this would make their houses of worship appear more welcoming to them.
It was a bit of clever marketing that worked, according to scholar Darlene Trew Crist. Although the name gargoyle dates back just a few centuries, the practice of crafting decorative, animal-themed drain spouts reaches back several millennia.
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