About Gargoyles & Grotesques

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How did gargoyles get their name?

Legend has it a huge dragon once lived in a cave on the banks of the Seine and preyed upon ships and the people of Rouen. In hopes of appeasing "La Gargouille," as the dragon was called, the people of Rouen made a sacrifice to it each year until St. Romanus freed the people by slaying the dragon in the 7th century. The townspeople built a huge fire to destroy the creature's body, but the head and neck failed to burn, as they were accustomed to heat. As a warning to other dragons, the head and neck were mounted on a building, thus giving birth to the custom of gargoyles and grotesques...or so the story goes.

Though the use of gargoyles and grotesques in architecture hit its heyday during the 12th - 14th centuries, the fanciful (and functional) decorations have managed to capture the hearts of many and are viewed with great fascination even today.

The image above is of gargoyles perched on the 13th century chapel of Saint-Chappelle, located in the complex of the Palais de Justice on the Ile de la Cité, Paris. It is copyright Jenie Clark 2006 - all rights reserved.

Gargoyles on the Web

From the historical to the fantastic, and all points in between

Gravely Gorgeous: Cornell University Library's beautiful and extensive site on gargoyles and grotesques.
Gargoyles at Wikipedia: This article is about the statues, not the Disney series.
Historical Base for Gargoyles: Historical information on gargoyles, grotesques and the Green Man.
Gargoyles: More information on the history of gargoyles, including the various creatures they're formed as.
Mark's Gargoyles on Flickr: Mark Williams' photostream is chock full of grotesque, gargoyle-y goodness!

Is it a gargoyle or a grotesque?

What's the difference?

While all gargoyles might be grotesque, all grotesques are not gargoyles. If it serves as a drainpipe and is used to drain water from a building, it's a gargoyle. All other carvings on the outside of a building - no matter how scary they might be - are called grotesques or chimeras.

Notre Dame inhabitant

Myths, Legends & Supersitions

Since the bloody reign of La Gargouille came to its inevitable end, gargoyles have "devolved" into less intimidating creatures, but supersition still holds they keep evil spirits at bay and serve as protection. In fact, gargoyles have served more than a few purposes, among them art, storytelling, and symbolism. But let's take a look at some of the more fanciful beliefs attributed to them:

Gargoyles have been believed to come alive at night, in order to protect the lives of humans entrusted to their care, and returned to their perches before the sun came up.

They served both as a warning to be wary of the evil lurking in the physical world, as well as the evil in men's souls.

Gargoyles on churches were often believed to be evil creatures frozen in stone; when one had labored long enough in the service of God, it earned its release and was then allowed to enter the church and thereby, heaven.

Some people believed gargoyles to be actual sin, made real and captured in stone. Other gargoyles, such as lions or dogs, were believed to be forces for good also captured in stone, ever vigilant and watchful over their human charges.

The chimera above perches on the medieval chapel of Saint-Chappelle, on Ile de la Cité, in Paris. Copyright Jenie Clark 2006 - all rights reserved

New Flickr Pictures

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automatically generated by Flickr

Don't miss this great short film!

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In 2002, four students at the Sup' infograph school for cinema and animation in Nice, France, created Sacrilège, a short film about two blackguards who attempt to steal the holy grail from its place in the chambers beneath Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. From February to June 2002, Nicolas Gasseau, Mathieu Negrel, Alexandre Olivier, and Jerome Platteaux used Maya 4 to produce six very creative and well-executed minutes of computer-generated animation. It's one of my favorite short films, and I guarantee you that once you've seen it, you'll never look at Notre Dame and her gargoyles the same way again.

You can visit Jerome Platteaux's webpage and look at stills from the film and then download it from the link currently at the very top of the page. I heartily recommend that you do!

Top still image copyright Sacrilege 2002

Did You Know?

Gargoyles saved Notre Dame

With a little help from Quasimodo!

Work on the cathedral of Notre Dame began in 1163 and was completed nearly two full centuries later, in 1345. By the 18th century, however, the great church was scorned for its gothic architecture, it's 400 year old stained glass windows smashed and tombs destroyed. Just before the Revolution, many of its gargoyles and sculptures were deemed tasteless and removed, and during the Revolution, all real or perceived traces of wealth, religion, and the monarchy followed. The cathedral fell into disrepair and neglect, and for twenty years was used to house livestock. It wasn't until the publication of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that the cathedral, through Hugo's love of it as represented in Quasimodo's tower and its gargoyles, once again won a place in the hearts of the Parisian people.

Architect Viollet-le-Duc was one of Notre Dame's new fans and spearheaded the restoration effort. It was he who was responsible for carrying out the cathedral's reconstruction. In the next 23 years, he restored the cathedral to its glory and returned the Gallery of Kings to the western facade and gargoyles and grotesques to the parapet and uppermost reaches of the towers, where they once again watch over the city of Paris.

To see these fascinating creatures eye to eye today, one need only climb the steps of the north tower, to the parapet and upper reaches. Stare down monsters and take in Paris from their point of view. It's well-worth the effort.

The gargoyle above peers over a courtyard from the parapet of Notre Dame de Paris, on a north-facing wall. Copyright Jenie Clark 2006 - all rights reserved

Monster Walks

Just print & go!

Walking tours of architecture featuring gargoyles & grotesques in various cities around the globe. (Thanks to Amelia Wilson for the term "Monster Walks.) :)

NYC Monster Walks: Amelia Wilson offers photo-illustrated NYC Monster Walks on her website.
The Gargoyles of Princeton University: A grotesque tour of the campus
The National Cathedral: Washington D.C.
Paul Halsall/Fordham University/Medieval New York Guide: Medieval architecture (including, but not limited to, gargoyles and grotesques) in NYC

Virtual Tours

Medieval France, Italy, England & Gothic New York: Travel back to medieval art, architecture and history.
Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Norwich (Norfolk) UK: From Gargoyle Masks (gallery 7)

Sacre Coeur drainspout

Get Crafty (or Take a Picture)

Make or capture your own gargoyle...or be one

Sculpey Clay Projects - Gargoyles: Marie Redmond's tutorial for making gargoyles out of Sculpey clay
Squidoo Fairy Wings: Make fairy wings, bat wings, dragon wings...this handy Squidoo lens contains directions for making wings as well as information on how to dye them.
Photography: Good tips for photographing gargoyles and other far away objects can be found on this page, dedicated to gargoyles.

Go Goth!

Where are your favorite gargoyles?

Have a gargoyle you love, a favorite building sporting grotesques, a chimera you think needs noticing, a film worth seeing, or a book worth reading? Post it here. Or just drop me a note. :) But no spamvertising, please. All adverts will be summarily deleted.

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Reply

Dragonfly Dragonfly Apr 8, 2009 @ 1:19 am | in reply to CARiNA

Well, thank you! :) I'm glad you like it. :)

[in reply to Christene] Thank you very kindly. :)

Reply

Dragonfly Dragonfly Apr 8, 2009 @ 1:17 am | in reply to Mark Williams

Thanks, Mark! I added your Flickr stream to the links section!

Reply

CARiNA CARiNA Feb 18, 2008 @ 2:34 pm

OMGG;; DiS iS LiKE SOO AMAZZZiNNGG!!!
:)

Reply

Mark Williams Mark Williams Dec 7, 2007 @ 12:14 pm

Go to Flickr.com and look up "Mysunsin" Hundreds of Gargoyles....HUNDREDS!

Reply

Christene Christene May 28, 2007 @ 5:22 pm

Blessed by a SquidAngel

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by Dragonfly

I'm a landscape designer who loves to make jewelry and support my fellow craftsmen. Visit me at Dragonfly Design, or read my blog. (more)

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