About Gothic Gargoyles

A gargoyle is an architectural decoration commonly found on the exteriors of large edifices that were constructed during the medieval gothic period. Most gargoyles are not uniform in shape or appearance; their only similarity is their grotesque and outlandish features. Some appear as simple faces carved into the ledges of a building. Others are freestanding, fully-sculpted demonic beasts.

  1. Invented

    • The first known gargoyle was believed to have come into existence around 600 AD. A great fire-breathing dragon named La Gargouille terrorized a small village near the river Seine in what is now known as France. Romanis, a questing Christian knight who was later declared a saint, arrived. He promised to kill the dragon if the people of the village converted to Christianity and built a church. When they assented he confronted the dragon, subdued it with the sign of the cross, and burnt it at the stake. The beast's head and neck were impervious to the flame, and so they were mounted on the newly built church. This is the first record of a gargoyle.

    History of

    • The building of gargoyles in one form or another has existed long before the gothic period. The combination of humanoid and animal characteristics draws heavily from both Egyptian and Sumerian depictions of gods and demons. In fact, the definition of a gargoyle was changed rather late in the structure's history. Prior to the late gothic period, any such structure or face on a building was considered a gargoyle. After that period, only those that contained spouts for rainwater could be called gargoyles. Any other figures were called grotesques. In that sense, gargoyles have existed since the time of the early Greeks. Their edifices had mouthed spouts that were designed to keep rainwater away from the building's foundations. The concept experienced a revival during the construction boom in the U.S. Many grand old buildings constructed in the art-deco style in cities such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia sport gargoyles rimming the ledges. Unfortunately, modern construction methods do not make use of exterior stone or concrete ledges and have no need for these decorative spouts. They are considered too expensive and dangerous. Aging gargoyles eroded by time and rain do occasionally come crashing down, resulting in serious damage to the streets as well as potentially killing people.

    Function

    • The original purpose of the gargoyle is a bit different than what it was later used for. Originally, the presence of a gothic gargoyle on a building such as a church or assembly hall was to ward off demons. How this was done is still debated. Gargoyles may have been used as a way of taunting demons, saying that the invocation of God protected the building from their presence. The other interpretation is that stone and metal gargoyles were used as decoys in an attempt to fool passing demons into thinking that the structure was already infested and corrupt with demonic presences. Therefore, the real demons would have no reason to enter. Modern-day gargoyles built in the late gothic period as well as in the revivalist periods of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries were used as waterspouts. The mouths of the gargoyles were drains that carried rainwater, which collected on roofs down and away from the buildings upon which they were built.

    Significance

    • Gothic gargoyles are significant in that they represent a time when evil spirits, demons and the devil were very much real. God did not have the all-encompassing power and protection that Christianity now suggests. This is likely due to the fact that many of the more obscure parts of the continent had not yet been entirely indoctrinated into the Christian faith, mixing with it much in the way of local superstition and beliefs. It also represents a period of architecture that is now almost entirely extinct. Modern-day architects have lost much of the knowledge needed to build some of the great gothic edifices upon which gargoyles were mounted.

    Geography

    • Gargoyles are mostly relegated to the northeastern portion of the United States, as well as parts of Western and Central Europe. The oldest cities of the Western world are most likely those that feature gargoyles--places such as Prague, Paris, Philadelphia and New York. A few notable gargoyles can be found in Notre Dame in Paris, the library of Princeton University, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and upon many of the oldest crypts and mausoleums on New Orleans. There are many more gargoyles around us than we realize, but most people aren't in the habit of looking up.