It has 112 gargoyles (rain-diversion devices with a spout) and over 1,000 other grotesques (without a spout). Gargoyle from Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, Scotland. The gargoyles of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral – half man, half beast – preside over Paris, and have done so since the medieval era. They reside atop dizzying heights and are often unnoticed by human eyes but ever watchful of our movements. the 6th largest cathedral in the world and likely to be the last Gothic cathedral ever built. Perhaps the most famous are the gargoyles that decorate the Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Surely if we do not blush for such absurdities, we should at least regret what we have spent on them.” ("Apologia ad Guillelmum abbatem", as part of the 'Library of Latin Texts.’)Įven in the United States, gargoyles were used on more modern buildings as a form of decoration, such as the stainless steel versions used on the Chrysler Building in New York City, at Princeton University, University of Chicago, and Duke University. Here is a quadruped with a serpent's head, there a fish with a quadruped's head, then again an animal half horse, half goat. “What are these fantastic monsters doing in the cloisters before the eyes of the brothers as they read? What is the meaning of these unclean monkeys, these strange savage lions, and monsters? To what purpose are here placed these creatures, half beast, half-man, or these spotted tigers? I see several bodies with one head and several heads with one body. When people think of gargoyles, most envision monsters and dragons and the like, but there are also other intriguing and odd figures. "The Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C has 112 gargoyles (rain-diversion devices with a spout) and over 1,000 other grotesques (without a spout). Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) was famous for speaking out against gargoyles most probably didn't fully understand their role when he wrote: ![]() What's important is, not all grotesques are gargoyles, but all gargoyles are indeed grotesques.Ī French abbot, St. Gargoyles always have drainage conduits, other carved beast depictions have not. ![]() It is often - but incorrectly - applied to other grotesque beasts.
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