Guardians of the night, or maybe guardians against evil, these mis-shapen and fantastic figures that are carved in stone adorn buildings and cathedrals all over the world. Although some of the most interesting ones are on the medieval cathedrals of France, gargoyles have adorned buildings since the time of Ancient Egypt and Greece.

True gargoyles serve an architectural function besides being decorative or a storytelling device. A true gargoyle is a waterspout, used to drain rainwater off of the roof of a building. In fact the word gargoyle comes from the word gargouille which means throat. And when it rains, you can see the water flow through, and out of, the mouth of the curious creature – a bit reminiscent of an exorcism in stone.

Common thought is that this society of creatures guard the buildings which they adorn, making them safe for entry. It is also quite possible that because of their guardianship, they aided in making the transition between Pagan beliefs and Christianity. There is no doubt that the stone carvers who created these beings did so with a great sense of humor, whimsy and creativity, and as with most sculpture on gothic cathedrals, the gargoyles and chimera were originally painted in bright colors.

Other creatures that are not gargoyles, but also decorate medieval buildings are known as grotesques and chimeras. Grotesques are creatures or human figures with distorted, or grotesque, features. Chimeras are creatures that are a mashup of two or more creatures in one body, or a creature such as a griffin. It is possible (and still speculative) that the idea of a chimera came from the discovery of fossilized bones of a Protoceratops. Probably the most famous chimera sit along the top of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.

Similar posts that you might like:

• >> Abbaye de Royaumont Snapshots from the beautiful 13th century abbey.
• >> Edith Piaf The most beloved chanteuse of France …
• >> A Short History of Saint-Denis A little history of this most famous cathedral …
• >> Beauvais A visit to a cathedral that is held together with scaffolding and rebar …
• >> Saint-Denis Basilica My first stop in Paris is always Saint-Denis …