In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the…
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall. [Source]
A grotesque is a sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function. Both gargoyles and grotesques are said to frighten off and protect those it guards from any evil or harmful spirits.
As an architectural sculpture I find gargoyles and grotesques fascinating. Whether ornamental or functional, their symbolism and ability to stir the emotions of those that gaze upon them is intriguing. Below you will find a collection of gargoyles and grotesques around the world. You can find many more examples on Flickr and Wikimedia Commons.
1. Oakland Cemetery – Atlanta, Georgia
Photograph by Kevin Trotman (The Rocketeet on Flickr)
2. San Juan de los Reyes Monastery – Toledo, Spain
Photograph by yoglassberg on Flickr
3. Natural History Museum – London, England
Photograph by Jon Sullivan
4. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France
Photograph by J. M. Molinelli on Flickr
5. Cologne Cathedral – Cologne, Germany
Photograph by Shannon Ross-Albers on Flickr
6. Cathedral of Quito – Quito, Ecuador
Photograph by Delphine Ménard
7. Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain
Photograph by Bernard Gagnon
8. Forbidden City – Beijing, China
Photograph by Robert Kendall on Flickr
9. Mont Saint-Michel – Normandy, France
Photograph by Regina on Flickr
10. Washington National Cathedral – Washington D.C., USA
Photograph by Victoria Pickering on Flickr
11. St. Nicholas Church – Lüneburg, Germany
Photograph by DerHexer on Wikimedia Commons
12. Peace Tower on Parliament Hill – Ottawa, Canada
Photograph by D. Gordon E. Robertson
13. Marble Church, Bodelwyddan – Clwyd, Wales
Photograph by Kev Bailey on Flickr
14. Cologne Cathedral – Cologne, Germany
Photograph by Frank Vincentz
15. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France
Photograph by Krzysztof Mizera
16. Reims Cathedral – Reims, France
Photograph by Ad Meskens
17. University of Washington – Seattle, Washington
Photograph by Allan Armstrong on Flickr
18. University of Sydney – Sydney, Australia
Photograph by David Morgan-Mar (dmmaus on Flickr)
19. Château d’Amboise – Amboise, France
Photograph by Ben Aveling
20. Alcobaça Monastery – Alcobaça, Portugal
Photograph by Júlio Reis
21. Washington National Cathedral – Washington D.C., USA
Photograph by Victoria Pickering on Flickr
22. Princeton University – New Jersey, USA
Photograph by David Goehring
23. Winchester Cathedral – Winchester, England
Photograph by Tony Hisgett
24. Biltmore Estate – North Carolina, USA
Photograph by Angela Wagner on Flickr
25. Nidaros Cathedral – Trondheim, Norway
Photograph by Endre Opsal on Flickr
26. Cathedral of Santa Eulalia – Barcelona, Spain
Photograph by Bernard Gagnon
27. Palma Cathedral – Palam, Mallorca, Spain
Photograph by Singdrossel
28. Magdalen College – Oxford, England
Photograph by Chris Creagh
29. Zagreb Cathedral – Zagreb, Croatia
Photograph by Bizutage
30. Washington National Cathedral – Washington D.C., USA
Photograph by Michael ‘Bodhi’ Rogers on Flickr
31. Hospital de Sant Pau – Barcelona, Spain
Photograph by Selbymay
32. Westminster Abbey – London, England
Photograph by Keith Clark (Train Fan on Flickr)
33. Château d’Amboise – Amboise, France
Photograph by Ben Aveling
34. Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain
Photograph by Bernard Gagnon
35. St Mary’s Cathedral – Edinburgh, Scotland
Photograph by David Ross (davydubbit on Flickr)
36. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France
Photograph by Anthony Gelot (A.G. Photographe)
37. Notre Dame de l’Épine – Marne, France
Photograph by Mattana
38. Plummer Building – Rochester, Minnesota
Photograph by Chad Johnson on Flickr
39. Cheshire, England
Photograph by Gillie (lovestruck on Flickr)
40. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France
Photograph by Roger Wollstadt
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