Gargoyles have been known in architecture since ancient Egypt. This is a word that can immediately arouse the reader's indignation: “GARGOYLES!!! How to read if the whole article begins with an error and builds on it?
Therefore, to begin with, let's say that while the spelling of this word in Russian is not standardized by dictionaries. So, who will say how to write gargoyle or gargoyle correctly? Maybe the French “gArgouille” will hint, which today in Russian means “drainpipe”? But once upon a time this word meant “throat” with the root “gor”. And there are other spellings, for example, gargoyle (gargoyle).
Therefore, we will not argue, and the article is not about the right way, gargoyle or gargoyle, but about the role and significance of these grotesque figures in the architecture of mankind.
Are gargoyles decorative or functional?
In architecture, a gargoyle is designed to drain rainwater from the roof and away from the wall of a building. This element performs an important function: it protects the masonry from destruction by rain flows.
The term is used most often in connection with medieval Gothic buildings. But history has preserved examples of the use of these elements in the architecture of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Etruscans ... The worldview of people endows this element in architecture with magical properties and, at the same time, a decorative load.
The history of the use of gargoyles in architecture
Gargoyles in medieval architecture
The construction of the great churches took several centuries. Due to the fact that they were made from cheaper material, the gargoyles quickly wore out and were replaced with new ones. This fact makes it impossible to establish the time of the appearance of the first gargoyles.
Gargoyle in the form of a winged hippopotamus on the temple of Notre Dame in Laon, France
The Neo-Gothic ideologist of the 19th century, the founder of architectural restoration, the French architect Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc says that the very first medieval gargoyles appear on the cathedral of the city of Laon (Laon, France) around 1200–1220. ()
The forms of medieval gargoyles have changed over the years. Growing in length, some of the later examples reach one meter. At the end of the 13th century, the figures became more complex. From the 14th century they became very detailed and often caricatured. The 15th century produced even funnier and less demonic images.
Chimera Wyvern on the building of Notre Dame Cathedral. Flickr photo Why were Christian cathedrals decorated with gargoyles?
During the heyday of the Gothic, the influence of the Catholic Church in Europe grew due to the ignorance and superstition of the people. Most of the people were illiterate. The church used amazing visuals such as gargoyles, stained glass windows, and sculptures to illustrate the scriptures.
There is an opinion that they remind: “even if God is near, evil never sleeps” or about the need to protect your church.
Gargoyles at Notre Dame Cathedral Some believe that the image of gargoyles came directly from the Bible (St. George and the dragon). Someone notes the adaptation of pagan images to the Christian faith for conversion to Catholicism.
Others are of the opinion that gargoyles and grotesques are inspired by the skeletal remains of prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs and giant reptiles. Psychologists will argue that terrible forms are the expression of a person's subconscious fears.
Gargoyle in Epin (France). Pious character, Public domain, LinkWhile most priests accepted gargoyles as decorations for religious buildings, there were opponents of such decor. For example, Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), abbot of a Cistercian monastery, wrote:
“What are these fantastic monsters doing in monasteries in front of the reading brethren? What is the meaning of these impure monkeys, strange wild lions and monsters? For what purpose are these creatures here, half-beasts, half-humans? I see several bodies with one head and several heads with one body. Here is a quadruped with the head of a snake, there is a fish with the head of a quadruped, then again an animal, half horse, half goat ... If we do not blush for such absurdities, then we should at least regret that we spent energy on them.
Gargoyle as part of the drainage system of a large cathedral. From the book of E.-E. Viollet-le-Duc, Explanatory Dictionary of French Architecture of the 11th-16th Centuries, Ser. 19th century Public domain, LinkGargoyles were used until the early 18th century. Since that time, more and more buildings have been made with drainpipes. In 1724, the London Building Act, passed by the British Parliament, made the use of drain pipes mandatory for all new buildings in the country.
Houses with gargoyles today
Gargoyles are still installed today, but today they serve not sacred, but purely decorative purposes and are found on university and secular buildings.
Although the grotesques on modern structures are not designed to drain water, and thus are not technically gargoyles, most people refer to them as such.
Decorative gargoyles Chrysler Building, New York Grotesques were used as decoration on 19th and early 20th century buildings in cities such as New York City (such as the stainless steel gargoyles of the Chrysler Building), Minneapolis, and Chicago. Gargoyles can be found on many modern churches and others, or.
In Russian cities, too, there are grotesque decorations on houses that resemble gargoyles.
Moscow house with grotesque (gargoyles) in Art Nouveau style. For example, a house with gargoyles in Moscow on Sretensky Boulevard by architect Nikolai Proskurnin (1899 - 1902).
Or a sample - a house with a gargoyle in St. Petersburg at the intersection of Vosstaniya and Zhukovsky streets (architects brothers Vasily and Georgy Kosyakov).
Grotesque (gargoyle) in the form of an owl on Badaev's tenement house in St. Petersburg Now the task of gargoyles is to entertain. And this theme is widely exploited by the creators of computer games, cartoons and horror films.
What is a gargoyle anyway?
A gargoyle is a grotesquely carved face or figure of a person or animal that protrudes from a building's gutter to drain rainwater. Today they are used as decoration. In fact, this is NOT a gorgoyle.
If the installed sculpture does not perform the function of a spillway, but is installed as an artistic decoration, then its correct name is a chimera or a grotesque. There are also regional variations such as punk.
By the way, gargoyles are often used to decorate fountains.
Gargoyles in fountain architecture Gargoyles: the mythology of France
The French legend of the Gargoyle, a fire-breathing dragon with bat-like wings and a long neck, explains the appearance of gargoyles on Christian churches.
Saint Roman (fr. Romain), former chancellor of the Merovingian King Cloter II ( Chlothar) (631 - 641 AD), saves the people of Rouen from a monster named Gargui or Goji.
They say that the monster lived nearby in a cave and terrorized the locals: either it would swallow the ships sailing along the Seine, or it would start a flood or a fire. Every year, human sacrifices, girls or convicts were to be brought to him. Saint Roman, by crucifixion and prayer, tamed this creature, deprived him of his will when he lured him out of the cave for bait - a volunteer sentenced to death. The body of the dragon was burned at the stake, but the head and throat were not burned: after all, the dragon was fire-breathing. They were nailed to the wall of the newly built church as a warning to the rest of the dragons. And Roman was made a bishop. Since then, each archbishop of this land has the right to release one prisoner on the day of the saint. And dragons do not settle in these lands.
It was a time when the royal power was looking for the support of the clergy in order to satisfy their political ambitions, to conquer new lands.
Now you know how gargoyles in architecture reflected the worldview of peoples, their features and purpose in different time periods.
Video of gargoyle and chimera of Notre Dame Cathedral or Notre Dame de Paris
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Gargoyles are very disgusting, scary and vile creatures.
If you are careful, you can see them in many places hanging over our heads.
1. A gargoyle is a grotesque figure carved from stone, which was created to drain water from the roofs and side facades of large buildings.
2. Usually we associate them with medieval times (thanks to one well-known hunchback), but they appeared much earlier. These are not just scary statues. Many gargoyles are shaped like certain animals, and this is no coincidence.
3. Lev.
The lion and the lioness were favorite images of the creators of gargoyles. For example, at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland there is such a cute lioness, grinning at passers-by below. The lion was one of the most popular non-European animals used in medieval churches and cathedrals. Later they became popular in the form of gargoyles (there are a lot of them in Pompeii), and they symbolized the sun - their golden mane represented the solar crown of our life.
4. However, in the Middle Ages, the builders of cathedrals used the lion as a symbol of pride, which, of course, was one of the seven deadly sins, and therefore it was worth avoiding. This lion, for example, looks quite proud. It is located at one of the colleges in France. In addition to lions, other types of cats were practically not used in the creation of gargoyles. Cats were a symbol of witchcraft, so they were avoided.
5. Dog. This gargoyle is located on the tower of Philip IV the Handsome in the palace in Dijon, again, in France.
Dogs have always been very popular, and they are rarely looked upon only as pets. They guarded houses at night, so they were considered smart and devoted. On the one hand, it can be assumed that, as gargoyles, the statues of dogs were supposed to guard buildings, but their presence on the roofs is also due to another reason. Dogs are always hungry, and they often stole food from people, so in those days their figures were often placed on cathedrals and churches, so that everyone could see that even such a devoted animal as a dog can succumb to the temptations of the devil and become a victim of greed.
6. Wolf.
Although wolves were also considered greedy, they were treated with some respect, as they these animals have always worked together. It was then that the expression "leader of the pack" was born. Wolves were also associated with priests who were supposed to protect people from the devil - thus, the wolf even managed to be in the form of a protector of the lambs of God. The gargoyles on the roofs also often gathered in a “flock”, because. the architects wanted to divert rainwater in different directions. During a rainstorm, one gargoyle would not be enough. Gargoyles were made elongated so that the water flowed as far as possible from the wall.
7. Eagle. Gargoyle in the form of an eagle at the Cathedral of St. Rumbold in Mechelen, Belgium.
Eagles were the protectors of buildings, in particular, from dragons, for, as the medieval people believed, eagles were the only creatures capable of defeating a winged serpent. It was said that they could heal themselves by looking directly at the sun, which had long been the personification of the deity.
8. Serpent. This serpent on a building in Krakow, Poland warns people of the sins of the flesh.
The snake is associated with original sin, and therefore this stone beast can be found in almost all the cathedrals of Europe. Since the time of Adam and Eve, the serpent has been a symbol of the constant struggle between good and evil. Among the seven deadly sins, the snake represents envy. They were also considered immortal, which meant that the fight against sins would continue forever.
9. Ram or goat. This gargoyle is located on the cathedral in Barcelona.
Like most of the animals presented here, the goat also had a dual nature in the eyes of medieval Christians. On the one hand, they were considered divine, because. they knew how to find food even among steep cliffs and survive in the most difficult situations. On the other hand, they were considered evil creatures and a symbol of lust - another of the seven deadly sins. And, of course, what animal is usually associated with Satan?
10. Monkey.
Our closest relatives have always been looked at as what will happen to us if something in nature goes wrong. However, they were often considered stupid and lazy. That is why they personified another mortal sin - laziness. This gargoyle in the form of a monkey is located in Paris, which is not surprising, because the very word "gargoyle" originated in French. Once the word "Gargouille" meant the word "throat", and the word itself came from Latin.
11. Other languages were more accurate. In Italian, the gargoyle is called "grónda sporgente", choet literally means "protruding chute". In German they are called "Wasserspeier" - "water spitters", and the Dutch went even further and called the gargoyles "waterspuwer" - "spewing water".
12. And, by the way, from this Dutch word "waterspuwer" the verb "to spew" (to spew) came into English. However, if you do not take into account the "animal" personifications of gargoyles, then all of them were often considered chimeras.
13. This chimera is located at York Cathedral in England, which is generally famous for these same chimeras.
And although we are no longer afraid of these chimeras, the medieval inhabitants were rather superstitious and uneducated, and they considered them terrible creatures. A chimera is born when two different body parts fuse to create an entirely new creature, such as a griffin (or a mermaid, a figure still popular in fountain making).
14. At the Milan Cathedral there is a rather interesting set of chimeras - there Renaissance thinkers stand next to these strange creatures from the imagination of madmen. These chimeras on the roofs of cathedrals and other buildings personified those who underestimate the power of the devil. Although the devil cannot create life, he can mix different forms of life to get a new one - that is, a chimera.
15. One of the most famous gargoyles in the world can be found at Notre Dame Cathedral.
16. Even the Disney studio could not ignore these interesting creatures.
17. The legend of the gargoyle. The French had a legend about one of their saints - Romaine. In the 17th century, he was made a bishop and had to fight a creature called the Gargull. It was a dragon-like creature with wings, a long neck, and the ability to spew fire from its mouth.
18. Having conquered the dragon, Romaine could not destroy his head, because. she was tempered by fire from her own mouth. Then Romaine placed her on the walls of the cathedral so that she would scare away evil forces. Well, this gargoyle in the photo is located in the van Saint-Jan Cathedral Basilica.
19. On the walls of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague there are some rather scary gargoyles, but these are no longer animals or even chimeras. These are people. The moment of damnation is frozen in time for hundreds of medieval souls across Europe.
20. With their mouths open, they scream through the centuries, constantly reminding you that you need to be able to resist the devil, otherwise it can happen to you! Probably the most terrible gargoyles are still those that remind us of ourselves.
21. This terrible example of the human form in the image of gargoyles is also on the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Moreover, the pipe, through which water flows, sticks out of the mouth so ominously that it seems that it is just an inhumanly long tongue.
22. This gargoyle is on the cathedral in Nottingham. She reminds all generations not to try to bite your nails. Anyone who has read Chaucer is sure to startle when confronted with the vulgar emotionality of the Middle Ages.
23. Gargoyle in Valencia, Spain, which seems to remind you that there is no doubt that the devil can take you wherever and whenever he wants if you do not watch your life.
24. Again, in Spain - the unfortunate woman at the Cathedral of Lonya in Valencia is captured in a moment of agony.
25. Well, this is a modern gargoyle. And who would you think could do such a miracle? Well, of course, the Germans. Very literally they perceive the meaning of the word "gargoyle" - to pour water.
Gargoyle - whose messenger is this and where did such an image come from? We will try to understand mythology and history in order to answer these and other questions related to such an unusual creature as the Gargoyle. Before writing an article for you, we collected all available information from all open sources. And we came up with 5 stories that describe the essence of the Gargoyle and talk about who she is.
Gargoyle is:
- Castle decoration as a drain
- The eponymous dragon spewing water from the throat
- Messenger of God
- Real being previously living
- Modern artificial revival of an ancient image
Let's talk about each version in the history of mankind in order. And we will ask you to vote for the true option, in your opinion, at the end of this article. And we are waiting for your comments)
Gargoyle as decoration
The word "gargouille" itself is translated from French as "drainpipe". In ancient times, the inhabitants of castles, cathedrals and palaces installed gutter drains in the form of winged creatures. Through their throats, drainage was carried out from the roofs during rains and showers.
Previously, everything was done not clumsily, but with grace and additional meaning. Ordinary square plums did not suit anyone in the design of the castle. To intimidate the species and for the benefit of its inhabitants, such creatures were invented. The appearance of gargoyles frightened the enemies, and the inhabitants of the palaces received a convenient technical device.
Over time, the translation "drainpipe" faded into the background. And the word "" - to the front, and began to be used as a common noun in the colloquial speech of a person.
water spewing dragon
There is a legend. Not far from the city of Rouen (the historical capital of Normandy), a very large bloodthirsty lived. He lived in the water and often attacked merchant ships. He went out on land, attacked local settlements.
This dragon was distinguished by its unusualness. He could breathe fire on land. And on the water he could throw out a jet of water of very high temperature from his throat. The water seethed during the eruption and burned all living things in its path. Due to this property, the dragon was nicknamed "Gargoyle".
To reduce the number of attacks on the settlements, the inhabitants began to bring human sacrifices to this dragon. This helped, but did not completely eliminate the attacks.
Over time, there was a daredevil who decided to destroy the dragon - St. Roman of Rouen. Nobody from the wars dared to help him in capturing the creature. But there was only one - a prisoner who, instead of execution, chose a fight with a dragon. Roman took it and decided to use it as bait for the dragon.
Having lured the dragon out of its lair, Roman used a cross and a prayer as weapons. This helped to deprive the gargoyle of will and tame. The animal began to obey him and stopped attacking the locals.
But the fear of the animal remained with people and they decided to finally get rid of it and burn it. Which they did. But the head of the gargoyle, even after being burned, remained unharmed.
Then it was decided to hang the head on the church, on the cornice of the main entrance, as a sign of great holy power in front of the forces of the most terrible creatures.
Over time, the head petrified and became part of the church, like a specially made structure. Residents of other cities adopted this style of jewelry. Thus, it began to spread throughout all territories, and its true origin began to be gradually lost.
Gargoyle - Messenger of God
The image of a gargoyle was sent to one temple attendant in a dream. He saw him descending from the sky, a dark, huge silhouette with claws and wings. The creature let out a scream and spread its huge wings, shielding the priest from the lightning strike.
He interpreted this dream as a message from a protector from God to the earth, who would cover the messengers of God on earth from the attacks of dark forces.
After discussing this vision with senior servants, it was decided to put this image of a demon-protector on the temple from four sides in order to protect the holy territories from demons and evil forces.
This symbol of protection was adopted by the owners of castles, who believed in the word of God and wanted to protect their possessions and its inhabitants not only with the help of weapons and the army.
Exterminated creature
According to some reports, the gargoyle really existed. It is the offspring of a demon and a human. She could transform into , and was the strongest weapon in the hands of those who were able to tame her.
Its purpose is to protect. On the locks, on the edge of the roofs, small free areas were made. This place was meant for the gargoyle. Having completed the task, she returned to her place, turned into a statue and waited for the next call of the owner.
The gargoyle ate livestock, people, wild animals and even vegetables and. But she needed very little food, and only when she was not in a petrified form.
Being in a state of petrification, the gargoyle could not eat or drink for months and years, waiting for the owner to call her.
There is a legend that says that on the night when all the gargoyles were sleeping in a petrified state, a spell was placed on them, which fettered their ability to turn from stone into a living being. The spell was destroyed, its creator took the secret of sorcery to the grave. No one has been able to revive the winged beasts. They remained stone and became a common decoration for people.
It is said that sorcerers are still looking for an anti-spell that can revive gargoyles. Some of the statues were hidden in deep caves, far from the settlements, in order to save them from human destruction. They have been waiting for the hour of the call of the master in a semi-conscious state for hundreds of years.
Artificial revival of the image
- a very memorable image that has come to us since ancient times. A bright and active fantasy of a person could not leave him unnoticed.
Films, cartoons, and especially games, actively use the image of a winged creature in their plots. Basically, he is portrayed as a servant of the dark forces, an assistant to demons and just a monster that attacks the main character of a computer game in the dark labyrinths of dungeons.
The image of the defender of the holy forces, in a modern interpretation, quickly became a servant of evil thanks to the imagination of man.
Where is the truth
All the stories that have come down to us are interesting and attractive. I want to believe every one of them. But we, as in many mysteries of the universe, can only guess, assume and believe in this or that myth in the history of man.
It is said that in order to hide the truth, a person is presented with several stories of lies in order to hide one single truth. This is what happened with the Gargoyles. The true truth is among the above, but which one? How do you think? Vote for the truth as you understand it:
Thank you for reading our articles and participating in our surveys. Your opinion is important to us. After all, only for your sake we are looking for information and trying to find answers to thousands of questions of humanity.
See you in the next article!
There are beings, the essence and purpose of which, and with them the human perception of them, has changed a lot over the past centuries. Mankind has always been wary of such beings, but suddenly changed its views on them and equated individual beings with their guardians. The first example can be considered - the messengers of God, who initially carried a difficult mission on their shoulders - to punish apostates and sinners, suddenly became the defenders of people. In Asian mythology, a similar thing happened with demons, who suddenly began to scare away the lesser evil and to which they began to erect statues. And in European mythology, with the advent of the Gothic architectural style, the attitude towards gargoyles changed - which became the guardians of temples, preventing evil spirits from penetrating into the abode of God.
Today, gargoyles are widely known and widespread. In many games, they are present as dangerous opponents or powerful allies. In films, gargoyles are much less common. And in everyday life you can often see their images. Silent statues that crown cathedrals and temples and keep vigilant watch. Gargoyles are almost always depicted as anthropomorphic (humanoid) creatures that have leathery wings (similar to demonic ones), sharp claws and strange heads, sometimes bestial (lion or wolf) sometimes a mixture of animal with human or bird. Sometimes gargoyles are confused with harpies, but the differences are too obvious, only the names are a bit similar.
A distinctive feature of gargoyles is their ability to turn to stone and awaken from it. In fact, any statue can be a gargoyle, because in a sense, these creatures are just stone statues that have awakened to life through their will (and never someone else - otherwise it is not a gargoyle). Having received serious injuries (and it is very difficult to cause such a gargoyle), the creature turns into stone and becomes almost invulnerable, regenerating very quickly under a dense layer of the outer shell. It's funny, but the gargoyles outside the stone have the most ordinary human-like skin, just gray in color.
Relationships with people and other beings
It can be said that gargoyles hate all living things. Initially, they, without regret, with extreme cruelty, tore people to pieces with their sharp claws and teeth, but over time, people managed to achieve some understanding with these creatures. Much more than people, gargoyles hate other creatures. Demons, devils, ghosts, vampires - all these creatures cause uncontrollable aggression in gargoyles (although there are references that sometimes gargoyles unite, for example, with vampires as faithful servants, apparently the origin of the gargoyle plays a role here), which inevitably leads to fight.
Origin (possible source)
Gargoyles are often mentioned to ally with other creatures. For example, gargoyles guarding the peace of the graveyard can easily enter into an alliance with - as they pursue common goals and are immune to the abilities of most types of undead. The gargoyles that guard temples, contrary to conventional Christian doctrine, often serve angels for unknown reasons.
Perhaps the answer to this riddle lies precisely in the origin of gargoyles. A person, creating a statue, gives it a shape, so that the statue becomes a gargoyle, someone must fill this form, bring the force that will take it. Perhaps people sometimes unconsciously let gargoyles into their bodies, but angels and graveyard creatures do it consciously, creating powerful guardians.
Be that as it may, powerful gargoyles act on the side of people, chasing and destroying other creatures, which can be too dangerous for mere mortals.
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This serpent on a building in Krakow, Poland warns people of the sins of the flesh.
The legend of the Gargoyle appears around the 7th century AD. in what is now France. There are several different versions of the myth, but something like this emerges.
In the vicinity of the city of Rouen, in a lair in the swamps on the banks of the Seine, a huge dragon (serpent) lived. The dragon attacked the ships sailing along the Seine and terrorized the locals. From the mouth of the dragon, fire, or powerful water streams, fell on everything and everyone around. The people of Rouen made sacrifices to the ferocious beast every year. The dragon's name was La Gargouille (feminine). The gargoyle performed its many atrocities until a knight in shining armor, Saint Romanus, subdued her.
Saint Roman was a real bishop of Rouen, he zealously fought against paganism, he lived until about 640, during the time of the King of the Franks and Burgundians Dagobert I / Dagobert I (born c.608 - d.639). The miracle of the Roman about the gargoyle (serpent) is one of the exploits of the saint.
Although, he was a strange saint, if you look with fresh eyes ...
He pacified the Gargoyle in this way:
Saint Roman used the criminal as bait, sending him to the monster's lair. The gargoyle, smelling the human spirit, came out of its cave to profit from the guest. However, Saint Roman, with the help of prayers and the holy cross, deprived the dragon of will. The gargoyle obediently lay down at the saint's feet.
The bishop brought the conquered beast into the city, and what do you think? Sent to live in a local zoo? And here it is not. The joyful inhabitants of Rouen immediately built a huge fire and roasted the little animal...:(
The body and tail of the gargoyle were burned, but the fire could not destroy the throat. The throat proved to be heat-resistant due to the regular eruption of fire during previous outrages. Then the wise Ruans decided to keep the head of the gargoyle as a warning to other dragons. Or maybe it was the order of the bishop - now you can’t figure it out. Gargoyles remnants - a head with a throat attached to the Rouen Cathedral to clearly show evil spirits what happens to those who harm people ...
The Milan Cathedral has a rather interesting set of chimeras - there Renaissance thinkers stand next to these strange creatures from the imagination of madmen. These chimeras on the roofs of cathedrals and other buildings personified those who underestimate the power of the devil. Although the devil cannot create life, he can mix different forms of life to get a new one - that is, a chimera. ()
It looked like this... :)
or like this:
Since the 11th century, images of terrible gargoyles began to be carved from stone on the outer walls of Romanesque and Gothic buildings. Whether sculptures of gargoyles were made before is not known, since before that a tree was used for such purposes, which had no chance of surviving until the time of scientific description.
This gargoyle in the photo is in the cathedral basilica of van Saint-Jan.
There are some rather scary gargoyles on the walls of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, but these are no longer animals or even chimeras. These are people. The moment of damnation is frozen in time for hundreds of medieval souls across Europe.
With their mouths open, they scream through the centuries, constantly reminding you that you need to be able to resist the devil, otherwise it can happen to you! Probably the most terrible gargoyles are still those that remind us of ourselves.
This terrible example of the human form in the image of gargoyles is also on the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Moreover, the pipe, through which water flows, sticks out of the mouth so ominously that it seems that it is just an inhumanly long tongue. (with)
The most famous gargoyles of all time live on Notre Dame Cathedral, kanesh, even the Walt Disney studio could not pass them by..:)
As I mentioned, usually the gargoyles on the facades of Gothic temples are located so that rainwater from the roofs flows through their mouths.
But one of the gargoyles of the Freiburg Münster, on the contrary, keeps its hands and feet against the wall, and the water pours out through its anus.
According to urban legend, during the construction of this cathedral, the city council increased the requirements for masons without increasing wages. The masons did the job, but placed this defecating sculpture in front of the city council windows.
A trifle, as they say, but nice ...)
