Gargoyles are waterspouts, preventing rain from running along masonry walls and eroding the mortar. The rainwater exits through the open mouth of the gargoyle and is thrown clear of the wall. However, water falling from gargoyles on the clerestory level of a church might land on the aisle roofs. When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueducts could be cut into the buttresses to divert the water over the aisle walls.

The concept of an ornamental extension where water flows away from a building was known ages ago. The architectural function of the gargoyle may originally have been served by wood or ceramic waterspouts, and with the introduction of stone, the possibility of carving these protrusions into attractive forms became more appealing. Th

· “Gothic Gargoyles” 2001. PageWise, Inc. [Articles Online] Accessed January 4, 2001. Available: http://www.allsands.com/History/Objects/gothicgargoyle_acq_gn.htm

The following tale offers an explanation, more charming than convincing, for the creation of the gargoyle: A dragon by the name La Gargouille lived in a cave near the Seine River in France. It caused much havoc to the town Rouen. The citizens attempted to appease the dragon with annual offerings of a live victim (usually a criminal). Around the year 600, the priest Romanus arrived in Rouen and promised to rid of the dragon if the residents agreed to build a church and be baptized. With the annual convict and the items needed for exorcism (bell, book, candle, and cross), Romanus subdued the dragon by making the sign of the cross and led the now docile beast back to town on a leash made from his priest’s robe. The dragon was burned at the stake, but the head and the neck, well tempered by the heat of the dragon’s fiery breath, would not burn. The remnants were mounted on the town wall and became the model for gargoyles.

Gargoyles date from the beginning of the twelfth century. It is not until the Gothic era (the thirteenth century and after) that they become the preferred method of drainage. Nevertheless, not all medieval wat

Some topics in this essay:
Sky Gargoyles, Cathedral France, River France, Middle Ages, Ancient Egyptians, Accessed January, Ariel Books, La Gargouille, Stevens Beth, Abbeville Press, gothic era, 4 2001 available, 4 2001, medieval buildings, accessed january, carved gargoyles, 2001 available, gargoyles intended, sky gargoyles, accessed january 4, january 4, january 4 2001, nightmares sky,