In the Middle ages, the populace, for the most part, could not read and write.

France has over 100 cathedrals, most built in the middle ages, with Notre Dame being the most famous. This may be one of the more compelling reasons they exist. It is certain that stone carvers love creating these pieces, and viewers certainly love seeing them. Gargoyles freed carvers from the limits imposed by other types of carving, and this was especially true in the Middle Ages. However, some medieval clergy viewed gargoyles as a form of idolatry.ġ1 Gargoyles and grotesques have always given carvers and sculptors a chance to delight in their creativity and to explore the possibilities in the dance between stone and imagination. It is also thought that their presence assured congregants that evil is kept outside of the church’s walls. It is thought that they were used to scare people into coming to church, reminding them that the end of days is near. Gargoyles were used as a representation of evil. From the top of the cathedral's towers the gargoyles have a magnificent view of the city. Each grotesque figure has a passageway inside that carries rainwater from the roof and out through the gargoyle's mouth. That's what the strange looking creatures are, they're drainpipes. Gargoyle comes from a Latin word, meaning gullet or drain. They are one of the many eerie stone figures that adorn the gutters of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. These demon looking creatures carved out of stone are called gargoyles. What do you see when you look up to the top of the great cathedral of Notre Dame? You see monsters, half-man and half-beast. Chimeras often served as a warning to people who underestimated the devil. Some of the more notable chimeras are griffins, centaurs, harpies, and mermaids. A carved creature that does not serve the purpose of a drain pipe is frequently referred to as a 'Grotesque'.ģ Chimeras are merely carvings of faces (usually grotesque) or mixes of different types of animal body parts to create a new creature.

The word “gargoyle” is also a derivative from the Latin word, “gurgulio”, which had a double meaning, “throat”, and the “gurgling” sound water makes as it passes through a gargoyle. 2 The word 'Gargoyle' shares a common root with the word 'Gargle' which comes from 'gargouille', an French word for 'Throat'.

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