Many hybrid composite gargoyles belong to unknown species. They combine either parts of different animals or animals and humans. Gargoyles combining several animals are also called chimeras. In Greek mythology a chimera is an imaginary creature that breathes fire, has a lion's head, a goat's body and a snakes tail DCE , but the term is often used to name animal-animal mixtures.
When being depicted in medieval times, they are generally viewed as sexual warnings, and warnings about the deception in physical appearances that comes with underestimating the devil. Online Source 8 The origin of the meaning of these creatures can only be explained in some cases.
Some may be the result of confusions with actual, but exotic animals, as for example the unicorn can be traced back to be a rhinoceros, as it is said in the Bestiaries, that in ancient Greece it was called so.
Benton Isidor of Sevilla c. Kunst der Romanik That could have been the basis for the medieval connotations to chimeras. Another explanation for human shaped hybrids characterized by excessive hairiness or animal extremities could be the medieval belief in "wildmen", wild people living in the woods. They were regarded as a degeneration of humans who had allowed the beast within to appear, or to be sinners in the sense of Isidor of Sevilla.
As animals were considered to be lower forms of life, and those wildmen being very close to them, depictions of them could have been a warning to potential sinners.
Benton 70 Chimeras could also be a symbol for physical and spiritual disorder, because the law of nature and therefore of God was mixed up.
Sometimes "known" monstrous races were depicted, i. Benton Dragons seem to be the fantasy creatures most often depicted. They usually symbolize the Devil or his demons. Already in Greek and Roman times they were menacing and destructive. The dragon as an evil being is also described in the Bible.
He was compared to the Devil because the Devil's strength was also said to be in the tail. There is a high variety in their appearance, but they usually had a pair of wings which are membranous, some legs, a long reptilian tail, a long snout with visible teeth, and a fierce expression. The great diversity in depictions of demonic creatures can be explained by the belief that evil is more varied than beauty, as well as with the ability of the Devil to transform himself. Benton Though the impression may have been given that hybrids were only forces of evil, there are some few exceptions.
Three of the four Evangelists were sometimes symbolized by animal-human hybrids: Matthew winged man , Mark winged lion , and Luke winged ox.
But not even in this case it is sure whether a corresponding gargoyle should represent one of them. Online Source 8 It is notable that - in contrast to the Gothic ideal of beauty - gargoyles are the opposite. It is possible that gargoyles were relicts of Romanesque art, for its style was never really abandoned in Early English Gothic.
Encyclopedia Britannica; Benton 15 Although the first gargoyles were made out of wood, the materials used for the later gargoyles were predominantly limestone and marble, but a few examples of metal gargoyles have survived. Lead gargoyles were more common after the fifteenth century. Brick was not used for gargoyles: Even brick buildings have stone gargoyles. No examples of terracotta gargoyles, sometimes used in medieval times, survive. In all probability they did not withstand the weather conditions and the rain for longer than a few decades.
Gargoyles were seldom carved when they were already in position. They usually were carved down on the ground, but - maybe to avoid delay if the gargoyle had to be inserted at a specific point of construction, or it could be damaged while brought in position - some had to be carved in place. The gargoyles were carved after a model of clay or plaster, much in the same way as it is done today.
Benton 16f. As well as grotesques inside and outside the church, they were richly painted and gilded. It seems that nearly as much money was spent on the gilding and painting as on its carving. In Victorian times, the last traces of the paint and the gilding were removed, when churches and cathedrals were restored in the sense of the Victorian Age. Online 2 So it is not sure today, which colours were used, but it seems likely that they were similar to those of other medieval art objects.
Gargoyles are still carved today: nowadays they do not serve sacred, but purely ornamental purposes, and are found on university building, secular buildings, and on medieval buildings replacing destroyed gargoyles: Due to their function and their protruding position gargoyles were always very vulnerable to erosion, decay, and damage.
Today acid rain, caused by airborne chemicals, dissolve the minerals in the stone the gargoyles were made of and contribute to their destruction. Besides the channels in the backs of the gargoyles tend to fill with dirt that encourages the growth of plants whose roots and weight cause additional damage. Many gargoyles, whose mouths were filled with concrete after they lost their original purpose with the addition of gutters to the building, do not exist anymore.
Benton 18 Grotesques and Other Monsters "Grotesques are the diverse beasts, hybrid creatures and fantasy scenes involving animals and humans found in various forms of Gothic art. The ultimate source of much of this imagery is in Roman art, some themes came from the combat scenes between men and beast used in the sculpture and decorative initials of the Romanesque period.
The late thirteenth and the fourteenth century saw an unprecedented elaboration of this type of fantasy subject, in the borders of manuscripts, and in decorative sculpture and woodwork - especially misericords", small ledge-like projections on the other side of choir stall seats to give support when long standing was required. After the erection of the Canterbury Cathedral in the thirteenth century they became a usual architectural device.
Sometimes - and with the very same meaning - also called chimera, their other functions may be similar to those of the gargoyles see above. The placing of grotesques, obviously secular and even occasionally erotic, in a religious context, is a mixture very characteristic of the later Middle Ages.
The popularity of grotesques declined after ca. Religious Opposition to Grotesque Statuary Gargoyles and grotesques were very expensive compared to their lack of functional use in religious ceremony. They caused arguments because most of them are too far away to see them properly, but were carved with high concern about details. And if they could be seen properly, they also were reasons for criticism, as for example voiced by St. Bernard of Clairvaux of the Cistercian order: "What are these fantastic monsters doing in the cloisters under the very eyes of the brothers as they read?
Here is a quadriped with a serpent's head, there a fish with a quadruped's head, then again an animal half horse, half goat But critics like Clairvaux were in the minority. Most of the clergy was convinced of the use or at least "beauty" of gargoyles and grotesques. It seems, that in Gothic grotesque sculpture most depictions were connected with the temptations, and with sins and sinners.
After all, a warning can be interpreted into almost all gargoyles and grotesques. But for all this, one should never forget that with gargoyles everything is possible: they could also be simple devices for drainage, allowing the sculptors to have a little fun, to caricature their contemporaries. Sometimes it even seems as if there was a competition to create the most implausible gargoyle. Today this, or a competition with a similar aim, is more certainly the case. Benton So the popularity of gargoyles never really declined.
Did they in medieval times maybe frighten the people, today they amuse them. Literature Benton, Janetta Rebold Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings. New York: Abbeville Press. Bindman, David ed. Clifton-Taylor, Alec The Cathedrals of England. In the 19th century, the Steel City embraced the Gothic architecture revival that swept across America. Many of its Gothic churches, government buildings, and other edifices remain, along with their iconic gargoyles.
All told, Pittsburgh features more than 20 authentic gargoyles, and hundreds of grotesques. Many of them are featured in the city's " Downtown Dragons " tour run by the History and Landmarks Foundation. Because nothing says "thank you" like a hideous stone creature carved in your likeness.
Coming on the heels of the Star Wars trilogy, of course someone proposed a Darth Vader gargoyle. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Craven, Jackie. The Real Story of the Gargoyle. The Griffin in Architecture and Design. American Victorian Architecture, Homes From to Architecture for our Spirit and Soul - Sacred Buildings.
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These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. This human-looking gargoyle can be found at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic. Gargoyles look like all kinds of creatures, including animals, dragons and strange, imaginary monsters.
Some gargoyles are even made to look like humans. In these cases, the statues were often carved to look like the priests or church elders who were found at a church during that time. Are they scaring away evil spirits or are they reminding people to go to church? Experts are divided.
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