In this post, following some background information on gargoyles, grotesques and misericords, we’ll consider one theory about their meaning in the sculpture and wood carving of cathedrals and a few other buildings in France, Spain, Canada, and the United States. So, I’ve wondered all along if there’s more to the story about gargoyles, and now I think there is. But my answer begged a key question: When does something that looks like a demon dispel a demon or, in more philosophical terms, how does evil vanquish evil? I’m not sure that it does. But first, I want to admit that my pat answer to the question about why gargoyles appear on cathedrals went something like this: “Many say that gargoyles are there to ward off evil spirits.” It sounds plausible, given that some gargoyles are hideous enough to scare the pants off Freddy Krueger. I’ll do my best to answer that question below.
Anthropomorphic Gargoyle, Cathedral of the Holy Cross & Saint Eulalia, Barcelona, Spain And yet, what could a screeching bird of prey with dangling breasts possibly mean, other than that the artist had a wild imagination?Ģ. Peter or the papacy, a rainbow may signify divine favor, Noah, or the Apocalyptic Christ, and the color blue is associated with the Virgin Mary and the heights of heaven. There’s no doubt that most cathedrals burst at the seams with meaning and ambiguity: a set of keys symbolizes St. Often people who asked the question about gargoyles also assumed that the creatures hold some hidden meaning. I admit that it’s not easy to square, for example, the bizarre image of an eagle (or hawk?) with human breasts and horse hooves outside Barcelona cathedral (photo 2) with the Christian symbolism that marks the building’s interior. The inquirer perceived a glaring inconsistency in the juxtaposition of snarling dragons on a cathedral’s exterior with the benevolent images of apostles and saints within the cathedral. Inevitably, discussions about the presence of gargoyles on cathedrals came to a point.
Master Carver Gargoyle, a tribute to master stone mason Roger Morigi, Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC
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