Gargoyle Definitions

What's the difference between a gargoyle and a grotesque? A chimera and a hunky punk? And what about a babewyn and a green man? Read on.

 

Gargoyle

An architectural term for a carved figure serving as a water spout on a building. Though gargoyles are technically functional drainage spouts, the term is now more generally used to refer to all grotesques.

Commonly represented beasts are lions, dragons, men, and perhaps most common of all are strange unidentifiable beasts – one of the reasons they hold so much mystery. 

Grotesque

An ornamental figure not meant to function as a water spout. 

Chimera

Refers more specifically to a mythological creature. (In other words, a gargoyle based on a person or a puppy would be less likely to be called a chimera.) 

Babewyn

A term from the Middle Ages to refer to both gargoyles and grotesques. 

Hunky Punk

A regional term from Somerset (south-west England) to refer to grotesques, especially squat-shaped ones that appear on churches.

Green Man

Commonly used as architectural ornaments on all sorts of secular buildings, these carvings are a face made of leaves or surrounded by them. 

Anthropomorphized building drainage spouts were first recorded in history in ancient Egypt. They reached the height of popularity in the Middle Ages on European cathedrals and churches, but are used on all types of buildings around the world and are still being carved to this day.

The Gargoyles of Notre Dame Through a Modern Lens

The famous "thinker" gargoyle that sits high atop Notre Dame in Paris is the carving that inspired Dorian, the gargoyle character in The Accidental Alchemist. Even though I've climbed the 387 steps to the gallery of gargoyles many times, whenever I visit Paris I can't resist doing it once more.

Each time I visit Viollet-le-Duc's gargoyles up close, I try to capture their spirit in a different way. In addition to using regular print and digital cameras, I've take photos of these gargoyles with my lensbaby selective focus lens and with a Holga plastic camera. And the last time I visited, I used my cell phone. I never imagined those cellphone pictures would be some of my favorite images, but that's what happened. That day, a storm was approaching, and one of the Instagram filters perfectly rendered the ominous feeling of the storm clouds.

 

A Gargoyle Pop-Up Book

One of the coolest things I found on a recent trip to France was this gargoyle pop-up book!

Gargouilles by Paul Rouillac features intricate paper pop-up gargoyles along with explanations (in French) about each of the original creatures they're based on. Included are several cut-outs inspired by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's famous Notre Dame gargoyles.

 

Gargoyles of Cambridge, England, Part II: King's College and Beyond

One of my favorite things about the old universities of Britain is the range of gargoyles peering out from their stone buildings. I visited Oxford many years ago, but hadn't explored Cambridge until this year. King's College is one of the university colleges featuring gargoyles with a lot of personality.

 When walking around downtown, if you take a closer look at the buildings, you'll often spot some gargoyles hiding high above your head... 

Gargoyles of Cambridge, England: Our Lady and the English Martyrs

Our Lady and the English Martyrs, aka OLEM, is a beautiful Catholic church in Cambridge, England, that's covered in gargoyles. It's a Gothic Revival church built in the late 1800s, and it's one of the largest Catholic churches in the UK. I stumbled upon this church by accident when I was on tagging along on a day trip to Cambridge and had a few hours on my own to explore the city.

Look closely at the following two gargoyles and see what you might spot...

Lisbon Cathedral

The Neo-Gothic Lisbon Cathedral (Cathedral Se) is part of the way up one of Lisbon's many steep hills, not far from Castle Sao Jorge. One of the most fascinating things about this cathedral is a legend associated with one of its relics. The cathedral holds the remains of St. Vincent, the Patron Saint of Lisbon. According to legend, two ravens watched over the saint's body as it was transported to its final resting place in Lisbon. The ravens took up residence in the cathedral, and their descendants remained there for centuries. That's how ravens came to be a symbol of Lisbon and adorn the city's coat of arms. 

 

Construction of the cathedral began in 1147, after the Portuguese recaptured the city from the Moors. Part of the cathedral was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake that damaged much of the region. These days modern electric tram wires surround the cathedral. Though the wires obstruct views of the building, being able to ride the tram up the steep hill makes it worth it.

Lisbon's Convento do Carmo: Gargoyles in the Ruins

The ruins of the Gothic Convento do Carmo remain in the heart of Lisbon, preserved as skeletal remains instead of being rebuilt. Along with much of the city, the medieval convent and church was destroyed by the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.

The section of the building that remains intact has been turned into an archaeological museum, and the open-air nave ruins now serve as a courtyard with stone artifacts including tombs with gargoyles watching them from above.