Gargoyle ~

Posted by Maverick ~ on June 24, 2017
Posted in: Art, Music, Photography. Tagged: , , , , , . 

"The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Etruscans and Romans all used animal-shaped waterspouts.  During the 12th century, when gargoyles appeared in Europe, the Roman Catholic Church was growing stronger and converting many new people. Most of the population at this time were illiterate, and therefore images were very important to convey ideas. Many early gargoyles depicted some version of a dragon, especially in France. In addition to serving as spouts for water, the gaping mouths of these gargoyles evoked the fearsome destructiveness of these legendary beasts, reminding the laity of the need for the church's protection."  -- Gargoyle-Wikipedia

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12 comments on “Gargoyle ~”

  4. I recently learned that the gargoyles on Notre Dame Cathedral were only added in the 19th century. They never made it onto the original structure. Very disappointing. Perhaps they could have saved it from the ravages of the French Revolution.

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  5. what’s interesting about gargoyles in relation to religion is that they were often christian depictions of earlier pagan gods. The style and shape the gargoyles took was different depending on the region but more often than not they were modeled after Ceronous, the Celtic fertility god that took the shape of a man with horns. When the Christians took over and subsequently pushed the pagan religions out, they demonized their gods through church artwork, portraying the older culture’s deities as monsters.

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    • Thanks Arthur. There’s a lot of cross culture history it seems. Perhaps there may have even been some marketing intent in their use to get pagans to attend church.

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