lowcountryboil
Grotesque
For most of my life, I had always thought of the fanciful creatures atop Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Paris and so many other cathedrals in Europe as being gargoyles. Everyone knows that the purpose of gargoyles is to spout rainwater from the roof away from the building. I simply thought that the other decorative creatures that perched atop some cathedrals, but did not function as water spouts, were also known as gargoyles. It was something that I had been told when I was young, and I simply never questioned that fact. However, these creatures are, in fact, not gargoyles, but properly referred to as "grotesques," or "chimerae." You learn something new every day.
Enjoy the image!
Grotesque
For most of my life, I had always thought of the fanciful creatures atop Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Paris and so many other cathedrals in Europe as being gargoyles. Everyone knows that the purpose of gargoyles is to spout rainwater from the roof away from the building. I simply thought that the other decorative creatures that perched atop some cathedrals, but did not function as water spouts, were also known as gargoyles. It was something that I had been told when I was young, and I simply never questioned that fact. However, these creatures are, in fact, not gargoyles, but properly referred to as "grotesques," or "chimerae." You learn something new every day.
Enjoy the image!