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40 Gargoyles and Grotesques Around the World
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall. [Source]
A grotesque is a sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function. Both gargoyles and grotesques are said to frighten off and protect those it guards from any evil or harmful spirits.
As an architectural sculpture I find gargoyles and grotesques fascinating. Whether ornamental or functional, their symbolism and ability to stir the emotions of those that gaze upon them is intriguing. Below you will find a collection of gargoyles and grotesques around the world.
1. Oakland Cemetery – Atlanta, Georgia
2. San Juan de los Reyes Monastery – Toledo, Spain
3. Natural History Museum – London, England
4. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France
5. Cologne Cathedral – Cologne, Germany
6. Cathedral of Quito – Quito, Ecuador
7. Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain
8. Forbidden City – Beijing, China
9. Mont Saint-Michel – Normandy, France
10. Washington National Cathedral – Washington D.C., USA
11. St. Nicholas Church – Lüneburg, Germany
12. Peace Tower on Parliament Hill – Ottawa, Canada
13. Marble Church, Bodelwyddan – Clwyd, Wales
14. Cologne Cathedral – Cologne, Germany
15. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France
16. Reims Cathedral – Reims, France
17. University of Washington – Seattle, Washington
18. University of Sydney – Sydney, Australia
19. Château d’Amboise – Amboise, France
20. Alcobaça Monastery – Alcobaça, Portugal
Source: http://twistedsifter.com/2013/04/gar...und-the-world/
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