Enjoy this photo, sent in by a reader, of a charming gargoyle depicting a Saint Bernard dog from the cathedral of Saint-Just and Saint-Pasteur in Narbonne, France.
Category: Gargoyles
Gargoyles and Grotesques of Biltmore
Biltmore is full of gargoyles and grotesques. Enjoy some of the creatures I spotted during my trip there.
Charles Meryon’s “Le Stryge” (a Grotesque)
Charles Méryon (1821-1868) was a very talented French etcher who is best known for his series of prints depicting Paris. (Etching is a form of printmaking.) One of his most famous prints depicts a grotesque on the façade of Notre-Dame de Paris. Apparently, Méryon's image is a big part of how this grotesque became so iconic.
The Oxen of Laon Cathedral
A charming story about Laon Cathedral, an important early Gothic church, and why it has sixteen life-sized statues of oxen on its towers.
St. Bernard and Gargoyles: A Fun Fact
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, founder of the Cistercian order, definitely wasn't a fan of gargoyles and grotesques. This tells us some interesting things about how they were understood in their own time.
Gargoyle(s) of the Day: Glynallen Castle
Two picturesque grotesques from a fantastical, Tudor-inspired mansion in New Jersey.
The Gargoyle Appreciation Society
One of the most rewarding aspect of writing this blog has definitely been realizing how many other people share my fascination with gargoyles and grotesques! It has been so wonderful and surprising to hear friends and readers tell me they enjoy my gargoyle posts and miss them when I take a break from them. It… Continue reading The Gargoyle Appreciation Society
Think gargoyle-ly, act locally
I spent my Saturday morning gargoyle hunting, and I found these charming little grotesques on a small house on the grounds of a church I sometimes attend. (To be more accurate, I already knew of their existence. I didn't find them as much as I sought them out to take their picture.) Interestingly, I didn't spot a single gargoyle… Continue reading Think gargoyle-ly, act locally
Field Guide to Gargoyles, Part Five: What Is Their Significance?
Welcome to the fifth and final installment of the Field Guide to Gargoyles! By the end of this post, you'll be well prepared to study any gargoyle you encounter in the wild! Gargoyle on Zagreb Cathedral. By Bizutage (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons What is their significance? No one is really sure… Continue reading Field Guide to Gargoyles, Part Five: What Is Their Significance?
Field Guide to Gargoyles, Part Four: What Do They Look Like?
Welcome back to the Field Guide to Gargoyles. Here, you'll find everything you've ever wanted to know about gargoyles and grotesques. To recap, so far we have defined gargoyles and grotesques, learned where they originated, and found out where to look for them. To be a successful gargoyle hunter, however, you need one more piece of information - what they… Continue reading Field Guide to Gargoyles, Part Four: What Do They Look Like?