Example of a gothic gargoyle

General Gothic Information

The site that is considered to have been the first example of gothic architecture ever created is the choir of the abbey church of Saint-Denis, near Paris. This was constructed with Abbot Sugar’s goal to make a physical representation of the Heavenly Jerusalem.

The choir was made in 1144 and had thin columns, stained-glass windows and was constructed to give a sense of vertical linearity. This new style first spread through northern France, then was adopted by the English, southern France, Germany, Spain and northern Italy, along with a number of other lower countries.

At first any form of gothic architecture was used solely by the Catholic Church in order to exemplify the power and magnitutude of God, but soon some non-religious buildings adopted this style as well.

Gothic architecture was being built in so many different places, so some variation occurred in the evolution of its style. Names have been given to the specific periods of different countries to make it easier to classify precise structures. Gothic architecture in England is generaly placed into three different categories, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular.

Gargoyles were first introduced to gothic architecture near the beginning of the 13th century and came to serve three purposes. Their primary and most practical use was to redirect rainwater during heavy storms in France and western Europe, where rain could be severely corrosive.

They were initially given their gnarled shapes to entice non-Catholics to convert to Catholicism because it was thought that giving a widely illiterate population more visual aid would make the transition easier. These forms were chosen because they were similar to ancient pagan forms and pagan themes were ingrained in the history of these areas.

Later a third purpose was given to the gargoyles; due to their grotesque shapes they seemed the perfect candidates to protect the church form demons and other evil beings. It seems odd to give that task to something other than a heavenly being radiating light, but gargoyles were considered to look scary enough to frighten evil away.

The word “gargoyle” originates from the old French word “gargouille”, which means throat. This probably implies that gargoyles have a coarse, throaty voice.

Sadly, more often than not, the names of the architects who built these structures remain unknown. Buildings were not considered to have been built by individuals, but by the Catholic Church as a whole. To protect those who created these masterpieces from committing the sin of pride, their names were almost never recorded, and therefore not remembered.

By: Christy Marsters and Magdalaina Isler