Concrete Stone Gothic Gargoyle Garden Statue

Gargoyles in the strictest sense of the word are water
spouts projecting from rain gutters that expel water away
from buildings. They are usually made from limestone or
marble that has been carved into the form of a very
imaginative and grotesquely carved face or figure. The
word gargoyle is derived from the old French word
gargouille meaning throat. The water from the roof gutter
drains through the "throat" or spout and is projected out
the mouth of the gargoyle and away from the side of the
building.

Gargoyles first appeared during the 1200's in
medieval times particularly on cathedrals and churches in
what is termed the Gothic style. The age of the Gothic
gargoyle lasted about 300 years, beginning in the middle
of the thirteenth century. Most of the gothic gargoyle
statues throughout Europe, and particularly in France
were made during this time period referred to as the
Gothic Era.

The term Gothic comes from the Germanic tribe, the
Goths who are credited with a style of architecture that
deviated from classical architecture by incorporating the
ugly and the bizarre into the design components of
buildings.

The earliest gargoyles were simple in design and may
have served only a plumbing purpose. By the end of the
thirteenth century gargoyles got more detailed and
complicated. All types of bizarre, absurd and grotesque
creatures, animals, and deformed human like figures
were used for gargoyle designs. Stone masons having
free choice as artists used their creative imaginations to
come up with an almost unlimited array of fantastic mythic
type creatures to adorn cathedrals and buildings.

As to whether gargoyles served purposes other than
plumbing and decoration there has been much
speculation over the centuries. A popular explanation is
that they ward off evil spirits and deamons. Some say that
they represent the evil outside of the walls of the church.
Others say they are converted demons that now serve the
church.