Download national cathedral gargoyles9/13/2023 The word “gargoyle” is derived from the French gargouille, meaning throat. The oldest, a stone crocodile in Turkey, is thought to be 13,000 years old. The practice of adorning buildings with decorative, creature-themed water drain spouts dates back several millennia – including examples from ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek architecture. The final gargoyles and grotesques are the work of dozens of professional and amateur artists and carvers.How façade gommage® helps restore historic gargoyles and grotesques to their original “beauty”Īlthough gargoyles and grotesques are most commonly associated with the building of cathedrals and churches across Europe from the mid 12 th century to the start of the 16 th century, they actually originate much earlier. Several designs from the public were chosen for inclusion In 1959, a competition was held for members of the public In addition to skilled craftsmen, twelve apprentices The gargoyles are perched on three levels, and only the carvings on the lowest level are easy to see clearly.Ī large crew of artists and stone carvers were required to complete theĪmbitious project. I spent over an hour walking around the site, but only saw a fraction of the gargoyles. There are 112 gargoyles on this cathedral, and over 1,000 grotesques (carved ornaments that often look like gargoyles but don't have rain spouts). The first gargoyle on the cathedral was carved in 1960. But construction of the Washington National Cathedral didn't begin until 1910, and wasn't fully completed until 1990. When I think about the construction of cathedrals and the carving of gargoyles, I tend to think about work done centuries ago.
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