Home » Arts & Entertainment » Gargoyles are only considered gargoyles if they collect rainwater and spit it out of their mouth. Otherwise, they are called grotesques.

Gargoyles are only considered gargoyles if they collect rainwater and spit it out of their mouth. Otherwise, they are called grotesques.

Gargoyle

This article is about the statues on buildings. For the monster, see Gargoyle (monster). For other uses, see Gargoyle (disambiguation).

Gargoyles of Notre-Dame de Paris

Dragon-headed gargoyle of the Tallinn Town Hall, Estonia

Gargoyle of the Vasa Chapel at Wawel in Kraków, Poland

In architecture, and specifically in Gothic architecture, a gargoyle (/ˈɡɑːrɡɔɪl/) is a carved or formed grotesque:6–8 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 a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A … Continue Reading (7 minute read)

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