The gargoyles jutting out from church rooftops continue to communicate timely truths to every passing generation.
“The theological message of gargoyles is an urgent one to remind us of the reality of evil and the real possibility of eternal damnation,” said Amy Giuliano, an art historian who specializes in sacred art.
Giuliano, who teaches art history at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, explains how the “theology of gargoyles” relates to the four last things of death, judgment, heaven and hell.
“They, in a certain way, are just emphasizing Christ’s message, ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel,'” said Giuliano of gargoyles. “As St. Paul says, ‘Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation.'”
Misunderstood creatures and their makers
While it may be clear that gargoyles represent the dark realm, there is often confusion about their role and how they accomplish this purpose.
One widespread notion is that gargoyles ward off evil. “That’s a pretty common view. However, it’s a rather superstitious approach,” said Giuliano. “Jesus himself says the devil cannot cast out the devil.”
Beyond being theologically incoherent, this mistaken perspective is also historically erroneous. “It doesn’t accurately reflect the medieval worldview,” Giuliano said.
Holding degrees in art history from Yale University, as well as theology from the Angelicum in Rome, Giuliano provides a glimpse into the medieval mind.
“The great Gothic cathedrals were products of a really thoroughly Christianized society,” said Giuliano. “The focal point of the exterior decoration of a Gothic cathedral is going to be the sculpture above its central portal, and that sets the tone for the decoration of the entire exterior of the church.
“In nearly every single Gothic cathedral, this space is reserved for a large-scale relief sculpture of the Last Judgment,” Giuliano continued. “Christ is shown separating the saved from the damned.”
Those who responded to the corporal needs of others are depicted entering paradise on the right. “The damned are to the left, and they’re shown undergoing a variety of horrific tortures at the hands of demons,” she said.
Giuliano describes this central doorway as a “liminal space where the secular square meets the sacred space of the church. … It’s meant to invite the people entering into the church to contemplate where they stand before God as they enter,” she said.
Gargoyles were an element in this overarching theme. They signified the disorder that is a hallmark of life separated from God.
“We’re not going to see them at all on the interior of the cathedral, only on the outside, and that signals to us that to enter into the church herself means choosing salvation,” Giuliano said. “Gargoyles are meant to exhort the viewer to take account of his own soul or risk being cast into the outer darkness.”
Sermons of stone
In proclaiming perennially relevant and sobering truths, gargoyles are, in a sense, like rocks crying out (cf. Lk 19:40). Their “gargling” is testimony to the divine and the demonic.
“That is the point — to exhort us in our clinging to God, to remind us that we are part of a world where we’re not fully in control. We’re influenced by forces that are beyond us, and we’re dealing with powers and principalities. And we need to armor up and fight and stay the course,” said Giuliano.
The various physical depictions of these creatures — which Giuliano notes are primarily those of “demons, damned souls or strange beasts”– also communicate truths.
There are angry demons who “rage against God,” while others appear bored or possess an “impotent look.” “This is meant to symbolize the banal nature of evil and demons’ hopelessness in the face of the fact that there’s no possibility for their redemption. They’ve chosen once and for all against God,” Giuliano said.
The gargoyles that are depicted as damned souls are “almost fleeing from the church in horror,” and those that are beasts may have “menacing poses, jutting outwards towards the viewer,” she said.
Giuliano explains that, due to the degrading nature of vice, gargoyles sometimes have the faces of men who are taking on beastly features. Other times these gargoyles could be a combination of different beasts into one.
“They’re meant to underscore what’s unnatural, ungodlike, far from God — that frightens us and kind of haunts the human psyche,” said Giuliano.
Functional features
Beyond proclaiming theological truths, gargoyles also serve a practical purpose as waterspouts. This differentiates them from other “grotesques,” the fanciful statuary on church exteriors, which are meant for adornment only.
“Architecturally speaking, gargoyles developed out of the need to divert rainwater away from these great stone cathedrals. So, rain not only erodes stone; it creates cracks when it freezes in crevices,” Giuliano said.
Additionally, gargoyles offered a visual attraction to draw the eyes heavenward.
“One of the technical innovations of the Gothic period was the pointed arch, and that allowed architects to construct cathedrals that reached unprecedented heights. So, these intriguing little creatures like gargoyles … served to draw the eye of the viewer upward to contemplate the incredible height of the cathedral,” said Giuliano.
The origin of gargoyles is sometimes also linked to the legend of St. Romanus, the bishop of Rouen. He overcame the menacing serpent dragon, Gargouille, who threatened the community. The head of the defeated monster was eventually mounted on the church.
Asked about this, Giuliano notes that contemporary audiences assume there’s no truth in tales such as this one because the “historical facts might not be precisely accurate.” As a result, these and other stories that have endured through the ages are dismissed often “to our own detriment.”
“There’s always a deep truth that’s communicated,” said Giuliano of such legends. “That particular story, it’s just simply a retelling of the most foundational human story, which is the menace of evil and Christ’s triumph … over sin and evil in the world. Of course, the ancient serpent being the devil.”
