The Secret Lives of Gargoyles

Need to remind your parishioners of that which awaits the sinner in Hell?  Need to remind your parishioners exactly how one becomes a sinner?  Need rain water kept away from the mortar in the walls of your cathedral?  Gargoyles have got your back.

A rundown of what different types of gargoyles mean:

Poster R J Evans on quazen.com has a very thorough review of the symbolic significance of different types of gargoyles.

Lions represent the sin of pride, and the sun; dogs represent loyalty and greed; serpents of course symbolize the fall of man; and monkeys the sin of sloth. Evans’ article becomes truly interesting when describing its last two categories of gargoyle: chimeras, figures made of parts from several different animals (as in the above picture), and human figures, used to represent saints and sinners.

While there are parts of the largely un-sourced article that we’re a little hesitant about (wolves are linked to priests?), overall it is really interesting and informative.  And last but not least, it is full of pictures of beautiful gargoyles.

All photos via Flickr

(Quazen.com via Neatorama)