GARGOYLES AND CHIMERA
Notre-Dame’s gargoyles are very famous. They were built into the ends of the gutters to drain rainwater off the roof; since the gargoyles extend far off the side of the roof, the litres of rainwater from storms fall far from the walls to prevent damage.
The chimeras are used as simple decorations. Most of them are on the façade, seated on a gallery, watching the people below and scanning all of Paris.
The sculptors really used their imagination on these statues. They are animal and human figures, half-man and half-beast, grotesque, horrific, fantastic creatures with eagles’ beaks and wings, lions’ talons, serpents’ tails…
Although some of them may be frightening, they remind us that all creatures are the work of God, so they deserve His love and salvation.
The two most-famous Chimera of Notre-Dame One of the first chimera we encountered was the famous Stryge, a pensive horned creature. Another famous Chimera is the goat-shaped one which looks out over the city of Paris and the Eiffel Tower.
Gargoyle 雨漏，又稱滴水嘴獸，是建築輸水管道噴口終端的一種雕飾。它一般是雕刻成動物或鬼怪模樣，作用在於把屋頂上流下來的雨水通過嘴上的洞排出，以免雨水沿著建築物的牆壁流下來，防止雨水侵蝕牆壁石塊之間的砂漿。
建築師在設計建築物的時候往往使用多個雨漏讓雨水有多個排出的地方，以免在下大雨時水來不及排出，而雨漏的身體越長，水排出時離牆壁的距離就越遠。
Gargoyle這個詞來自於法語中的gargouille，在英文裡的意思是「喉嚨」(throat)或者「陰溝」(gullet)。
Chimera是不被用來排水的怪獸石雕，它們只有裝飾的作用，能夠把惡鬼嚇跑，有保護作用。許多中世紀的大教堂上有滴水嘴獸或怪獸像，其中最著名的是巴黎聖母院上的Stryge。
圖一 Stryge
圖二 怪獸像
圖三 怪獸像
圖四 滴水嘴獸
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