


Upon the village’s conversion to Christianity, Romanus agreed to defeat La Gargouille. This cruel beast was said to terrorize the French village of Rouen until a priest named Romanus came to help. There was a popular French legend at the time of a terrifying, fire breathing dragon called “La Gargouille”. These spouts essentially act as drainpipes, protecting the building from erosion. These stone creatures were designed with spouts coming out of the mouth, which serves to filter rainwater away from the edge of a building. The word gargoyle gets its origins from the French word gargouille, which means throat or gullet. RELATED: 5 Myths About Angels And Demons That Just Won't Die Protection Of THe Building And as one of the world’s finest examples of Gothic architecture, it’s no wonder the Notre Dame Cathedral would include these figures, too.

“It is indeed one of the most incredibly beautiful and important medieval cathedrals in the world,” New York-based travel agent and Paris expert Yaron Yarimi once told CNN.Ĭredit: Unsplash/Pedro Lastra Culturally Appropriateĭuring the time construction began on the now world-famous cathedral, gargoyles were a popular feature of the Gothic style.
