Why Gargoyle Factory?

In the somewhat upsetting legend of Saint-Romain et la gargouille, a formidable dragon emerges from the muddy banks of the Seine. The dragon, it turns out, regularly lays waste to the villagers—women, children, horses, boulangers—and so is largely unwelcome in the small hamlet of Rouen. Long story short, the dragon is eventually captured and (spoiler alert) burned at the stake. Please understand that there are details that I am omitting here that may be considered significant. I say this only to prevent you from embarrassment should you rely on Gargoyle Factory as your only source material before an exam. One more thing: Joan of Arc was also burned in Rouen, so exercise caution next time you are traveling through.

Anyway, legend has it that because this was such a tough creature, its head and neck would not burn. I'm sorry; I didn't write the story. So, the villagers did what you might expect them to do in the middle ages with a dragon's head: they mounted it on the side of the church.

Apparently, this became wildly popular with architects who saw an opportunity to protect their masonry from the deleterious effects of rainwater. They affixed stone dragon-esque heads to all the buildings there and protected the lovely façades we can still see today. These fantastic objects were called gargoyles. And the non-functioning versions of gargoyles are called grotesques. So now you know.

French folklore. Gothic symbolism. Water-spouting expression. Gargoyle Factory.