The Gargoyle and His Quarry, Notre Dame

John Taylor Arms

John Taylor Arms was a trained architect who felt very deeply that man's greatest achievements in architecture are evidenced in the cathedrals and churches from the Gothic era. In his writings, Arms praised the Gothic architects, builders, and stonemasons: The devotion and aspiration that went into their construction is echoed in every line and detail and mass. From the architects who planned them down to the humblest stonecutter who carved the most inconspicuous of their mouldings, we feel a spiritual and imaginative fervor which has no parallel in the history of buildings.

This fabulous devil-creature is a chimèra and was a 19th century addition to the façade of the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was created under the supervision of the architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc during a major renovation. This creature is actually a chimèra not a gargoyle as it doesn’t function as a water spout. It is perched above Paris on the balustrade of the cathedral’s Galerie des Chimères, a balcony that connects the two bell towers. The chimères are grotesque, frightening, and fanciful statues that were thought to ward off evil spirits. Fifty-six chimères were added to the façade of the cathedral in the 19th century. Four were destroyed in the recent fire and the rest are being restored.