Sentinels a.k.a. Sentinels in the Night

John Taylor Arms

These two “sentinels” overlooking the city of Paris are chimères added to the façade of the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral in the 19th century. They were created under the supervision of the architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc during a major renovation. These statues don’t function as water spouts so they are not categorized as gargoyles. They are perched 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. Arms depicted the chimèa of a bearded man with a cap whose neighbor, a cat-like creature, appears ready to pounce from the railing. Fifty-six chimères were added to the façade of the cathedral in the 19th century. 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.