Bonjour mes amies et amies, this is our second day in Paris. Today we are going to Notre Dame Cathedral. It is an impressive building, and if we look up, we should see the famous gargoyles. Some of you will remember Victor, Hugo and Laverne, from the Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Well, I have news for you. First of all these three characters are not gargoyles, they are inspired by chimeras and grotesques. Chimeras and grotesques are ornamental and decorative sculptures. Chimeras are inspired by mythological creatures, which are made with different animal parts. Grotesques are also decorative and they represent distorted and monstrous figures. On the other hand, gargoyles have a practical purpose. They act as water spouts, directing rainwater away from the roofs of medieval buildings. 

In Notre Dame there are many gargoyles, chimeras and grotesques. The most famous of them is Le Stryge, a pensive winged demon, who is eternally contemplating the roofs of Paris. It is located on an angle along the gallery north tower of the cathedral. Le Stryge was sculpted in the XIX century, during the restoration of the cathedral and is based on the style of medieval grotesques and gargoyles.

These strange figures, despite being located in religious buildings like cathedrals and churches all over Europe, are inspired by the pagan world. Very often, they have a sinister sense of humor that is apparently far away from religious spirituality. At times they are escatological and obscenes, maybe to represent sin and corruption. 

Here we end our trip to Paris, hope you enjoy it. Bisous, au revoir!