What are gargoyles and chimeras?
Gargoyles /ˈgɑɹgɔɪ̯l̩z/ are sculptures of animals that conceal rainwater spouts on the cathedral. These spouts direct rainwater away from the walls of the cathedral when it rains, in order to reduce erosion of the stone in the building. Chimeras /ˈkɑɪ̯mɚəz/ are grotesque sculptures composed of body parts from several different animals that serve a purely decorative purpose on the cathedral. Many people refer to all of the surrealistic sculptures on the cathedral as gargoyles, but in fact only those that are waterspouts are truly gargoyles. The word gargoyle comes from the French word gargouiller /gaʁguije/, which means “to gurgle”.
