Chimeras, dragons and other gargoyles
Looking up…
On and inside churches and chapels, sculpted or painted, made of stone or wood… our curiosity and imagination travel everywhere thanks to these mysterious creatures… There are many kinds of them!
The chimera is a fantastic evil creature. Most of the time it is described as a hybrid with a lion's head, a goat body and a snake tail.
The dragon is another legendary creature, represented as some kind of gigantic scaly reptile, generally able to spit fire or water and to fly with leather wings similar to those of bats.
Gargoyles are the projecting parts of a gutter designed to drain rainwater at a certain distance from the walls. These sculpted works are often decorated with an animal or human figure typical of Roman and then mostly Gothic grotesque art.
We found a lot of them in our area... they were even exhibited at our tourist office, represented with talent by the photographer Philippe Gauthier. Can you find them?
Photos © Ph. Gauthier
