"In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque,
usually made of granite, with a
spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building
thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple
gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize
the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the
gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are
usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle
determines how far water is thrown from the wall. When Gothic flying
buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to
divert water over the aisle walls."
usually made of granite, with a
spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building
thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple
gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize
the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the
gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are
usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle
determines how far water is thrown from the wall. When Gothic flying
buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to
divert water over the aisle walls."