The legend of the Gargoyle of Rouen

Time for a riddle! You find me perched on gutters, I’m made of stone, and often carved to look like an animal or a person. What am I? Any guesses? I’m a gargoyle! You’ll find these strange, scary creatures in many streets and Gothic buildings in Rouen. You can see some on the cathedral façade, on the Bourgtheroulde mansion, and even on the Courthouse, right in front of you. Look closely and you’ll see some truly bizarre ones – half-animal, half-human, with faces like monkeys or lizards. Rouen seems to have a real thing for gargoyles! Why is that though? Maybe it has something to do with the famous local legend. You see, Saint-Romain, Bishop of Rouen, is said to have tamed a gargoyle. Legend has it that back in the 6th century, a monstrous creature, a cross between a dragon and a snake, lurked along the banks of the Seine. It was huge, with sharp claws and teeth, and loved to spit water (yes, you heard that right) and ruin crops. He terrorized the city tearing the flesh and mutilating the bodies of the inhabitants. People were terrified and they begged Saint-Romain to help. He agreed, but only if they converted to Christianity and built a church. He was a man of faith, after all. With the help of a death-row prisoner, he tamed the monster just by making the sign of the cross, tied a stole around his neck, and brought it back to the city. To appease the people, Saint-Romain had the creature burned. The thing is, its head and neck wouldn’t burn! To always remember this legendary story, medieval sculptors started calling the gutter spouts “gargoyles,” from the Old French “goule,” meaning “mouth.” Some say these stone creatures come alive at night. So watch out!