Gargoyles and their Small Companions. The Cloister of Narbonne Cathedral

On many buildings you often see gargoyles accompanied by small creatures. Today we’re going to discuss these little creatures and I’ll show you a fantastic example of this type, which I discovered in the lovely French city of Narbonne.

Gargoyles often include small beings placed underneath the main figure and in different positions: suckling, being trodden on, grasped, mocking, playful, and so on. They are generally dynamic little figures that are added to gargoyles to give them a narrative touch.

Although we should bear in mind that some gargoyles are mammals and are sometimes shown suckling their young, when they are demons, these little companions take on a clearly demonic meaning. Generally speaking, they have negative, evil connotations, both for their gestures and attitudes and for the positions they occupy, as they are usually placed on the lowest and basest parts of the gargoyle’s body. In his research on the gastrocephalus, remember that Burbank Bridaham says that head in the belly can convey the idea that the centre of the brain has descended to the lower parts of the body, giving these figures a negative connotation. This placement in the lower part of the body and its meaning can also be linked to the meaning of these small creatures.

There are many gargoyles with small companions, and I’ll show you some images below. However, I want to highlight a surprising set of gargoyles that I came across on my trip to Narbonne, in the current cloister of the Gothic cathedral of St. Juste and St. Pasteur. When we went there in August 2016, they were right in the middle of restoration work, which made it difficult to photograph some of them. However, this didn’t stop me from taking shots of most of the gargoyles, all of which were sensational, beautiful and stunning. They are undoubtedly some of the most unusual gargoyles I’ve ever seen.