Today we return to Galicia, this time to discover a remarkable group of gargoyles: those of the Hospital Real of Santiago de Compostela.
When the Catholic Monarchs visited Santiago de Compostela in 1486, they realised that the city needed a hospital to care for the sick pilgrims arriving via the Camino de Santiago. For this reason, they commissioned the construction of a hospital, which began in 1501 and was entrusted to the architect Enrique Egas. This magnificent building has, since 1954, housed the Parador Nacional de Turismo, “Hostal dos Reis Católicos”. In 1931, it was declared a Historic–Artistic Monument.
Gargoyles of the Hospital Real of Santiago de Compostela
One of the main attractions of this building is the gargoyles that run along its entire perimeter. These were photographed on the same day as those of the Monastery of San Martín Pinario and, as mentioned in that entry, we were caught in a heavy downpour, typical of the Galician climate.
It is important to note that some of the gargoyles of the Hospital Real show similarities to those of this monastery. Interestingly, for the design of the church of the monastery, whose foundation stone was laid in 1590, the Benedictine monks are thought to have turned to the Portuguese architect Mateus Lopes, who had already worked in Santiago as master builder of the Hospital Real. It is also noteworthy that several gargoyles of the monastery resemble those of the Monastery of Batalha in Portugal.
The thematic repertoire of the gargoyles of the Hospital Real is organised into four types of figures: animals, animal monsters, demons, and humans. In general, the style is highly homogeneous, with a variety of elements and, at times, of fantastic connotation, as already observed at San Martín Pinario. Most of the figures consist essentially of heads, as the limbs are disproportionately small. The faces are generally rounded, many of them hanging and with a flaccid appearance. In most cases, the water is discharged through a stone conduit projecting from the mouth and adapted to it. There are also some figures of a markedly different style, a formal diversity that enriches the ensemble.
Gargoyles Representing Real Animals
Animal heads are, for the most part, of a canine appearance (ears, coats, snouts). Figures can be observed with spiral horns, protruding eyebrows, leaf-shaped ears, hands placed in the mouth, rampant postures, wrinkles, or what may be termed a “triple lip”, as well as collars, fangs, hands at the neck, and others incorporating small subsidiary creatures. Some of these minor figures are nude human forms that appear to cling to the body of the gargoyle; another resembles a leaf or a small reptile extending towards the mouth. These are secondary beings, generally of negative and malevolent connotation, which frequently accompany certain gargoyles.
A head with a pig-like snout and a ram can also be observed. As noted by Mariño Ferro, the pig, being of no use for labour and driven solely by the urge to eat and wallow in mud, symbolises sloth. The ram, for its part, like the lamb and the sheep, readily accepted sacrifice; it was offered by the Jews to Yahweh and by the Romans to their gods.
Gargoyles Representing Animal Monsters
As noted at the outset, the stylistic difference of some of these figures is particularly noteworthy. Although the preceding gargoyles display a high degree of similarity in terms of sculptural style, this changes in the case of two remarkable winged quadrupeds. These are striking figures, one of which presents a face with a slightly anthropomorphic appearance. Another winged quadruped exhibits a style similar to that of the previously described animals.
Gargoyles Representing Demons
Gargoyles Representing Human Figures
Finally, we turn to the gargoyles representing human figures. As discussed in a previous entry, we sometimes encounter gargoyles in which the water outlet is located on another part of the body. This refers to those depicting figures exposing the anus, through which the water is discharged, in a clear allusion to the act of defecation. Rebold Benton notes that this gesture may be interpreted as a means of warding off the devil from the church or, alternatively, as a form of medieval “mischief”; some of these figures adopt distinctly contortionist postures. A further gargoyle, representing a human figure with hands placed on the face and with protuberances on the body, completes the group of human representations.
As discussed in the entry devoted to the Monastery of San Martín Pinario, Santiago leaves no visitor unmoved. Its magic, its legends, and its folklore are deeply captivating. Its art, its history, its traditions, and, moreover, the Camino that begins in so many places, reveal a unique and outstanding site within the heritage of our country. It is a land of magical beings, also represented in its gargoyles, some of them covered in moss, with that vibrant green that adds colour, enchantment, and, if anything, even greater beauty to the figures.
As previously noted, Galicia is a land of water. Not even the photographs remain untouched by the veil or curtain left by the rain wherever it makes its presence felt. A land of rainfall, of water flowing from its remarkable gargoyles, which we had the privilege of seeing in operation during our unforgettable journey to Santiago de Compostela.
Bibliography
MARIÑO FERRO, X. R., El simbolismo animal. Creencias y significados en la cultura occidental, Madrid, Ediciones Encuentro, 1996.
REBOLD BENTON, J., Holy Terrors. Gargoyles on medieval buildings, New York, Abbeville Press, 1997.
VIGO TRASANCOS, A., “La iglesia monástica de San Martín Pinario en Santiago de Compostela. Proyecto, fábrica y artífices”, Compostellanum, Vol. XXXVIII, Números 3-4 (1993), pp. 336-361.
This entry was originally published in April 2023 and updated in April 2026.
Doctor of Art History and researcher specializing in the study of gargoyles.
I am Dolores Herrero Ferrio, and my thesis, “An Approach to the Study of Gargoyles of Gothic Cathedrals in Castilla and León”, is dedicated to the study of these fascinating figures.
If you like gargoyles and art history, you will also enjoy my book, “The Gargoyle and Its Iconography,” a book I have written with great care for those interested in the world of gargoyles.
I have created my own Encyclopedia of Gargoyles, a Gargopedia to share with you, where you will discover all the secrets and wonders of these enigmatic sculptures.
I hope you enjoy this Gargopedia as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and remember that each gargoyle has a story to tell, and here you will discover them all.
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