Today's article is devoted to the gargoyles of Aachen, a German city that is home to one of the most beautiful and extraordinary monuments in the world: its cathedral and magnificent Palatine Chapel, a remarkable achievement in the history of art.
Construction of the chapel began in the late eighth century. It is considered one of the oldest churches in northern Europe and is closely associated with its founder, Emperor Charlemagne, and the power of the Carolingian Empire. From this original nucleus, the building was extended over the centuries to form the splendid cathedral we see today. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 and was one of the first twelve properties to be included on the List.
The Gargoyles of Aachen Cathedral
The cathedral's gargoyles are impressive and worthy of admiration. They comprise an extraordinarily diverse range of figures, displaying a remarkable variety of forms and types. However, their exceptional stylistic and formal diversity makes them a particularly distinctive ensemble, and we shall therefore examine them according to their sculptural styles and characteristics rather than their iconographic types.
Gargoyles in a Realistic Style with Classical Forms
We begin with several gargoyles in a realistic and more classically inspired style, characterised by harmonious and proportionate forms. This group includes several real animals. The first has bovine horns and may therefore represent either a bull or a cow. The bull is symbolically associated with strength and courage. In its negative aspect, however, some medieval manuscripts regard the bull as an emblem of Satan, while the cow may symbolise stupidity and, as Hugh of Saint Victor (twelfth century) states, base passions. We should remember, however, that the Egyptian goddess Hathor is represented with cow horns.
Another of the animals is a ram. Cesare Ripa (sixteenth century) states that the ancients represented Venus riding a ram as a symbol of lust, thereby indicating the subjection of reason to the senses and to illicit desires. Interestingly, in the article devoted to the dragon, we saw that a silver plate from the Gundestrup Cauldron, dating from the first century BC, depicts a ram-headed serpent beside the Celtic god Cernunnos. In Egypt, the god Amun is likewise represented with a ram's head.
The next animals are the dog and the lion, whose symbolism we have examined in the articles devoted to them. Our beloved dog is, according to Pliny (first century), the animal ‘most faithful to man’; while regarding the magnificent lion, Mariño Ferro cites a fable by Aesop according to which Prometheus had armed its jaws with teeth and its paws with claws, making it the strongest of beasts.
Among the human figures, we shall highlight two. The first represents a man with one knee resting on the ground, dressed in a long garment that may be clerical. His expression is striking and unsettling: he appears to shout or utter an imprecation while holding a polyhedron in both hands. This is a singular gargoyle of considerable iconographic interest.
The second figure is a doccione, a gargoyle of great beauty and excellent workmanship. It depicts a seated man with a long beard, wearing a hooded garment that reaches his feet and supporting a jug or vessel on his right shoulder.
A terrifying and imposing demon completes this group of gargoyles. It has membranous wings, a quadrupedal body, and a large mouth furnished with teeth and a protruding tongue. Its spectral eyes and ferocious expression make it a disturbing figure of remarkable sculptural beauty.
Gargoyles with Ornamental and Highly Detailed Features
Another group of gargoyles displays a more unusual and distinctive style, characterised by a series of markedly ornamental features: foliate ears, eyes with clearly defined pupils, wavy or tightly curled manes, and broad, expressive faces. Particularly striking is the meticulous carving of these figures.
Among them is an eagle with a large foliate crest, prominent eyebrows, and clearly defined pupils. We have already examined its symbolism in the article devoted to the queen of birds, the magnificent eagle, invincible among other birds and therefore a symbol of victory, as Mariño Ferro notes in his research.
There is also a demon with foliate ears, a quadrupedal body, pronounced ribs, and a highly unusual head that appears to be covered by a veil extending into a short medieval cloak. Another figure represents a broad-faced man pulling at his mouth, a gesture to which various meanings have been attributed, including anger, despair, and comic intent.
Finally, we find several lions with curly or tightly coiled manes and different forms of foliate ears. These are remarkable and highly distinctive gargoyles.
Grotesque Demons with Exuberant Forms
Another group consists of demons of grotesque and extraordinarily imaginative appearance. Their features are greatly exaggerated: enormous eyebrows and eyes, large mouths furnished with teeth or fangs, and gigantic beards and ears. They generally have serpentine tails, prominently defined windpipes, decorated wings, and dragon-like or reptilian necks.
These fantastic gargoyles can also be viewed at close range in an area outside the cathedral arranged as a small museum.
Gargoyles in a Schematic Style with Simplified and Geometric Forms
We next encounter a group of gargoyles in a different style, representing a lion, a dog, and two demons, one of which has a paw placed on its neck and displays its genitals. These figures are characterised by simplified and geometric forms, particularly evident in the treatment of the legs. Their ears and facial features are similarly large; the eyes are outlined and have clearly defined pupils, while the broad faces and widely spaced eyes are especially striking. The figures are simple in their formal conception, yet highly original.
Gargoyles with Sober and Precise Forms
Another group, entirely different in character, comprises several real animals: a bird, a wild boar, a frog, and a rabbit. The latter, regarded as lustful and prolific, may symbolise lust, as may the frog and the wild boar. This group also includes a strange and highly unusual figure with an almost alien-like appearance. These are gargoyles characterised by sober and precise forms.
Fantastic Creatures of Striking Modernity
Finally, we present two striking and spectacular gargoyles. These are two fantastic creatures of remarkable formal modernity, constructed from geometric forms that might even be described as Cubist, and executed with outstanding craftsmanship.
The Sculptural Diversity of the Gargoyles of Aachen
Fabulous, creative, expressive, and modern, these gargoyles provide a magnificent demonstration of the extraordinary creativity and skill of gargoyle sculptors. Aachen Cathedral possesses an astonishing ensemble of gargoyles, distinguished by the diversity and originality of its fascinating sculptural styles.
Bibliography
DELACAMPAGNE, A. y C., Animales extraños y fabulosos. Un bestiario fantástico en el arte, Madrid, Editorial Casariego, 2005.
MARIÑO FERRO, X. R., El simbolismo animal. Creencias y significados en la cultura occidental, Madrid, Ediciones Encuentro, 1996.
This entry was originally published in May 2020 and updated in September 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.
