Gargoyles in Denver

Gargoyles were viewed two ways by the church throughout history. On one hand gargoyles were used to assist the Church in conveying messages to the common people. Due to literacy being uncommon, images were the best way to constantly convey ideas. Gargoyles were used as a representation of evil. It is thought that they were used to scare people into coming to church, reminding them that the end of days is near. It’s also thought to give them some assurance that evil is kept outside of the church’s walls. They were also used to integrate parts of pagan worship into the Church to make conversion to Catholicism easier.

On the other hand the medieval clergy viewed gargoyles as a form of idolatry. In the 12th century a church leader named St. Bernard of Clairvaux was famous for speaking out against gargoyles.