Editing Gargoyle (section)

{{short description|Exterior building sculpture}}
{{about|the statues on buildings|the monster|Gargoyle (monster)|other uses|Gargoyle (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Notre-Dame Rzygacze.JPG|thumb|Gargoyles of [[Notre-Dame de Paris]]]] 
[[File:Ayuntamiento, Tallin, Estonia, 2012-08-05, DD 05.JPG|thumb|Dragon-headed gargoyle of the [[Tallinn Town Hall]], [[Estonia]]]]
[[File:Gargoyle Wawel Cathedral 01 AB.jpg|thumb|Gargoyle of the Vasa Chapel at [[Wawel]] in [[Kraków]], [[Poland]]]]

In [[architecture]], and specifically [[Gothic architecture]], a '''gargoyle''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɑr|ɡ|ɔɪ|l}}) is a carved or formed [[Grotesque (architecture)|grotesque]]<ref name="Benton 1997" />{{rp|6–8}} with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down [[masonry]] walls and eroding the [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]] between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize potential damage from rainstorms. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually elongated fantastical animals because their length determines how far water is directed from the wall. When [[Gothic art|Gothic]] [[flying buttress]]es were used, [[aqueduct (watercourse)|aqueducts]] were sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls.<ref name="Wonderopolis">{{cite web |title=What Is a Gargoyle? |url=https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-gargoyle |website=Wonderopolis |access-date=19 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref>