Waste-gas main

In Architecture, the waste-gas mains (originally, the throat or the esophagus, of Latin, gurgulio , similar gulia and other words deriving from the root gar- , by allusion to the glouglou of water) are carved works of drainage of rain of the roofs, suitable for the Romanesque art then especially Gothic. They are generally grotesque figures.

Linguistics

The term of waste-gas main more particularly applies to medieval work but through the ages, different average to evacuate the water of the gutters were adopted. In Egypt for example, one finds waste-gas mains to eject the water used in the cleaning of the crowned boats, which apparently was made on the flat roof of the temples. In the Greek temples , the water of the roof passed in the mouth of lions whose heads were carved and modelled in the Marbre or the ceramics of the Corniche. With Pompéi, many ceramics waste-gas mains were found in the shape of various animals.

History

It is hardly but towards the beginning of the 13th century that one placed Chéneau X and, consequently, waste-gas mains (or gargolles , guivres , guns , launchers ) with the fall of the roofs. Hitherto, in the first centuries of the the Middle Ages, the water of the roofs or the terraces drained directly on the public highway by means of the projection given to the cornices. With the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, time of Maurice de Sully, i.e. during the completion of the chorus in 1190, it did not have there gutters and waste-gas mains; later, in the same building, towards 1210 still, water of the gutters ran out on the projection of the drips, by means of spared drains of distance in distance. We see appearing the waste-gas mains, about 1220, on certain parts of the cathedral of Laon. These waste-gas mains broad, very few, made up of two sat, one forming drain, other covering (cf appears 1 ).

Already, however, these waste-gas mains affect the shape of fantastic animals, heavily cut, like letting see their structure. Soon, the architects of the 13th century recognized that there was a considerable advantage to divide the water falls. That, indeed, avoided the long slopes in the gutters and reduced each fall to a very thin filament of water which cannot harm lower constructions. The waste-gas mains were thus multiplied; by multiplying them, one been able to cut them finer, more slender, and the sculptors seized these projecting stones to make of it a reason for decoration of the buildings. The variety of the forms given to the waste-gas mains is extraordinary; we do not know two similar in France, and our monuments of the Middle Ages are covered with it. Many of these waste-gas mains are masterpieces of sculpture; it is a whole world of animals and made up characters with a great energy, alive, boldly cut by skilful and sure hands. These beings stick skilfully to the drips, are welded with architecture and give to the silhouettes buildings a special character, marking their projecting points, showing the heads of the buttresses, putting forward the vertical lines. One can judge skill of the architects and sculptors in the combination and the execution of these launchers by the difficulty which one tests to combine them and to make them carry out. In the modern pastiches that one made of the Gothic buildings, it is extremely rare to see waste-gas mains which bind fortunately to architecture: they or are badly placed, or heavy, or too hails, or soft of form, the poor of invention, without character; they do not have this so remarkable real aspect in the old examples; they are impossible, ridiculous beings often, coarse caricatures deprived of style.

Certain limestones of the basin of the Seine, like the hard limestone-cliquard , marvelously lent themselves to the sculpture these long pieces of projecting stone on constructions. It was necessary, indeed, a rather firm matter, enough tough to resist, under these conditions, with all the causes of destruction which hastened their ruin. Also this in Paris, or in the regions is where hard limestones are found, as with Tonnerre for example, which one can still collect more the good examples of waste-gas mains. Moreover the school of sculpture of Paris, with the Middle Ages, has on those of the close provinces an undeniable superiority, especially in what touches with the statuary.

The waste-gas mains are used systematically in Paris about 1240; it is with Notre Dame that we see appearing, on the higher cornices remade about 1225, of the waste-gas mains, short still, robust, but already cut by skilful hands (cf appear 2 ).

Those which are placed at the end of the gutters of the propping up Nef, and which are about of the same time, already longer, more slender, and are relieved by corbels which made it possible to give them a very large projection in front of the naked one of the buttresses (cf appear 3 ).

With the the Ste Chapelle of the Palate in Paris, the waste-gas mains are hurled, more developed: it is not only any more of the busts of animals, but of the whole animals attached by their legs to the higher drips; their heads are diverted to further throw water possible angles from the buttresses (cf appear 4 ). Some of these waste-gas mains are obviously carved by consumed artists. The Gothic manufacturers, when they raised the large vaults of the naves, spared temporarily basins in the kidneys of these vaults, with external waste-gas mains to reject rain water in the gutters of propping up, until the completion of the final roofs. These provisional waste-gas mains became final themselves, when the higher gutters were posed, by means of an almost vertical control, going down from the gutter to these waste-gas mains. Here (figure 5 ) one of these waste-gas mains at double end, coming from the upper parts of the nave of the cathedral of Amiens.

The waste-gas mains are doubled on each side of the buttresses, as in the Ste Chapelle of Paris, as around the synodal room of Sens, around the vaults of the chorus of Notre-Dame de Paris; or they cross the axis of these buttresses, as in Saint-Nazaire of Carcassonne and in other buildings of 13th and 14th century, and then they relate to a console (cf appear 6 ); or they are pressed on the head even these buttresses, as around the vaults of the chorus of the cathedral of Clermont (cf appear 7 ) (fine of the 13th century).

It is about this time that the composition of the waste-gas mains becomes more complicated, that the human figures often replace those of the animals, as one sees it in the latter example which shows us a winged demon appearing to involve a small naked figure.

There exists around the monuments of this time good number of waste-gas mains which are true pieces of sculptor. The Saint-Urbain church of Troyes carries, at the top of the buttresses of the Abside, of the extremely remarkable waste-gas mains; we give one of them (figure 8 ).

During the 14th century, the waste-gas mains are generally long, already hails and in charge of details; at the 15th century, they are still thinned down and taken a character of strange ferocity. Although the details are fine and often too numerous, however their mass preserves a frank pace, of an energetic silhouette; the legs, the wings of the animals are well attached, the heads studied carefully (cf figures 9 and 9 (a) ).

These important parts of the sculpture of the Middle Ages were always treated by exerted hands; they preserve their original character very late, and still, at the first times of the Renaissance, one sees, on the buildings, of the waste-gas mains which preserve the style of the 15th century. It is only during second half of the 16th century that the sculptors absolutely push back the old forms given to the launchers, to adopt figures of dreams, pointing out certain ancient figures, or of the consoles, or simple stone pipes in the shape of guns.

During the Middle Ages, one did not always carve the waste-gas mains; sometimes, in the places which were not exposed to the sight, the waste-gas mains are only épannelées. It of it is a great number of this kind which affects a very simple form (cf appear 10 , reproduction of a waste-gas main of Notre Dame de Paris).

The waste-gas mains are frequent in the Île-de-France, in Champagne and on the edges of low the the Loire; they are rare in Burgundy, in the center and the South of France; or if one finds of it in the monuments of in addition to-Loire, it is that they are due to buildings raised with, by architects of North, like the cathedral of Clermont, that of Limoges, that of Carcassonne (Saint-Nazaire), that of Narbonne. Where the hard materials are not very common, as in Normandy, for example, the waste-gas mains short, seldom are carved, or absolutely miss, water draining roofs without gutters.

The gutters in Lead posed on the civil or religious buildings, carried also their waste-gas mains of metal. We very little have of it today this one time kind former to the 16th century. Here is one (figure 11 ) which is seen with the angle of a house of Vitré; it dates from the 15th century, and is made out of pushed back lead.

We do not know waste-gas mains of the terra cotta Middle Ages. In the buildings in brick, the waste-gas mains are out of stone, as one can see it with the Jacobins of Toulouse, the Saint-Rémond college, and in much of other old buildings of the same city.

Source: Purple the Duke.

Mythical symbolic system of the waste-gas mains

In the Christian Religion, the Badly being the worst enemy of the Catholic religion , one needed a means of moving away this one from the church S, Maisons of God. The waste-gas mains have this appreciable goal to make flee all malignant Esprit or be démoniaque, according to the time. The waste-gas mains were thus the guards of the Good, and by extension of the churches. Their terrifying aspect was visible only makes some to remind the Hérétique, to the not-Christian, the enemies of God as a whole that divine protection was already on the building. The legend tells that the waste-gas mains howled with the approach of the Evil, that it is visible (Sorcier S, magician S, demon S incarnated) or invisible. Wind whistling in the arches of the Churches?

See too

Gargoyles : This cartoon has as a hero of the creatures very freely inspired of the waste-gas mains.
Gargouille is a character of Comic S American.

External bond

http://www.gargouilles.be/

Simple: Gargoyle

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