Gargoyles in Pistoia (Italy) [Art][Photography]

Gargoyles, as everyone probably knows, are architectural elements protruding from the facade of ancient buildings, mostly churches. The function of this elements is to convey the rain from the roof and avoid it to flow down on the walls. They are basically drainpipes.

In the Middle Ages gargoyles became grotesque and monstrous raffiguration of dragons or fantastic creatures, expecially in the gothic architectural style. The most famous gargoyles are the one in the french churches. Below, an image of the gargoyles of Notre Dame:

In my town, Pistoia, there are also gargoyles on the facade of the St. John Baptistery. Today I took some photos of them, using my new Nikon Coolpix B700 and its amazing zoom.

As you can see below, those gargoyles are not so monstrous as the one from north Europe: the gothic style in Tuscany is in fact less dramatic and more zoomorphically fairy. There is a complex simbology behind all the animals used in those sculptures and ornaments. But today I'm just showing to you some images of the gargoyles of St. John Baptistery in Pistoia - which was built in 1301-1361.