“The Bishop’s coarse black robe made it difficult for Pascal to see him in the night, but through rips in the garment he caught the glint of mail armor. He had heard stories that the Bishop destroyed a pagan Temple of Venus with his bare hands. Now he believed all the wild tales about this warrior priest, and it appeared the Bishop had already done battle that night.”
— Excerpt from GARGOYLE BOB novel
The legend of the gargoyle starts in Rouen, France. During the seventh century, a river monster called a “gargouille” caused terror in that city. Nothing could stop this creature. But in an exchange for his freedom, a prisoner agreed to help the Bishop of Rouen defeat the monster.
For this feat and other future battles with demons, the Bishop became canonized as St. Romain and became known as the patron saint of gargoyles. He is depicted with a gargoyle in the stain glass windows and statues of the Rouen Cathedral.
Sculptures and stain glass images of the monster also became common place decorations in churches throughout Europe. Eventually, these fearsome renditions were thought to ward off evil spirits and gargoyles became known as protectors. The most famous roost for gargoyle sculptures are the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Nothing is recorded about what happened to the prisoner.