<P> A French legend that sprang up around the name of St. Romanus (French: Romain; fl . circa 631--641 AD), the former chancellor of the Merovingian king Clotaire II who was made bishop of Rouen, relates how he delivered the country around Rouen from a monster called Gargouille or Goji . La Gargouille is said to have been the typical dragon with bat - like wings, a long neck, and the ability to breathe fire from its mouth . Multiple versions of the story are given, either that St. Romanus subdued the creature with a crucifix, or he captured the creature with the help of the only volunteer, a condemned man . In each, the monster is led back to Rouen and burned, but its head and neck would not burn due to being tempered by its own fire breath . The head was then mounted on the walls of the newly built church to scare off evil spirits, and used for protection . In commemoration of St. Romain, the Archbishops of Rouen were granted the right to set a prisoner free on the day that the reliquary of the saint was carried in procession (see details at Rouen). </P> <P> The term gargoyle is most often applied to medieval work, but throughout all ages, some means of water diversion, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted . In Ancient Egyptian architecture, gargoyles showed little variation, typically in the form of a lion's head . Similar lion - mouthed water spouts were also seen on Greek temples, carved or modelled in the marble or terracotta cymatium of the cornice . An excellent example of this are the 39 remaining lion - headed water spouts on the Temple of Zeus . Originally, it had 102 gargoyles or spouts, but due to the heavy weight (they were crafted from marble), many snapped off and had to be replaced . </P> <P> Many medieval cathedrals included gargoyles and chimeras . The most famous examples are those of Notre Dame de Paris . Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has come to include all types of images . Some gargoyles were depicted as monks, or combinations of real animals and people, many of which were humorous . Unusual animal mixtures, or chimeras, did not act as rainspouts and are more properly called grotesques . They serve more as ornamentation, but are now synonymous with gargoyles . </P> <P> Both ornamented and unornamented water spouts projecting from roofs at parapet level were a common device used to shed rainwater from buildings until the early 18th century . From that time, more and more buildings bought drainpipes to carry the water from the guttering roof to the ground and only very few buildings using gargoyles were constructed . This was because some people found them frightening, and sometimes heavy ones fell off, causing damage . In 1724, the London Building Act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain made the use of downpipes compulsory on all new construction . </P>

When were the gargoyles added to notre dame