Gargoyles, (sculpture).

Gargoyles, (sculpture).

Coquard, Leon, 1860-1923, architect.

Davis, David, d. 1932, architect.

Gargoyles, (sculpture).

58 gargoyles. Each gargoyles: approx. 36 x 24 x 24 in.

Fifty-eight gargoyles are mounted atop the upper tier parapet and tower foundations of the medieval French-Gothic style facade of Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, modeled after Notre Dame Cathedral. Twenty-six gargoyles sit along the balustrade and thirty-two protrude from upper portions of the tower foundations. The gargoyles are both real and imaginary human and animal forms, including a two-headed, lion-like beast, an elephant, a bird, and a half-human winged creature with a horn. Lightning rods have been attached to the backs of the figures.

Fantasy -- Monster

Outdoor Sculpture -- Kentucky -- Lexington

Architectural component

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, 1140 Madison Avenue, Along parapet wall and upper tower foundations, Lexington, Kentucky 41011

Formerly located St. Mary's Cathedral, 1140 Madison Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 41011

In 1894, Bishop Camillus Maes commissioned architect Leon Coquard of Detroit to draw the initial plans for St. Mary's Cathedral, also referred to as Covington Cathedral. He modeled the medieval French-Gothic facade of the Cathedral after Notre Dame in Paris, although the twin towers atop the cathedral were never added. Some of the gargoyles atop the cathedral are identical to those on Notre Dame. In 1910, Newport, Kentucky architect David Davis was hired to complete Coquard's design for the facade. Work on the facade began in 1908 and was completed in 1910. In 1953, the Cathedral was given the honorary title of Basilica by Pope Pius XII, by reason of its architectural beauty. A number of the gargoyles have fallen and have been replaced. IAS files contain excerpts from Walter A. Freiberg's "A Guide to the Cathedral," Covington, KY: Messenger Publishing Company, 1947, pg.10, 18-19, 23, 25; and Jim Reis' "Pieces of the Past," Covington, KY: The Kentucky Post, 1988, pg. 260-263. IAS files also contain a photocopy of a brochure about the Cathedral titled "The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption - A Walking Tour."

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Kentucky survey, 1995.

Freiberg, Walter A. "A Guide to the Cathedral," Covington, KY: Messenger Publishing Company, 1947, pg. 25.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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