Gargoyles at Notre Dame

After climbing the towers you see monsters, half-man and half-beast. These demon looking creatures carved out of stone are called gargoyles.  The word gargoyle comes from a Latin word, meaning gullet or drain. That's what the strange looking creatures are, they're drainpipes. Each grotesque figure has a passageway inside that carries rainwater from the roof and out through the gargoyle's mouth. From the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral's towers the gargoyles have a magnificent view of the city of Paris.