[radiohead]

A web page from one of the stone carvers at the Cathedral:

http://www.stonecarver.com/cathedral.html.

Gargoyles had a purpose initially, they also were sometimes used to tell a story, much like stained glass windows in a medieval church. Now they are mostly decorative. I don’t have a problem with them, since gargoyles are consistent with how cathedrals have been built for hundreds of years. The cathedral is built to the glory of God, but it is for the people. If the people want Darth Vader, then why not have it there? Vader provides a meaningful image of evil in our time.

[Othniel]

There was a lengthy article about this in Smithsonian a buncha years ago. It was all about the stonemasons and how they made the various things on the cathedral. Pretty cool guys; there was a father/son team. If I remember, Vader was added because it was something evil people could recognize, plus the "wow, we're cool for doing this" factor.

Nowadays, Hillary! would scare my socks off. Or a copy of Porkulus....