The medieval sculpture of the nave crossing is a bestiary of demons, dragons, imps and grotesques. Why did the builders and patrons of the medieval Cathedral fill their place of sanctity and refuge with such nightmarish imagery?

Grotesque imagery (nightmarish, distorted) is often found close to where congregation, monks or clergy would have sat or stood while worshipping, such as the small imps above the stone bench below. There was a potent idea in the medieval Church regarding opposites, and that the inclusion of scary or troubled imagery was appropriate to sit in contrast to those in proximity, as a visual and spiritual reinforcement of their supposed, or aimed-for, goodness and purity of heart. It has to be said that these imps look more dim-witted or mischievous than frightening, perhaps a soft visual cue to the medieval parishioners of St Nicholas to be neither.

Often grotesques are thought to serve an apotropaic (warding off) function, scaring off hostile spirits and bad luck. Their strategic locations within the Cathedral reinforced its spiritual protection in the minds of its medieval worshippers and pilgrims, many entering the building seeking refuge, being troubled or ill. The use of so much grotesque imagery throughout the nave transept and quire aisles reflects this, reinforcing the spiritual protection of the monastic east end of the building containing the shrines and High Altar. Those above are two of fourteen bosses above the North Quire Aisle, containing the Pilgrim Steps providing access to the shrine of St William of Perth in the North Quire Transept.

The filling of churches with demonic imagery extends far back to the early years of Christianity. During the later centuries of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the early medieval Dark Ages, Christianity was far from universal. A pantheon of pagan gods, goddesses and supernatural beings were worshipped. Most Christian martyrs of the imperial period had suffered death for refusing to sacrifice to pagan deities. Their stories were reimagined and immortalised as struggles of good over evil, of triumphing over demons or dragons. 

St Margaret of the Golden Legend is depicted trampling a dragon in the faint outline of an extensive thirteenth-century painted scheme in the south nave transept. Dragons are included in the bosses in this area and the south quire aisle, such as the repainted wooden boss in the south nave transept vaulting dating to the thirteenth or fourteenth century.

The early Church drew from images in pagan mythology for its stories, such as horns, cloven hooves, and wings. An ideological and spiritual battle was conceptualised and visualised in the oral, written and architectural history. The old pagan deities were quite literally demonised.

The finest collection of beasts and monsters is within the Great West Door Tympanum, featuring dozens of dragons, chimera, beasts, Green Men and other grotesques. The hundreds of sculptural elements of the West Façade can be seen as a gigantic and imposing spiritual battlement through which only good could pass, although there are also some quite pointed political and moral messages. Dragons had connotations of viciousness, envy, and pestilence. Sirens are representations of worldly desires, and particularly of lust and prostitution. Their inclusion in the doorway, along with dragons that were more traditionally associated with rivers, may be a reflection of Rochester’s maritime heritage. See also our previous post regarding Green Men and grotesques although those of the West Door portal are not quite as they first appear.

Jacob Scott
Research Guild

The Virtual Cathedral Project brings together thousands of hours of work by staff and volunteers over many years. Help us to safeguard the heritage of Rochester Cathedral for the next 1400 years. Please donate online today.