Case file · Folklore / legend
The Gargouille of Rouen
Rouen's legend says Saint Romanus (7th century) subdued a dragon, the Gargouille, with the help of a condemned prisoner; the cathedral chapter claimed a yearly right to free a prisoner in its memory.
1394 CE · 49.44, 1.09 · status: legend
The account
The 'privilège de saint Romain' was exercised from the Middle Ages until 1790; the dragon story is attached to it in late-medieval sources. The word gave its name to waterspouts on churches.
The sceptical view
The privilege is older than the dragon story, which was likely invented to explain it.