How an ‘Alien’ Xenomorph Gargoyle Ended Up on Scotland’s Medieval Paisley Abbey

When Paisley Abbey in Renfrewshire, Scotland, underwent remodeling in 1991, the carvers were asked for new designs, following the tradition that no two gargoyles look the same. With this in mind, stonemason David Lindsay designed and carved a character remarkably similar to the Xenomorph from the 1979 Ridley Scott movie Alien, which was designed by H.R. Giger, to watch over the congregation and direct rain away from the church.

The Instagram art account Artist shared the story behind the gargoyle.

Perched high on the building is a stone gargoyle that looks just like the terrifying Xenomorph from Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic, Alien. And while it might look like a hoax, it’s completely real.

Lindsay wrote a blog post for the Stirling City Heritage Trust, sharing how this all came about and the unexpected fame around his design.

Someone posted a photograph of my carving online, suggesting it looked a bit like the creature from Alien, and within a short time the story was viral on the world wide web; it appeared at the top of search engine results pages, it featured on Yahoo News, BBC News broadcast an interview with the minister of the Abbey to discuss it, various tabloids ran articles speculating on its origins, and much to their amusement, my family started getting calls from the press asking for comment. 

The Minister’s BBC Interview

The Xenomorph Brought H.R. Giger’s Illustrations to Life

via Neatorama