Sampson and the lion

Statues on the flying buttresses of St. John’s Cathedral in
’s-Hertogenbosch

In Gothic architecture, flying buttresses were used to spread the load on the walls of the nave. Because unlike those of other churches, the buttresses of St. John’s Cathedral were not used to discharge rainwater, leaving space for decorations. The 16 buttresses have, since the early 16th century, the time of Hieronymus Bosch, been populated by 96 fabulous figures varying from mythological animals to the deformed and musicians.