Particularly, he used the term in presenting a stylistic opposition to the form of aesthetics that is identified with the Kantian notion of the sublime in architecture.

Even after their establishment as a key feature of early medieval architecture they continued to be based in religious circumstances even up until the Renaissance period almost 500 years later.

Luke Morgan in The Monster in the Garden described the integral position that grotesques had aesthetically in Renaissance design and architecture.

[17] He highlights the deep importance that religious institutions had in this period, often reflected in the architecture of the time as churches stood out and loomed over entire towns.

Medieval sculpture also often depicted its subjects with a striking “moral transparency”,[18] a key element of the gothic art that was emerging at the time.

The presence of grotesques in the medieval period was also marked by an increased interest to display personal character which quickly developed into the anthropomorphic style that has become a staple for the stone carvings.

[citation needed] Even architects in the medieval period were heavily influenced by the rise of Catholic Church at the time and the style of grotesques developed in tandem with this.

[citation needed] Architects such as Gundulf of Rochester heavily influenced the rising style of grotesques on religious buildings.

[citation needed] Often also referred to as chimeras,[21] grotesques are the carvings around gargoyles, which are the spouts designed to drain water from buildings.

[9] They largely portray mythical creatures which were considered to protect the buildings they reside on from evil and encourage the viewer to reflect on the separation between themselves and the divine.

[9] Due to the use of weighty stone to create the grotesques, they were carved in workshops and then lifted into the heights of buildings after they were completed.

Due to their necessity in draining water from gutters in buildings, grotesques are commonly found placed high on rooftops and on cornices in interior walls.

[9] This also often makes grotesques commonly slightly hidden, allowing their subject matter to be more playful than architectural features placed at eye level also allowing their architects to be more creative in the designs of their water draining features to achieve aesthetic continuity within their buildings.

[citation needed] Despite adorning mostly religious spaces and buildings of importance, the bizarre thematic patterns of grotesques are unusual and often not necessarily aligned with the views of the institutions they occupy.

Often meant to be humorous, such as the long-necked grotesques at the Bayeux Cathedral, their contradictory meanings and placement still raise many questions.

Gaurav Majumdar argues that consistency in religion has allowed for the stylistic development of churches architecturally separate from their teachings.

As a result, the unique style of grotesques was allowed to develop and flourish to adorn churches and cathedrals but exist separately from them.