According to legend, Dedo was carved by the nun, Marie Therese, who was from a small convent in Provence, at the time when Notre Dame Cathedral was being constructed. The story goes that the nun disliked the custom of evil-looking, scary gargoyles that were being placed at the top of cathedrals to protect the great buildings by warding off evil spirits. 

 

The nun disguised herself as a workman, sneaked into the construction site and carved a strange and lovable creature with large, pointed ears and crossed toes from a block of stone to serve as a protector for the cathedral.

 

She placed the statue in an obscure upper roof of Notre Dame and returned to her convent. There the gargoyle statue remained, unnoticed for centuries until one day when a small boy, who became lost from his parents in the labyrinthine structure, fell and rolled down the upper roof. The boy was caught by the smallest statue, saving his life. From that time on, the statue became affectionately known as Little Dedo, the Gargoyle of Protection.