The case of the devil Part 2: Asmodeus' family

 

A single model, copied or… with multiple representations?

The presence of a demon supporting the stoup will be a surprising sight for anyone who enters the church of Rennes-le-Château, unfamiliar with what he will find inside. Was it a curiosity specific to Saunière?
The answer is no. Though devils inside churches are definitely not the standard norm, the presence of Asmodeus in the church of Rennes-le-Château is not unique. Other churches, in France and Italy, have similar images – though none of these is identical – as mentioned, the mould used for this image was unique.
In the following overview – which is not exhaustive, but does represent all examples we have been able to find in our research – some are more bizarre than others, and it is clear that Saunière had to be aware of this enigmatic tradition, a tradition that is genuine, but definitely not well-known. We need to ask whether, if it had not been for Saunière, anyone would ever have chanced across it.

The cousin of Montréal (Aude)

The closest relative to Rennes-le-Château is found in the collegial church of Saint Vincent of Montreal, approx. 60 km north of the village. This religious building dates from the 13-14th century, and is of a strengthened Gothic style, with an interesting octagonal bell-tower, a side entrance dating from the 14th century and a remarkable single nave.
It is at the bottom of the church, on the left hand side, towards the organ, that a vault harbours the baptismal font, as well as the funerary stretchers now firmly defended by iron bars, normally under padlock. The baptismal font is decorated with religious scenes, such as that of St Michael in a cloud. But on the front, underneath, there is the clear image of the devil – Asmodeus.
Asmodeus appears to be almost buried, as if the font is too heavy and he sinks away – only from the chest upwards is he depicted. His arms seem to push on the ground, to make sure that the weight of the stoup - and its sacred contents - do not push him further into the underworld. The head carries the tank, a head that has large pointed ears, no doubt a conscious decision as it will allow for more stability and solidity for the font on top. The features of the face are similar to that of the face of Rennes-le-Château, without the horns. The upper limbs are decorated with strips of fleece, are knotty and the finished hands have long fingernails. The whole is constructed out of white marble.

Cousins in Brittany

The devil of Dinan

Brittany (France) has at least two images of Asmodeus. The first is in Dinan (coast of Armor), in the church of Saint Malo, where it supports a stoup. Another Asmodeus is found in Campeneac, 8 km of Néant sur Yvel, close to the forest of Brocéliande. Here, Asmodeus is not weighed down by water, but instead has to support the pulpit. Again, this demon is the in “traditional” style of Asmodeus: the right hand is positioned on the right knee, on the ground. His wings are half deployed and has six enormous claws on the edge of the wings. The head is decorated with pointed horns, with a rather serene face. The model poses his elbow on the left knee, and seems to plug his left hand in his ear – no doubt to avoid the pain of the sermon said from above. After the plaster model of Saunière and the marble one of Montreal, we note that this one is made from wood. We also note that the example of Montreal and that of Campeneac both have a humourous quality: sinking away and trying not to hear - such humouristic note is totally lacking from Saunière's character.

The devil of Campeneac

The Italian Asmodei

Italy also has a number of Asmodeus figures. The most remarkable is located in the church of St Lucie de Piave (Treviso). Made out of Carrara marble, the devil is once again supporting the holy water conch. The conch itself has a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary. Of all his family members, this one comes closest to Saunière’s depiction; Saunière’s stoup has a series of 4 angels on top.
The sculpture was ordered by father Morando and was created in 1927, the work of the Franciscan monk Claudio Granzotto (Riccardo, his marital status, before entering the priesthood). As such, this Asmodeus postdates Saunière’s.
The right knee touches the ground, the left arm is aimed towards the face, seemingly trying to reduce the load of the conch. The wings of the devil are folded up on the back, the points of the wings stabilizing the stoup. The tormented face does not have horns, but does have pointed ears.
Around his waist, our demon has a belt, made out of a snake’s skin, unrolled, its head resting on the right thigh of the devil. Again, the fingers and toes are pointed. On the base, there is an inscription that prevents the demon from being crushed by the Virgin.
The remarkable aspect is that the author of this remarkable work died in Padua, on August 15, 1947, as the Virgin had announced to him in a dream. He was beautified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1994, his body resting in Chiampo, before the replica of the Cave of Lourdes that was built there in honour of the Virgin Mary.

The island of Barbana

The Asmodeus of Barbana is a copy of the preceding one, which differs in these points: the character is made of red marble, with the base and the conch made out of white marble. Furthermore, this model does not have a statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the stoup.

Other distant cousins in Italy…

Verona, the church of St Anastasia. Built ca. 1290 by the Dominican architects Benvenuto of Bologna and Niccolo d'Imola, the building is the largest in Verona. The left arm of the transept has the Giusti vault, containing the famous fresco of Pisanello, “St George delivering the princess from the dragon”. This design has another stoup, this time carried by a small man. The main difference here is that the character is not a devil, but a human being.
The whole, dating from 1495, is the work of Grabiele Caliari. This character, made in marble, sits on a red stone pillar and does indeed carry a black marble stoup. A second stoup can be found nearby, also resting on a character that has a human appearance. Both are made in red marble.
The tradition explains how the black and white illustrates the cassock of the Dominican order and how the red represents the blood of St Peter, the martyr to whom the basilica is dedicated. Here, our man sits, his left hand on his right knee, the right hand seemingly supporting his head and the weight of the stoup. This sculpture, dating from 1591, is of the hand of Paolo Orefice and is known as Pasquino. We should note that this character reveals his naked left knee.

Return to Rennes-le-Château

Finally, there is another Asmodeus in Rennes-le-Château, inside the Atelier Empreinte. It is a copy of the Asmodeus inside the church and was recently created by the owners of the bookshop.
Again, it is clear that this overview is not exhaustive, but we are open to enlarge upon the list of enigmatic devils, all of whom seem to reside in churches…

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