The Devil’s Creatures
The Romanesque Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George is the landmark of Bamberg’s Old Town, a World Heritage Site. An ancient legend about the Bamberg Cathedral toads surrounds this German imperial cathedral. The stone sculptures in front of the cathedral’s Gnadentor and Adamstor gates are said to have been created by the devil. Legend has it that a young master builder responsible for the construction of St. Peter’s Choir once made a pact with the devil to finish the work before the old master builder who was constructing St. George’s Choir. He promised the devil his soul if the devil would help him finish St. Peter’s Choir first. From then on, every night the devil sent eerie creatures that were half toad, half lion to tear down all the walls of St. George’s Choir. As a result, St. Peter’s Choir was built before St. George’s Choir. On the day of completion, a nobly dressed man appeared and asked the young master builder for a tour. The master builder proudly presented St. Peter’s Choir to the nobleman. When they reached the top of the parapet, the elegant gentleman revealed himself to be the devil himself and demanded his reward for the work he had done. But the young man wanted to give the devil his soul only after his death. The devil laughed and pushed him off the parapet. Immediately, a large fireball rose into the sky and the stranger was suddenly swallowed up by the earth. Shortly afterwards, the cathedral was consecrated by the bishop and the hideous cathedral toads turned to stone. Such is the legend of the cathedral toads, whose name comes from the steps of the cathedral, known as “Domgreden,” which in popular parlance came to refer to the stone figures.
Post Comment