On the North Side Entrance Tympanum

Bottom Tier: Scenes from the Infancy of Christ

Middle Tier: The Legend of Theophilus, his Contract with the Devil, and Redemption through the Intercession of the Virgin Mary

Upper Tier: The Bishop of Adana relates the story of Theophilus to his Congregation and shows them a Copy of the Contract

The Story of Theophilus — The Earliest Tale of a Pact with the Devil

“Theophilus was the archdeacon of Adana, Cilicia, which is part of modern Turkey. He was unanimously elected to be a bishop, and when out of humility he turned the position down, another man was elected in his stead. When the new bishop, based on malicious and unfounded rumors, unjustly deprived Theophilus of his position as archdeacon, Theophilus regretted his previous stance and sought out a necromancer, who helped him contact Satan. In exchange for his aid, Satan demanded that Theophilus renounce Christ and the Virgin Mary in a contract signed with his own blood. Theophilus complied, and the devil gave him the position as bishop.

“Later, fearful for his soul, Theophilus repented and prayed to the Virgin for forgiveness. After forty days of fasting, the Virgin appeared to him and verbally chastised him. Theophilus begged forgiveness and Mary promised to intercede with God. He then fasted a further thirty days, after which Mary appeared to him again, granted him absolution. However, Satan was unwilling to relinquish his hold over Theophilus, and three days later, Theophilus awoke to find the damning contract on his chest. He then took the contract to the legitimate bishop and confessed all that he had done. The bishop burned the document, and Theophilus died out of sheer joy to be free from the burden of his contract.” — Wikipedia

The Four Stages of Theophilus’s Fall and Redemption

The Jewish Sorcerer Leads Theophilus to the Devil

Theophilus receives riches from the devil with his left hand and distributes them with his right.

Theophilus repents, and beseeches the Virgin Mary to break his contract with the devil.

The Virgin Mary comes to his aid, retrieves and destroys the contract with the devil.

Return to the main NOTRE DAME PAGE