To end his financial problems, Agustin Atzerias made a pact with the devil. To honor this pact, he adorned his house on Carrer Josep Torres No. 20 with demonic ornaments on the building.
The history of Carrer Josep Torres No. 20 dates back to the late 19th century when it was constructed by an industrialist named Agustin Atzerias that was about to do some strange things. Atzerias, a man known for his wealth and extravagant lifestyle, faced financial difficulties in 1892 that sent him and his lifestyle crashing down. Legend has it that desperate to regain his fortune, he made a deal with the devil himself.
Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain
According to the rumors, Atzerias sold his soul to the devil himself in exchange for money and riches to get back on his feet. Miraculously, he won the lottery shortly after making this pact and used the newfound wealth to complete the construction of Carrer Josep Torres No. 20.
The Demonic House: The House in Barcelona looks pretty normal from a distance, but if you look closer, you will see that the entire house is decorated in honor of the devil. // Source: Enric/Wikimedia
However, it is said that Atzerias’ success came at a great cost, as the house became a hub of paranormal activity and is to this day a haunted house filled with demonic powers.
The Barcelona Demon House quickly gained a reputation for its eerie occurrences that seemed to concentrate around this address. Locals reported hearing unexplained voices, footsteps echoing through the halls, and witnessing objects moving on their own. Many believe that the demonic ornaments adorning the facade of the house are a testament to the dark forces that reside within.
A Pact with the Devil: Allegedly the house is decorated this way because the owner made a pact with the devil in exchange for money. //Source: Enric/Wikimedia
The Mystery of the Demon House
One cannot help but be intrigued by the peculiar architecture and design of Carrer Josep Torres No. 20. The most striking feature of the house is the row of demon heads adorning its facade. These grotesque sculptures, with their twisted expressions and menacing features, have become an iconic symbol of the Barcelona Demon House.
Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories set in Haunted Houses from around the world.
The origins of these demonic ornaments are shrouded in mystery. Some speculate that Atzerias, in his desperation to regain his fortune, invoked the help of dark forces and dedicated the house to the devil. Others believe that the demon heads were merely a reflection of Atzerias’ eccentric personality and fascination with the occult.
The Enduring Allure of Carrer Josep Torres No. 20
Despite the passage of time, the Barcelona Demon House continues to captivate the imaginations of those who dare to explore its dark corners. Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, Carrer Josep Torres No. 20 offers a glimpse into a world beyond our own. It serves as a reminder that there are still mysteries left to be unraveled and secrets waiting to be discovered.
The House with the Demonic Art: if you take a stroll down Carrer Josep Torres No. 20 and look up, you can see that the house is decorated with pictures and ornament of the devil. Exactly why, we will never know, but people have claimed that there is a demonic force that haunts the building now. //Source: Enric/Wikimedia
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been a site of intrigue and mystery for centuries— its haunted halls filled with stories that spark the imagination with ghosts on the roof and an ironworker that sold his soul to the Devil.
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has captivated visitors for centuries with its stunning architecture, stirring religious artifacts, and gripping tales of mystery. People come to hear the bells ring to remind us about the hunchback of Notre Dame and see the frightening gargoyles along the roof.
Rumors of hauntings have further cemented the cathedral’s reputation as a supernatural hot-spot, leaving its visitors to ponder whether these rumors are just urban legends or based on fact.
History of the Notre Dame Cathedral
Noted by visitors from all across the world, the Notre Dame Cathedral’s captivating architecture has inspired many throughout the ages. Built of limestone and characterized by its two towers flanking its main entrance, it has stood tall for centuries as a testament to Gothic style. Its intricate carvings, majestic details, and mesmerizing sculptures carve a path for learning about the history that lies within its walls and contributes more to the speculation of paranormal activity.
From its construction in 1163 to its destruction by fire in 2019, the iconic cathedral has served as a beacon of faith for thousands of years and amassed tales that might never be fully unraveled.
The Devil and the Ironworker
One of the most enduring tales of hauntings in Notre Dame is that of a mysterious ironworker who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastery over his craft. According to legend, the best ironworker, Biscornet was commissioned by the church to create the metal for the cathedrals door at the inauguration in 1345.
The work was too much and he was in danger of not being done in time. But at the inauguration the metal work was done, there was only one problem. No matter how hard they tried, they were unable to open the door.
When they went to Biscornet to ask him about it, they found him hanged with a note warning them to spay holy water on the door to make them open.
It was then believed that the ironworker had made a pact with the devil and sold his soul to get the work done in time for the opening day.
The Women on the Notre Dame Roof
The creepy story about the demonic front door is not the only legend about the old cathedral. According to legend, there are also spotted some ghosts as well.
Two female ghosts haunt the roof of Notre-Dame cathedral were they can be seen between the grey gargoyles and gothic carved stone. Apparently you can see them walking on the cathedrals roof before either jumping off the roof or disappearing as soon as you see them.
Did you know that the famous Arthur Conan Doyle book about Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles was based on a true legend? The legend about the evil Squire Richard Cabell and his hounds are still haunting the moors in Devon.
When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the Duchy Hotel he heard the story of the evil Squire Richard Cabell that lived in the 1600s around those parts in Devon. This led him to write his famous story: The Hound of the Baskervilles which is the third of the four crime novels written by him about detective Sherlock Holmes. This installment of the detective turned out to be one of the most liked and popular book of Sherlock Holmes.
The Hound of the Baskervillesis not the only book that based itself on a true legend. Read here about how a shipwreck in Whitby inspired parts of Dracula in the MoonMausoleum.
The Legend of Richard Cabell
The legend tells of the local Squire that lived in the village of Buckfastleigh in Devon, England with a lot of rumors surrounding him. Richard Cabell lived for the hunt and was notorious for his pack of black hounds that were said to be extremely vicious, as the owner himself.
Sherlock Holmes: Illustration to The Hound of the Baskervilles.
He is though to be the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle to the character of Hugo Baskerville in The Hound of the Baskervilles and is remembered by Devon as: “the first of his family to be hounded to death when he hunted an innocent maiden over the moor by night”.
There are many rumours about him as a person and perhaps not all true. Not only did Richard Cabell have a legend about him having sold his soul to the Devil for immortality, but there was also rumours that he murdered his wife, Elizabeth Fowell as the locals wouldn’t put it past him knowing he was an extremely vicious man.
It is said he accused her of adultery and she tried to flee from him by running away. She was recaptured though and brought back were he murdered her with his hunting knife. This rumoured is to be believed if we ignore the fact that his wife outlived him by 14 years.
In any case if he did or didn’t kill his wife or it was mostly rumours that came from his unpopular political believes, he was described as a monstrous man and he only cared about hunting with his hounds and the other locals shied away from him and his hounds. After he died he was remembered as: Dirty Dick, feared as well as hated by the locals.
Haunting Hell Hounds
Hell Hounds: Illustration of the black hound in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
On the 5th of July in 1677, Richard Cabell died, but it was not the last the people of Dartmoor saw of him according to the legend. The night of his burial a pack of black hounds like he used to own and hunt with was seen on the moor, howling at his tomb.
From that night, they were often seen together, the phantom hounds and his ghost, mostly on the anniversary of his death. He would be seen leading the hounds back across the moor.
“It came with the wind through the silence of the night, a long, deep mutter, then a rising howl, and then the sad moan in which it died away. Again and again it sounded, the whole air throbbing with it, strident, wild and menacing.” ― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Devon Yeth Hound
In Devon folklore, it is often included a fearsome dog known as the Yeth hound and black hounds or Hell Hounds are often found in European Doom Mythology and used as the base of the mystery in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
In Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway, there are rumours about something strange haunting the former castle. There is a legend of a ghost of a dog haunting the place, called the Malcanis, or Evil Dog as it means.
This is one of the reasons why seeing someone with big black dogs could look so scary for people from Devon. The legend of the Yeth Hound is said to be a headless dog, often thought to be the spirit of an unbaptised child. The black hound that roams through the woods and over the moors at night making wailing noises much like the hounds of Richard Cabell or the mysterious hound we meet in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
To get peace from his ghost, the villagers built a large building on top of Richard Cabell’s tomb to stop him from getting out. It looks almost like a small prison with iron bars. This seems like a dramatic thing to do just because of some rumours.
Even with these measures, people have reported of strange stuff happening around the building as well from the inside.
Some of them uses him more of a muse of exploring the dark sides of humanity. Some use him just for financially gain, like Jack Black himself said when saying: “Satan sells tickets.” Some have gone even further, dabbling in the occult or being straight believing in Satan and worshiping. This is mostly harmless, but then again, churches have definitely burnt down in the name of Satan.
Satan was something of a multi-instrumentalist himself, because as well as playing the fiddle, Ezekiel 28:13 states that he had his own instruments built into his very being. So perhaps not that strange that many musicians find him alluring as a character.
The Deamon Lover
This is a famous Scottish ballad about a man (usually the Devil) returns to his former lover after a very long absence, and finds her with a husband and a baby. He entices her to leave both behind and come with him, luring her with many ships laden with treasure. It can be traced back to the 1700.
Lyrics
Well met, well met, my own true love Well met, well met, cried he I’ve just returned from the salt, salt sea And it’s all for the sake of thee
I’ve come for the vows that you promised me To be my partner in life She said my vows you must forgive For now I’m a wedded wife
Yes I have married a house carpenter To him I’ve born two fine sons For it’s seven long years since you sailed to the west And I took you for dead and gone
If I was to leave my husband dear And my two babies also Just what have you to take me to If with you I should now go
I have seven ships out upon the sea And the eighth one that brought me to land With four and twenty bold mariners And music on every hand
It was then she went to her two little babes She kissed them on cheek and on chin Saying fare thee well my sweet little ones I’ll never see you again
They had not sailed much more than a week I know that it was not three When altered grew his countinence And a raging came over the sea
When they reached the shore again On the far side of the sea It was there she spied his cloven hoof And wept most bitterly
Advertisements
Me and the Devil Blues
One of the most famous Made-A-Pact-With-The-Devil stories must be Robert Johnson, that made a deal for some crazy guitar skills. In the crossroad of highway 61 and 49 intersect a legend was born. In 1930 it is alleged he went out to make a Faustian pact with the devil to be the greatest guitar player. In any case, talent he got. When he died he was only 27 and it is said he was poisoned by the devil. The legend goes he heard the howling of the hell hounds, coming for him when the devil claimed him as his own.
Lyrics
Early this mornin’ When you knocked upon my door Early this mornin’, ooh When you knocked upon my door And I said, “Hello, Satan,” I believe it’s time to go.”
Me and the Devil Was walkin’ side by side Me and the Devil, ooh Was walkin’ side by side And I’m goin’ to beat my woman Until I get satisfied
She say you don’t see why That you will dog me ’round
Now, babe, you know you ain’t doin’ me right, don’cha
She say you don’t see why, ooh That you will dog me ’round It must-a be that old evil spirit So deep down in the ground
You may bury my body Down by the highway side
Baby, I don’t care where you bury my body when I’m dead and gone
You may bury my body, ooh Down by the highway side So my old evil spirit Can catch a Greyhound bus and ride
Advertisements
Sympathy For The Devil
The Rolling’s stones is perhaps not remembered as a satanic rock band, but once upon the time, they kind of were. Mostly Mick Jagger was the one interested in occult books like Taoist Secret Of The Golden Flower. And in 1969 sympathy for the devil came out. There were also claims that the Church Of Satan used the song as an anthem. Hey, it was the late 60s!
Lyrics
Lyrics: Please allow me to introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste I’ve been around for a long, long year Stole many a man’s soul and faith
I was ’round when Jesus Christ Had his moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure that Pilate Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name But what’s puzzling you Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersberg When I saw it was a time for a change Killed the Czar and his ministers Anastasia screamed in vain I rode a tank Held a general’s rank When the blitzkrieg raged And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah What’s puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee as your kings and queens Fought for ten decades For the Gods they made I shouted out “Who killed the Kennedys?” When after all It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste And I lay traps for troubadours Who get killed before they reach Bombay
Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah Well, get down, hit it
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah But what’s confusin’ you is just the nature of my game
Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails just call me Lucifer ‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mmm yeah Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, mmm yeah But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Released in 1979, the song was the most successful one for the band Charlie Daniels Band. It is a pretty upbeat song, but with a more sinister lyric. Inspired by a poem the song deals with the deal with the devil motif. The song begins as a disappointed Devil arrives in Georgia, apparently “way behind” on stealing souls, when he comes upon a fiddle-playing young man named Johnny.
Lyrics
The devil went down to Georgia He was lookin’ for a soul to steal He was in a bind ‘Cause he was way behind And he was willin’ to make a deal When he came across this young man Sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump And said, “boy, let me tell you what” “I guess you didn’t know it But I’m a fiddle player too And if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with you Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy But give the devil his due I’ll bet a fiddle of gold Against your soul ‘Cause I think I’m better than you.” The boy said, “my name’s Johnny And it
The devil went down to Georgia He was lookin’ for a soul to steal He was in a bind ‘Cause he was way behind And he was willin’ to make a dealWhen he came across this young man Sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump And said, “boy, let me tell you what””I guess you didn’t know it But I’m a fiddle player too And if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with youNow you play a pretty good fiddle, boy But give the devil his due I’ll bet a fiddle of gold Against your soul ‘Cause I think I’m better than you.”The boy said, “my name’s Johnny And it might be a sin But I’ll take your bet, you’re gonna regret ‘Cause I’m the best there’s ever been.”Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard ‘Cause Hell’s broke loose in Georgia, and the devil deals the cards And if you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold But if you lose, the devil gets your soulThe devil opened up his case And he said, “I’ll start this show.” And fire flew from his fingertips As he rosined up his bowAnd he pulled the bow across the strings And it made an evil hiss Then a band of demons joined in And it sounded something like thisWhen the devil finished Johnny said, “well, you’re pretty good, ol’ son But sit down in that chair right there And let me show you how it’s done.””Fire on the Mountain” run boys, run The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun Chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, noThe devil bowed his head Because he knew that he’d been beat And he laid that golden fiddle On the ground at Johnny’s feetJohnny said, “Devil, just come on back If you ever wanna try again I done told you once you son of a bitch I’m the best that’s ever been.”He played “Fire on the Mountain” run boys, run The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun The chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough Granny, will your dog bite? No child, no
Advertisements
Houses Of The Holy
Songs like this made people talk aboud Led Zeppelin being a Satanic Band. Jimmy Page himself was extremly occupied of exploring the occult, attending séances, collected occult artefacts. He also bought a house in Loch Ness. Page once said that mixing in Satanic influences was like an “alchemical process”.
Lyrics
Let me take you to the movies Can I take you to the show Let me be yours ever truly Can I make your garden grow
From the houses of the holy, we can watch the white doves go From the door comes satan’s daughter, and it only goes to show, you know
There’s an angel on my shoulder, in my hand a sword of gold Let me wander in your garden and the seeds of love I’ll sow you know
So the world is spinning faster are you dizzy when you’re stoned Let the music be your master will you heed the master’s call Oh Satan and man
Said there ain’t no use in crying ’cause it will only, only drive you mad Does it hurt to hear them lying? Was this the only world you had? oh oh
So let me take you, take you to the movie Can I take you, baby, to the show Why don’t you let me be yours ever truly Can I make your garden grow, you know
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
