Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Tinkercast Yucatan Mexico family trip
Mexico • 7 days, 6 nights
Yucatan Family Adventure: Meteors, Pyramids & Maya Legends
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Check out the wall of fliers for the latest happenings in town.
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art
The chilaquiles from Fonda Rosita are the stuff of legend.
Mercado de la Merced
Visit the shrine on New Year’s Eve if you’re interested in yokai folklore.
Shōzoku Inari-jinja Shrine
Xianjiyan: Rock of the Deity’s Footprint
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The chilaquiles from Fonda Rosita are the stuff of legend.
Mercado de la Merced
Flores de calabaza and melty quesillo make for a divine quesadilla.
Tacos del Carmen
Amicar Hernandez and Paulina Rovilla wanted to properly celebrate these humble legumes.
La Frijolería
Rafael Villalobos relies on locally harvested grains for his superlative pastries.
Bodaega
Chef Jorge León changes the menu here constantly.
Alfonsina
Recent Stories
All Stories Puzzles Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For the last 30 years, Ivan the Terra Bus has dutifully transported people between Antarctica’s airfields and research stations. The 2024–25 summer season marked Ivan’s final days on the ice.
One Last Ride for Antarctica’s 'Ivan the Terra Bus'
about 5 hours ago
A close-up of an unidentified species of Conophytum with yellow flowers. This is one of many tiny succulent plants that have been confiscated by South African law enforcement.
Demand for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa
2 days ago
Always be prepared.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Safely Explore Abandoned Places?
2 days ago
Sometimes, even fantastical flavors are rooted in reality.
What Does a Galaxy Taste Like?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belgium Liège The Lucifer of Liège

The Lucifer of Liège

A marble Lucifer hides behind the pulpit of this Gothic cathedral.

Liège, Belgium

Added By
Cali Buckley
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The sculpture is titled “Le génie du mal”   Cali Buckley / Atlas Obscura User
The sculpture is titled “Le génie du mal”   Cali Buckley / Atlas Obscura User
Lucifer, chained, and a bitten apple   Cali Buckley / Atlas Obscura User
In English the title translates to “The Genius of Evil”   Cali Buckley / Atlas Obscura User
The Cathedral of St. Paul in Liège   Bernt Rostad
The Lucifer of Liège is behind the pulpit   Cali Buckley / Atlas Obscura User
The front of the pulput - Lucifer is at the back   Björn Láczay
  meisterbeckhart / Atlas Obscura User
  meisterbeckhart / Atlas Obscura User
  meisterbeckhart / Atlas Obscura User
  meisterbeckhart / Atlas Obscura User
Apple scoop   "Apple scoop, M19" by Black Country Museums is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The original structure of St. Paul Cathédrale de Liège goes back to the 10th century, but it’s been built over a few times, and today it is mostly comprised of 13th and 15th century architecture. In the midst of this Gothic marvel, filled with works of religious art, sits a stunning statue of the fallen angel Lucifer embedded in the niche of the pulpit stairs.

Know in English as the "Lucifer of Liège," its actual title is "Le génie du mal"—"The Genius of Evil." It was carved by Belgian sculptur Guillaume Geefs in 1848, and it depicts a tortured yet beautiful young man. As idealized as his image is, he is actually a replacement of another Lucifer carved by Guillaume’s younger brother Joseph a few years prior. Joseph’s sculpture, "L'ange du mal" (or "The Angel of Evil"), was installed in the Cathedral in 1842, but church officials thought that his depiction was too beautiful and a bad influence on the church youth, so his big brother Guillaume was commissioned to come up with a replacement statue that wasn’t so … distracting.

It might be easy to mistake the Lucifer of Liège for one of the saints that ring the front of the pulpit, where Peter, Paul, Hubert, and Lambert reside. But the details reveal his true identity—the curved walls at his sides are bat wings, the apple at his feet has been bitten, his chained toes are sharp like claws, and small yet tell-tale horns emerge from beneath his hair.

Related Tags

Statues Religion Churches Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

Liège is about 60 miles east of Brussels in the French speaking part of Belgium, not far from the borders with Germany and the Netherlands. The Cathedral of St. Paul is in the center of the city, a few blocks from the Meuse River.See website for full schedule of events and services.When you get inside, you'll find Lucifer underneath the two staircases at the back of the pulpit.

Community Contributors

Added By

Cali Buckley

Edited By

hrnick, nicolasjauvin, erjeffery, renelems...

  • hrnick
  • nicolasjauvin
  • erjeffery
  • renelems
  • meisterbeckhart
  • segistech
  • smolfine

Published

March 16, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.cathedraledeliege.be/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li%C3%A8ge_Cathedral
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_g%C3%A9nie_du_mal
The Lucifer of Liège
6 Place de la Cathédrale
1 Place de la Cathédrale
Liège, 4000
Belgium
50.641049, 5.570953
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Heart of André Grétry

Liège, Belgium

miles away

Collégiale Sainte-Croix de Liège

Liège, Belgium

miles away

Bueren Mountain

Liège, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Liège

Liège

Belgium

Places 7

Nearby Places

The Heart of André Grétry

Liège, Belgium

miles away

Collégiale Sainte-Croix de Liège

Liège, Belgium

miles away

Bueren Mountain

Liège, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Liège

Liège

Belgium

Places 7

Related Places

  • The original wooden and coated wax statue of the Infant Jesus in Prague.

    Prague, Czechia

    Museum of the Infant Jesus

    This Czech church doubles as something of a permanent fashion exhibition for a statue of the Infant Jesus.

  • The Sanctuary Museum

    Lakewood, Ohio

    The Sanctuary Museum

    An old church full of restored Catholic statues is a makeup artist's labor of love.

  • The head of Virgin Mary.

    Nagasaki, Japan

    Head of the Virgin Mary

    The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

  • A subset of the statues depicting the Modern Martyrs.

    London, England

    Modern Martyrs

    The niches over the western entrance of Westminster Abbey honor individuals from the 20th century who gave their lives for their Christian beliefs.

  • St Mary’s and All Saints Church, Dunsfold

    Dunsfold, England

    St Mary's and All Saints Church & Holy Well

    An ancient yew tree and holy well nestle beside a remarkable 13th-century church.

  • Blackfriars

    Newcastle upon Tyne, England

    Blackfriars Friary

    The remains of a Dominican friary, once one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

  • Inside the church

    Atotonilco, Mexico

    Santuario de Atotonilco

    The walls and ceilings of the "Mexican Sistine Chapel" are almost completely covered with mural, sculpture, inscriptions and oil paintings.

  • Kailashnath Mahadev

    Sanga, Nepal

    Kailashnath Mahadev Statue

    Nepal is home to the world’s tallest Shiva statue.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads


Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Puzzles
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.