𝔙𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔏𝔢 𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔦𝔢 𝔡𝔲 𝔪𝔞𝔩: 𝔄 𝔖𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔠 𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔭 𝔪𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤.

Le Genie Du Mal

This Hexenacht I ventured across seas to meet with a group of Satanists whom I’ve appreciated, been inspired by and honestly felt saved by once or twice in the grand scheme of things , Honestly I’d never been so excited to finally meet them all in person and they absolutely did not disappoint.

Getting their slightly later than everyone else, myself and two other Satanists were blocked entry originally to see the Le Genie Du Mal, it wasn’t until they picked up that I’d come from

the UK to see it that they explained there was a live performance happening and for us to just be extremely quiet, I found it terribly amusing us sneaking past the priest on tip toes to visit Satan… And he was everything I thought he would be. I was absolutely astonished with how beautiful the statue was up close, honestly I’d have spent hours there if it wasn’t for the priest shewing us out of the venue however despite this turning up a little late, witnessing the music made it so much more epic, the fact this grandiose classical solemn music was echoing around every edge of the Cathedral made the experience thrilling.

The piece was created by Guillaume Geefs, originally the piece was made by his brother William Geefs, however the original piece was rejected due to it being ‘too feminine and therefore too seductive’ so they called upon his brother to complete the job Guillaume. The original resides in a museum In New York.

(fig 1, right: The original piece by William Geefs, left: The final piece by Joseph Geefs)

Apart from the bat like wings, Joseph Geefs’ fallen angel takes on a human form that is fully realized through its near-nudity depicted in the statue. The body is poised, sat up right, staring downwards as if almost into the hellish abyss, with a languid scarf that grazes the groin, bare hips, and in the original piece open thighs (fig 1) . The waist and hips curve sinuously and are placed in composition with the wing-arcs. The torso is youthful, toned, graceful, and androgynous in appearance in the original piece (fig 1). The angel’s expression is described as serious, somber, and even fierce, and the viewer’s attention is directed towards the body and thighs, ultimately leading to the parted knees. In addition to the wings, there is a snake that uncoils at the base of the rock, which is the most apparent satanic element in the artwork. L’ange du man has been regarded as “one of the most disturbing works of its time” due to its subject matter and its representation of Lucifer, but I think it’s absolutely beautiful.

Joseph’s sculptures are known for their perfect finish, grace, and elegant lines. L’ange du mal stands out among his works due to its subject matter, which compellingly illustrates the Romantic era’s fascination with darkness, the abyss, and the new ideas of the rebellious fallen angel. The wings frame and enhance the youthful body, like a protecting of sorts. The composition of L’ange du mal has been compared to Jean-Jacques Feuchère’s small bronze sculpture, Satan, from 1833, but Geefs’ angel is notably “less diabolic.”

“It generated controversy at once and was criticized for not representing a [Christian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity) ideal.[8] The cathedral administration declared that “this devil is too sublime.”[9] The local press intimated that the work was distracting the “pretty penitent girls” who should have been listening to the sermons.[10] [Bishop van Bommel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Richard_Anton_van_Bommel) soon ordered the removal of L’ange du mal, and the building committee passed the commission for the pulpit sculpture to Guillaume Geefs, whose version was installed at the cathedral permanently in 1848”

In the depiction of Lucifer by Guillaume Geefs, several details were added to enhance the iconography of punishment, including a dropped “forbidden fruit” with bite marks and a broken-off tip of the sceptre. The elongated and narrow nails resemble talons, and a pair of horns may also be present to dehumanize the figure while introducing ambiguity. While horns are typically associated with demonic or satanic symbolism, they can also represent points of light in religious iconography. Another notable departure from Geefs’ work is the depiction of Lucifer in bondage, with his right ankle and left wrist chained, drawing on the tradition of casting Lucifer as a Promethean figure. One can see a tear trickling down from his eye towards an anguished, yet sensuous open mouth. Although the figure's modesty is now more fully covered, Guillaume's alterations have allowed for a closer examination of the taut muscles in Lucifer's raised arm and his exquisitely sculpted chest. In this version, Lucifer's physique is more muscular, with more voluminous curly hair that barely conceals his small horns. The church evidently approved of these additions, as the figure was installed without any further objections and has remained a fixture at St. Paul's ever since.

Meeting the Satanic group was an absolute delight, after having a few drinks with everyone we decided to go and get food it’s here I found myself having a fantastic conversation with a member involved in grey fraction, grey fraction are a campaign to help people who have suffered at the hands from false memory trauma, a lot of times they tend to focus on ‘satanic ritual abuse’ which 99% of the time are pushed false narratives by the therapist themselves and simply didn’t occur. It’s always amazing

learning more about the community I’ve merged myself with.

The statue was overwhelmingly beautiful and the greatest part was sharing these memories with friends.