The Frauenkirche, Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau, Cathedral of our Dear Lady, Munich Germany.Der Teufelstritt (The Devil's Footprint)

Construction of Munich’s Frauenkirche began in 1468. The late Gothic church was commissioned under Duke Sigismund of Bavaria, with support from the citizens of Munich, and designed by the architect Jörg von Halsbach. The main building was completed in 1488 and consecrated in 1494.

According to legend, Halsbach lacked the money required to construct the enormous church and turned to the Devil for assistance. The two entered into a Faustian bargain*: the Devil would help finance the building, but it must appear to contain no windows. Without windows, neither natural nor divine light** would enter the church.

The Devil believed that the architect could not possibly complete such a building. If Halsbach failed to honour their agreement, he would be forced to surrender his soul.

When the church was complete, the Devil entered its vestibule to inspect Halsbach’s work. From the position in which he stood, he could not see a single window. The columns had been arranged so that they concealed the windows along the sides of the nave, while a large high altar obscured the window at the far end of the church.

Convinced that Halsbach had fulfilled their agreement, the Devil initially celebrated. However, after moving farther into the building, he discovered the hidden windows and realised that the architect had deceived him. In a furious temper, he stamped his foot upon the floor, leaving behind the dark mark now known as the Teufelstritt, or Devil’s Footprint.

Some versions of the story claim that the Devil then stormed out of the church and transformed himself into a violent wind. According to the legend, this explains the persistent gusts said to blow around the Frauenkirche.

Jörg von Halsbach died in 1488, the same year that the main structure of the church was completed. According to the legend, however, he died with his soul still safely in his possession.

*A Faustian bargain is an agreement in which someone sacrifices their soul, principles or moral integrity in exchange for knowledge, wealth, power or success. The expression comes from legends surrounding Johann Georg Faust, a sixteenth-century German alchemist, astrologer and magician. The historical Faust later became the central figure in stories in which he bargains with the Devil’s representative, Mephistopheles. In the influential 1587 Faustbuch, Faust receives twenty-four years of supernatural service before surrendering his soul. These details belong to the developing Faust legend and should not be treated as a reliable account of the historical man’s life.

**Divine light is a religious concept in which light represents the presence, truth or power of God. It may be experienced during a theophany, meaning a visible or otherwise perceptible manifestation of a deity to a human.

The pact between Halsbach and the Devil is a legend rather than documented history. Versions of the story differ over whether the Devil entered the church, remained inside its entrance or was unable to proceed farther once the building had been consecrated. The high altar that helped create the famous windowless illusion belonged to a later arrangement of the interior, suggesting that the legend developed after the church had been built.

* The pact, dialogue and supernatural involvement are legendary. Munich’s Frauenkirche, officially the Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau, is a late Gothic church designed by Jörg von Halsbach. Construction began in 1468 under the patronage of Duke Sigismund of Bavaria and with support from Munich’s citizens. The main building was completed in 1488, the year of Halsbach’s death, and consecrated in 1494. Its distinctive domed tower roofs were added several decades later. Although commonly called Munich Cathedral, the church did not acquire cathedral status until 1821.

According to local legend, Halsbach made a bargain with the Devil to finance the building. In return, the church was to contain no windows. When the Devil inspected the completed building from a particular position near the entrance, the carefully aligned columns concealed the windows along the sides of the nave. A large high altar formerly obscured the window at the far end, completing the illusion of a windowless church.

The Devil initially believed that Halsbach had fulfilled their agreement. After moving farther inside and discovering the deception, however, he stamped his foot in anger and left the dark impression now known as the Teufelstritt, or Devil’s Footstep. Some versions claim that he then rushed from the church as a violent wind, explaining the persistent gusts said to surround the building. Accounts differ over whether the Devil entered the church, remained in its entrance or was prevented from proceeding farther because it had already been consecrated.

No historical evidence demonstrates that Halsbach made a supernatural bargain, forfeited his soul or deliberately designed the building to deceive the Devil. The legend may have developed while the former high altar still concealed the end window, as the architectural illusion depends partly upon an arrangement that no longer survives. The age and original purpose of the footprint itself are also uncertain.

The story belongs to a much wider European tradition in which churches, bridges and other ambitious structures are supposedly completed with diabolical assistance. Such legends often end with a clever human exploiting the precise wording of the agreement and depriving the Devil of the soul he expected to receive. The association with a Faustian bargain is therefore thematically appropriate, but the Frauenkirche legend is separate from the stories surrounding the historical magician Johann Georg Faust and his later literary counterpart.