A devil's door is a structural feature found in the north wall of some

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and older churches in the United Kingdom. They are particularly common in the historic county of

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, where more than 40 extant churches have one. They supposedly have their origins in the early Christian era, when pre-Christian worship was still popular, and were often merely symbolic structures—although they were sometimes used as genuine entrances. In a 2023 study, historian Geoffrey Sedlezky argues that the idea of a devil's door is a late 19th-century invention. Although the idea refers to medieval liturgical practices, the assumption that the northern church door was associated with the devil is a retrospective reconstruction, largely fuelled by 19th-century preoccupation with the

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

. In addition, there was a great interest in the historicisation of medieval churches, which led to the search for an explanation for the frequent occurrence of closed-up northern entrances.

Functions

Before and during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the north face of a church was considered to belong to the Devil and to people considered heathen. Churches were generally built to the north of roads and tracks, to ensure their main entrance was on the south side. It was also common for them to be built on pre-Christian sacred sites. Such places were still considered sacred by their former worshippers, who would often continue to visit them. A doorway would often be inserted in the "heathen" north side of the church to allow them to enter and worship on the site. Because of the association of that side with the Devil, the name "Devil's door" became established. A later, and more common, purpose (especially in Sussex) was to allow the Devil to escape from the church. A widespread belief in the Middle Ages held that the Devil resided in an unbaptised child's

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

; at the

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

, the Devil would be driven out of the child and had to be able to leave. Accordingly, a door was often built into the north wall for this purpose. These doors were often too small to have any real use, and were therefore only figurative. Most of the doors that remain have been bricked up—reputedly to prevent the Devil re-entering.

Examples

Devil's doors can be found throughout Britain, but are concentrated in the county of

, where notable examples include: * St Margaret's Church, Ditchling * St Peter's Church, Hamsey *

St Helen's Church, Hangleton St Helen's Church, an Anglican church in the Hangleton area of Hove, is the oldest surviving building in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is the ancient parish church of Hangleton, an isolated South Downs village that was abandoned by ...

All Saints Church, Patcham All Saints Church is the Anglicanism, Anglican parish church of Patcham, an ancient Sussex village which is now part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. A place of worship has existed on the hilltop site for about 1,000 years, but the pres ...

* St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Sompting *

St Nicholas' Church, Worth St Nicholas Church is a Church of England parish church in Worth, a village in Crawley, England, which at one time had the largest geographical parish in England. History St Nicholas Church is one of the oldest churches in the country and ha ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{refend Church architecture Medieval architecture Doors Superstitions of Great Britain Paganism in Europe

Functions

Examples

See also

References

Bibliography