USE CAUTION THEY SAY WHO EVER SEES' THIS IMAGE MAY BECOME HAUNTED!
Pope Silvester II. and the Devil Illustration from Cod. Pal. germ.
137, Folio 216v Martinus Oppaviensis, Chronicon pontificum et imperatorum
Sylvester II, or Silvester II (c. 950 – May 12, 1003), born
Gerbert d'Aurillac, was a prolific scholar of the 10th century. He
introduced Arab knowledge of arithmetic and astronomy/astrology to
Europe. He was the first French Pope (see list), reigning from 999
until his death.
Many say just looking upon this image of The Pope and The Devil causes strange things to happen to them. Not so long ago a member of a Paranormal group in New York City found a small framed print. Actually the one you see above. The owner said they had purchased it at a occult shop and was told when they bought it that it was haunted and cursed. What better to investigate he thought. His research into the print brought him to understand a little bit more then he bargained for.
Gerbert was reputed to have studied magical arts and astrology in Seville. This gave rise to legends that portray him as a sorcerer in league with the Devil.
Gerbert d'Aurillact was supposed to be in possession of a book of spells stolen from an Arab philosopher in Spain. Gerbert fled, pursued by the victim, who could trace the thief by the stars, but Gerbert was aware of the pursuit, and hid hanging from a wooden bridge, where, suspended between heaven and earth, he was invisible to the magician.
Gerbert was supposed to have built a bronze head, or to have acquired it from the Nine Unknown Men, which would answer his questions with "yes" or "no". He was also reputed to have had a pact with a female demon called Meridiana, who had appeared after he had been rejected by his earthly love, and with whose help he managed to ascend to the papal throne (another legend tells that he won the papacy playing dice with the Devil). According to the legend, Meridiana (or the bronze head) told Gerbert that if he should ever read a mass in Jerusalem, the Devil would come for him. Gerbert then cancelled a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but when he read mass in the church of Saint Mary of Jerusalem (also called "Jerusalem church") in Rome, he became sick soon afterwards and, dying, he asked his cardinals to cut up his body and scatter it across the city. In another version, he was even attacked by the Devil while he was reading the Mass, and the Devil mutilated him and gave his gouged-out eyes to demons to play with in the Church. Repenting, Sylvester II then cut off his hand and his tongue.
The inscription on Gerbert's tomb reads in part: Iste locus Silvestris membra sepulti venturo Domino conferet ad sonitum ("This place, at the advent of the Lord, will yield to the sound [of the last trumpet] the buried members of Sylvester II", mis-read as "will make a sound") has given rise to the curious legend that his bones will rattle in that tomb just before the death of a Pope.
The legends about Gerbert as a sorcerer arose about a century after his death. There have been other Popes who were suspected of sorcery, for example John XXI (1276–77) and Benedict XII (1334–42). Pope Gregory XII (1406–15) was questioned about magical practices in 1409 at the Council of Pisa.
As the paranormal investigation began and he learned more about the print, strange sounds smells and noises began to plague in in the room where the print hung. He had even emailed a copies to his fellow group members who began to have similar experiences once they viewed the image on their computer screens or printed it out.
