Christoph Haizmann’s lifetime desire was to be acknowledged for doing what he loved most: art. From an early age, he proved to have the abilities to pursue a career in plastic arts. He would spend hours admiring the tableaus at the local church of his natal town in Bavaria. These art pieces showed the greatness of the holy trinity and the terrible doom that sinners would endure. He always showed a particular interest on these subjects, since he couldn’t understand how people were capable of committing these despicable actions if they knew what was the final punishment.
While growing up, he felt a strong connection with the biblical story of Job, a wealthy and pious farmer. When Satan noticed how fortunate this man was, he made a bet with God to prove Job only loved Him because he had a good life, not because of faith. In order to prove Satan wrong, God allowed him to put Job to the test. Satan punished Job with diseases, poverty, the hatred of his wife, and the death of his children. Despite all the tragedies he endured, Job proved his loyalty to God.
It isn’t that hard to see why Haizmann felt that connection with this biblical character: he had spent half of his life painting and hadn’t become the famous artist he had always dreamt of becoming. In Traunstein, his hometown, he felt stagnated, which is why he decided to move to Austria. There, he realized his dream was the same of many, and the competition to rise to the top was tough. Moreover, he saw that he wasn’t even near the level of the best painters of the Austrian art scene and realized his work would be forgotten by time.
In 1668, his father died and with it, his faith in God. It wasn’t that easy to follow Job’s steps, and he finally surrendered to the temptations of that evil being who put him to the test. As the story goes, Satan appeared before his eyes in the form of an aristocrat and tried to convince him to sign a contract with him. Haizmann refused many times; he still remembered all those images on the tableaus and the horrors sinners endured. However, it all changed when he remembered the loss of his father. He signed twice, first with regular ink, and then with blood. It was worth it; after all, he thought his soul was nothing compared to nine years of artistic inspiration, creativity, and fame.
Time passed and it seemed that Haizmann had been deceived. He never reached the success he wanted, and in August, 1677, he suffered a series of seizures that threatened his life. It wasn’t necessary to call a doctor, since everyone knew the reasons behind his afflictions: Lucifer was claiming his property. The only thing his acquaintances could do was take him to the Pottenbrunn church and wait for the best.
The priests of this church practiced the first exorcism Haizmann would experience. Through prayers and penance, his soul was eventually freed. On September 8, all his efforts had finally paid off. As the story goes, at midnight, a winged dragon visited him and gave him back the blood contract he had signed. Papers in hand, he was ready to start a new life and move to Vienna with his sister. Little did he know that the devil wasn’t going to allow his debtor to run away that easily.
All the afflictions returned: he had persistent hallucinations and amnesia. He had constant convulsions and chronic pain. This time, the devil wasn’t the source of his torment, but celestial figures who wanted to punish him for daring to move away from the light.
In May 1678, he went to the church to ask for help and he entered the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers, where the devil tried to tempt him once again, but he had learned his lesson. Brother Christoph died two years later due to a fever. This time he was finally at peace.
Christoph Haizmann’s dealings with the devil inspired many, including Sigmund Freud. The Father of Psychoanalysis theorized that the devil who tormented this poor artist was only a representation of his neurosis. In the end, the devil kept his word, Christoph Haizmann’s work would be forever remember and tied to the morning star.
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Source:
Esoterx
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Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
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