The legend of the “Satan’s Scratches” (Unghiate del Diavolo) on the Cathedral of Pisa (Duomo di Pisa) is a widely known story tied to the Piazza dei Miracoli. In accordance with the story, the Satan, jealous of the cathedral’s magnificence, tried to cease its building by climbing the north facet of the constructing. An angel intervened to guard it, however earlier than being pushed away, the Satan managed to depart claw marks on a bit of marble together with his fingernails.
This marble slab continues to be seen immediately on the north facet of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, close to the Camposanto Monumentale at eye stage. It’s simply acknowledged by the quite a few small holes mentioned to be the Satan’s scratches.
A curious element of the legend is that the variety of these “scratches” appears to vary each time they’re counted, making it unattainable to get the identical consequence twice.
Traditionally, nevertheless, these marks are historic drill holes from a Roman ornamental ingredient that was later repurposed as a marble block for the cathedral’s building.
