Demonic Murals Take Over Former French Church To Mark ‘Diablo IV’ Release

A French church is getting some rather demonic additions to its chapel in anticipation of the release of Diablo IV. The gothic and satanic nature of the game has been channeled into grand paintings that have transformed this place of worship into a shrine to the battle with Lilith, Queen of the Succubi, and a player’s journey in The Burning Hells.

Blizzard, the company behind the Diablo franchise, hasn’t actually set up this sacrilegious marketing scheme to promote a video game about a lone hero facing up to rid the world of Diablo, the Lord of Terror, in an actual functioning church. The building has been deconsecrated, which means that it is no longer a sacred site of worship.

The chapel, located in northern France, is a 17th-century Baroque-era cathedral called the Chapelle des Jésuites, or the Jesuits’ Chapel. While it may no longer be where people can attend mass or take the eucharist, it is still a historic site.

And with that, the artwork of the game isn’t plastered over the walls. Instead, Blizzard had 20 paintings first done on canvas and then installed throughout the cathedral’s ceiling, dome, and back wall covering over the previous pious depictions of the life of Christ as done by Flemish painter Arnould de Vuez. 

As detailed in a video showing the creation process of ‘The Church of Diablo’, the 160-foot mural took a month to complete and was led by creative company 72andSunny and artist Adam Miller. When done, it resulted in a masterful piece that would have any innocent passerby thinking they had stumbled into a satanic church topped off with haunting images in honor of a hero’s war against the evils of the Diablo universe.

Taking the experience to the next level, Blizzard is inviting fans who reach max level in the new game to enter a competition. Those selected will have their visage immortalized in the mural and a photo of Miller painting them into the final battle in the cathedral.

Blizzard will host two beta weekends for the game, from March 17 to March 20, and an open beta from March 24 to March 27.

[via The Drum and PC Gamer, images via Diablo/Blizzard]