Devil's door

The devil's door is a term for structural features found in the north wall of some medieval and older churches in the United Kingdom.

[1] 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.

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.

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.

[2][3] Churches were generally built to the north of roads and tracks, to ensure their main entrance was on the south side.