--- description: The central Spanish city of Segovia is up in arms over a sculpture of Satan that residents say is a little too personable title: Sculpture of Smiling Satan Causes Controversy in Spain image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dda9e6fff5b4a9f/6989435fab6d776d6c6b49e6/gettyimages-929323746.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Spain](/tag/spain/) ## Spain Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Sculpture of the Devil Smiling and Taking a Selfie Is Causing Controversy in Spain by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 16, 2019 5:53 AM CUT  Segovia's Roman aqueduct which dates from the 1st or 2nd century A.D., and the old town, seen on June 18, 2017, are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Segovia's Roman aqueduct which dates from the 1st or 2nd century A.D., and the old town, seen on June 18, 2017, are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Education Images—UIG/Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 16, 2019 5:53 AM CUT A Spanish city is up in arms over a proposed [sculpture of Satan](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46878941 "undefined") that residents say is portrayed too positively. Segovia, a city in central Spain, is divided over plans to install the bronze statue portraying the devil grinning and taking a selfie, the BBC reports. The effigy alludes to a [local folktale](http://visitsegovia.turismodesegovia.com/es/microsites/the-acueduct-of-segovia/legend-of-the-aquieduct "undefined"), which says the city’s Roman-era aqueduct was built by the devil in exchange for a young girl’s soul. (She ended up getting it back, the story goes.) The two-tiered structure, built around the year 50 and spanning half a mile, is [listed](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/311 "undefined") along with the old town center as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Satanic sculpture was [commissioned](https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/01/14/inenglish/1547483270%5F385288.html "undefined") by the city council in hopes of drawing tourists to some of the town’s lesser-known neighborhoods, according to Spain’s _El Pais_ newspaper. But residents were perturbed by the playful Prince of Darkness. Some 5,500 people — approximately 10% of the entire city’s population — have [signed an online petition](https://www.change.org/p/ayuntamiento-segovia-que-no-pongan-la-estatua-del-diablo-en-segovia "undefined") calling for the project to be scrapped. The proposed sculpture is inappropriately “jovial” and “exalts evil,” the petition organizers write, adding that Satan should be “repulsive and despicable — not kind and seductive.” “This representation is offensive to Catholics,” the petition adds. The sculpture’s installation has been postponed while a judge reviews the merits of the argument, according to the BBC. But the artist, José Antonio Abella, was astonished by the backlash. “I love Segovia,” Abella, a retired doctor, told the BBC. “I haven’t done this for the money but as a personal tribute to the city I call mine. 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