Lishnevsky house, also known as the house with ‪‎Mephistopheles‬, built in 1910 in St. ‪‎Petersburg‬ has lost its face, literally: This Wednesday, August 26th, several “faceless” workers have removed the Mephistopheles relief from the facade of the historical building.

Some report that the removal of the bas-relief depicting the mythical demon might be connected to the construction of an Orthodox church across the street.

Ironically, the bas-relief survived the devastation of the WWII, the siege of Leningrad, and the secular policies of the Soviet Union. To recap: This happened in Russia’s cultural center, in the middle of the day, in the 21st century.

Image source (Andrey Libenson)