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The Mysterious Gouffre de Padirac Caves

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Step into the unknown and explore the mysterious Gouffre de Padirac Cave in France. From stunning rock formations to underground rivers there are many dark stories that have been told about this place.

Prepare to be amazed as you explore the mysterious Padirac Chasm in France, or as it is called in France, Gouffre de Padirac. It is an enormous cave in Lot in the Occitanie Region in Southern France.

With its stunning rock formations and underground rivers, this natural wonder is sure to leave an impression. Along with the sights, the cave also comes with some eerie tales of ghosts that have been told over its many years in existence.

The History of Gouffre de Padirac

The Gouffre de Padirac was discovered, or at least throughout explored in 1889 by Frenchman, Edouard-Alfred Martel, who explored its almost 100m deep abyss. 

The chasm itself was made in an unknown point in time however when the roof of the cave collapsed and opened the abyss. We do know though that the cavern existed all the way back in the 3rd century. In the 1400s and 1500s it was even inhabited. 

The Chasm to Hell: The big hole going down, supposedly all the way down to hell has been speculated about among the locals for centuries. //Source/ wikimedia/Sail over

During the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion, the locals used the intricate cave system of Gouffre de Padirac as a shelter from the raging battles. 

Today over 400 000 tourists come to explore the caves, and as you explore the place, you can imagine the intrigue that greeted this fascinating discovery. Along with its stalagmites, underground rivers and rock formations, Padirac Cave will take your breath away.

The Features of Gouffre de Padirac

As you descend the 33m wide, 10m high entrance of Padirac Cave, you will be immediately amazed at the incredible rock formations that line the walls of limestone. Some are painted in colors like red and yellow while others look like shimmering ice-sculpted mounds. 

A Boat Ride Underground: Another legend told about this underground tunnells full of secrets is that there is a hidden treasure protected by fire. //Source/wikimedia/Tim Tim (VD fr)

An underground river flows through the depths of the cave and can be seen and heard snaking through as you approach its 77m deep abyss. The galleries were hollowed out around one or two million years ago. The river also creates a mesmerizing misty spray which adds a mystical atmosphere to your tour.

Chasms Made by Lucifer Himself

It’s no wonder that Gouffre de Padirac is believed by many to be the work of Lucifer himself. The long winding paths, deep crevices and dark abyss have become home to many legends and mysteries

It is said that Saint Martin, a man traveling to spread the word of God to the locals, was passing by and suddenly Lucifer stood before him with a number of souls of peasants condemned to hell he was leading them into. Lucifer made the Gouffre with a swipe of a talon and challenged Saint Martin. 

He had to cross the Gouffre de Padirac, the entire abyss, the very way to hell to save the souls condemned for hell. To win this challenge, Saint Martin jumped with his mule over it all. The mule left the imprint of his hoof when he landed, and it is said you can still see it to this day.  

Hidden Treasures Protected by Fire

One of the more persistent legends about this abyss and a hole in the earth is that there is a hidden treasure hidden in the depths of Gouffre de Padirac.

There are still tales about flames coming from the caves. Popular belief is that it is to protect a treasure that the English hid away during the Hundred Years War when the end was near and they knew they had lost. 

Mysterious and Magical Cave

Since the late 1600s, countless visitors have reported a range of mysterious phenomena that appear to make this French cave amazing. From spooky glow-in-the-dark creatures dotted throughout the walls and ceilings to haunting whispers late at night when all other sounds go silent, there is certainly no lack of wonder or enchantment that can be found here. 

Stories of lost adventurers never escaped their explorations and tales of long forgotten relics awaken ancient legends amongst curious visitors.

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Padirac Cave – Gouffre de Padirac – Quercy

The geological history | Gouffre de Padirac

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The Lost Castle of Hollerwiese

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The story of the lost castle of Hollerwiese on Mariahilfberg Hill is still a mystery to this day. It is said that the ghosts of those living in the castle are still seen on the meadow where the castle once stood. 

East of the city of Amberg in Bavarian Germany, there is a forest-covered ridge, reaching the top called Mariahilfberg Hill and has many mysterious legends surrounding it. The hilltop is crowned with a beautiful church, surrounded by a vast forest. Behind the church is a meadow known as the Hollerwiese or Hollow Meadow. 

It used to be an unwooded area up until the 1800s but is now covered with trees like the rest of the hill, hiding away the name and the legend. But according to legend, the ground sounds strangely hollow when you throw stones on it. 

Read Also: This is not the only mysterious forest in the world. Read about the haunted Romanian forest Hoia Baciu as well.

The Two Sisters

There is a legend that once there was a castle standing where two very wealthy sisters lived. They had also inherited the monastery in Amberg and the towns of Raigering and Neumühle from their father and had more than enough for both of them. 

Their wealth was stored in huge barrels and chests in the basement of the castle of Hollerwiese. The two sisters decided to share their wealth with each other and together they promised to help each other and live in harmony. 

One of the sisters was blind and the seeing sister was the one counting the money and keeping track of their fortune. In the beginning the blind sister trusted her sister without questions. 

The Church on the hill: Here you see Wallfahrtskirche Maria Hilf in Amberg. The lost castle and the meadow are supposed to be right behind it. //Source: Campiana/wikimedia

The seeing sister got greedy however and started to keep more and more to herself, giving her sister less. This was something the blind sister started to suspect. 

One day, the blind sister felt with her hand on the uneven stacks of gold and realized how her sister had deceived her. She cursed the castle, making it sink into the earth, still with both of them inside where none of them would have the opportunity to spend their fortune. 

In some versions of the legend, the blind one got out of Hollerwiese and spent the rest of her life in Neumühle. 

It is said that during holy celebrations many see the two sisters, sitting in the meadow, waving at those passing, reminding them about the barrels of gold that sits just underneath the surface. 

The Robber Baron

Another version of the story of the lost castle of Hollerwiese is about the thief that supposedly lived in the castle on the mountain. He stole goods from merchants and harvests from farmers. His daughter was grieved by their fathers criminal acts and tried to undo everything he did wrong by giving back to those he robbed. 

Often did she beg her father to stop, but he only laughed at her. And when she warned him about the Heavens vengeance, he only ignored her. But in the end, his greed was punished. 

Under a terrible thunderstorm the entire castle was washed away with all the residents. According to legend, there can still be sound remains of it under the meadow. 

Ever since that fateful night, a maiden in a white robe is seen sitting on a stone near the Hollerwiese on the evening of the solstice. Next to her is a black dog with a golden key in his mouth. This key is said to be able to open the treasure chambers of the sunken castle. 

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Ghostly encounters transpire close to Grafenwoehr | Article | The United States Army

Die gruseligsten Orte in der Oberpfalz | Galaxy Amberg-Weiden

Ein seltsames Geschichtsbuch

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The History and Legends of the Haunted Abbaye De Mortemer

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Discover the secrets and legends of Abbaye De Mortemer, an infamous haunted abbey in rural France. Explore its haunting history from Dames Blanches, ghost monks, werewolves and a goblin cat guarding a treasure.

Hidden deep within the French countryside lies the Abbaye De Mortemer, an ancient structure with a chilling past. The former Cistercian Monastery in the Forest of Lyons is the home to eerie sightings and ghostly apparitions.

Origins of the Abbaye De Mortemer

Established in 1134, the Abbaye De Mortemer was an ancient abbey that was a gift to the Cistercians by Henry I of England. 

Read Also: There are many supposedly haunted abbeys and monasteries around the world. Check them out: Here

The name comes from the stagnant water of the lake that was dug out by the monks. It was called the Dead Pond which in French is Morte Mare. 

Abbaye De Mortemer Ruins: Most of the once grand abbay in France is now only ruins and is said to be haunted by more than one ghost. //Source//Wikimedia/Tango7174

Who owned the abbey depended on who owned the land from year to year. It was founded by the English king, but ended up under the French crown after the Hundred Year War ended in 1453. 

It held out despite it falling into disrepair until 1790 when it was dissolved under the French Revolution. Only 4 monks remained alive living in the abbey. They would end up remaining there, even in their afterlife.  

Dame Blanches of Mathilde I’Emperesse

The one thought to be haunting the place is the daughter of Abbaye De Mortemer founder, Mathilde I’Emperesse or Matilda of England.

Her father was King Henry I of England and she was one of those with a claim to the English throne in the civil war between England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153 which was known as The Anarchy. 

Why she is haunting this abbey is unclear as she died at an old age far away. She had close ties to this abbey as it was said she was a very spiritual woman and the order of the Cisterican monks because of the importance of the Virgin Mary, a saint of great importance to her. 

A picture supposedly depicting her ghost got well known in 1999, however French television has since debunked the image as lighting trickery. 

According to legend she walks by the ancient pools and mist is created on them. By local lore you do best to look away if you spot her. If she wears black gloves it means bad luck and misfortune. If she is wearing white, there is a happy event in the coming year. If you see her twice though you are condemned to death. 

The Helpful Ghost Monks

People have reported a number of sinister legends and stories about the Abbaye De Mortemer. One popular story involves sightings of the infamous Black Monks, which are said to appear on dark nights in the abbey’s ruins. 

This is believed to be the ghosts of four monks who were murdered during the French Revolution in 1789 when the churches and abbeys were robbed for their wealth to fund the revolution and the monks were hunted down and dragged to the old cellar were the last brothers of the orders were massacred. 

Other visitors have experienced ghostly apparitions, chills, strange voices, and other forms of supernatural activity. Both the Delarue family that were going to move into the former abbey reported about seeing the monks as well as an English paratrooper in the second world war. 

He said that he was spotted by the enemy and was running around in the forest to hide. A monk came forward and guided him to safety before disappearing. The people at The Resistant Cell the paratrooper found, knew it had to be a monk from the Abbey. 

The Goblin Cat Haunting the Treasure

The haunted abbey is also said to be the home to a certain Goblin cat you can meet in the ruins in the form of a black cat. 

According to the legend, the cat is guarding a certain treasure of the abbey said to be so grand it could restore the abbey to its former glory. 

The She-Werewolf

One of the most famous legends concerning the Abbaye de Mortemer is the story of a werewolf haunting its grounds. According to legend, a cursed woman transformed into a wolf every night and terrorized all who crossed her path. 

This was thought to be a female werewolf known as the Garache in French Folklore with yellow eyes. This is the only tale of a Garache in Normandy apparently, a weird thing perhaps as French Folklore is filled with legends of shape shifting werewolves. 

A man named Roger Saboureau was out poaching in the forest in 1884 when he encountered this werewolf and he shot it dead without hesitation. 

When the Garache died though it returned to its human form and he saw it was his own wife. 

The Demonic Pink Room

In 1863 the building, restored somewhat and made into a family home, was bought by a rich Parisian named M.Delarue. He moved into the place with his wife and two children, but they soon found that it wasn’t without its history. 

One of the most notorious stories revolves around Abbaye De Mortemer’s so-called “Pink Room.” The room is mentioned by some of the owners who experienced so much hauntings it even broke an engagement. 

A young girl who was the fiance of the son, Charles Delarue, the owner of the building and living there came to stay with them once. She was given the pink room as it was the only one available. She was found in the morning, terrified of all the paranormal activity that had happened during the night. She announced she would never live there, broke off the engagement and hurried back to Paris. 

M.Delarue’s daughter had been a nurse during the First World War and told her father she had never been afraid in the trenches and would not be afraid of the pink room either. She made it her own and lived in it, but said that she always felt observed, but not threatened in the same way the former fiance of the family had. 

The Exorcism of the Abbey

The Delarue family stayed in the former abbey for quite some time, but in 1921 they thought it was about time with an exorcism. Not the first one though, and they called once again upon Abbé Humbolt who had done the previous ones also. 

They ordered another exorcism of the Pink Room and the Abbey and it did become quiet for some time. But then it started again. How is it today?

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References

Mortemer Abbey – Wikipedia

Tales and legends – Mortemer Abbey 

The unquiet soul of Abbaye de Mortemer | History, ghosts and ruins

Empress Matilda – Wikipedia