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The Devil’s Monastery in Carmona

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The ruins of Huerta de San José Monastery in Carmona, Seville were once thought to be haunted by demons and the devil himself. After a horrible tragedy that ended in the death of all the monks, the place has been known as The Devil’s Monastery or the Monastery from Hell. 

Spain is famous for its haunted history and tales of angels and demons. With its rich history and diverse culture, there are many places that are said to be haunted. In Carmona in Seville, Spain there is the ruins of a monastery that is said to be cursed by the devil himself. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

The church known as The Devil’s Monastery is known for the mysterious and spooky presence of a ghost, who is rumored to have been lingering there for centuries. The stories surrounding this The Devil’s Monastery are fascinating and are sure to give you chills down your spine. In this blog post, we will explore the history of the haunted church in Spain and the ghost that haunts it.

The Monastery from Hell

Huerta de San José Monastery, belonged to the religious order of the Carmelites of Saint Joseph. The cloister dates back to the 17th century but was never completed. The building close to the small and sleepy village was only used for a couple of decades before a horrible tragedy befell the monastery. 

Read more: Check out all of our stories from Haunted Monasteries and Churches from all around the world.

A group of Franciscan-Dominican friars came to the hilltop to build their monastery to both be a convent as well as a boarding school for the locals. Here they would serve the words of their lord in peace. But the fact was that their dream about Huerta de San José Monastery would never be true and the convent would never be remembered as the place of god, but The Devil’s Monastery.

In 1680, Don Jaime Malvidas joined the convent as a new monk. According to the documents that were made from the case about the Huerta de San José Monastery at the time, Maldives woke up in the morning and found out his door was bolted from the outside.

The fact that the door was locked wasn’t an unusual thing, as the Dominican monks had a habit of locking themselves in after Vespers before opening the doors in the morning. But this time, there was no one there to open it. 

He tried to meditate as he waited for morning, but the sound of steps outside made him curious. They stopped right outside and the door was opened with a bang. But when he looked outside, he found no one. 

He thought maybe he was late for mass and hurried toward the chapel they were building. But there was no one. The only thing he heard was a wailing he almost thought came from himself. He started to investigate and went down into the basement. There he found all of the friars hanging from hooks, all dead. 

And according to his testimony he also said this:  I, gentlemen, upon seeing that infernal and bloody setting, began to see some small beings, who crowded around the dead bodies, ate their meat.

A fire broke out in now The Devil’s Monastery, and the monk ran out screaming that Satan was here. Some say that the monk really did meet the devil in the basement and left him alive to tell the world about his arrival. No one believed him and he was arrested after reporting it all to the authorities.

Satan Appearing in Huerta de San José Monastery

The next day the locals approached the burnt The Devil’s Monastery with crosses and bibles burying the dead monks. As they did it was as the sky darkened and what seemed like the face of Satan himself appeared between two columns of Huerta de San José Monastery.

Carmona City: The entire city had to live with the after effects of the cursed monastery. For years the city tried to repent for what happened that night in the convent.

They entered the building with their protection, but it was all for nothing as Satan was watching from the bell tower. He threw them around “like dolls” according to the documents. but an earthquake forced them out and further damaged the building. 
Huerta de San José Monastery was purged with salt and the whole city had two years of masses to absolve them from the evil they had encountered those days. 

Read more: Have a look at the story about Haunting in Hardtkapelle Wielenbach where the devil also is said to have appeared. 

In the ruins of what is left of the The Devil’s Monastery, it is said the souls of the murdered monks are still trapped inside and haunt the place, all the documents signed by the Archbishop of Jerez. 

The Ghost of The Devil’s Monastery

People that have visited the ruins of The Devil’s Monastery claim to have heard whispers and ghostly silhouettes of the monks. Gregorian voices and chants have been heard as well as strange lights floating around the place. 

Today the ruins of Huerta de San José Monastery is abandoned except for those wandering in the outskirts of the nearby village or the nightly ghost tours they have to try to catch a glimpse of the murdered monks trapped forever where they died. 

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References:

El misterio del ‘Monasterio del Diablo’

Monasterio Huerta de San José – Carmona

Huerta de San José monastery, Carmona, Spain, December 2017 | Derelict Places – Urban Exploring Forum

Abandoned Devil’s Monastery, Seville, Spain

Ten paranormal places that you can actually visit in Spain

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The Chanting Monks Haunting La Boquería Market

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Every year it is said that a procession of ghost monks are haunting La Boquería market in Barcelona. They are still mad about how the monks that lived in the monastery that were there behaved, and the story is that it ended bloody. 

The thought of a haunted place is enough to make many people shiver. Some people love nothing more than to explore the creepy corners of spooky locations, while others run the other way. But what happens when a church is haunted? In Spain, there is a former monastery that has been the subject of many spine-chilling stories. The haunted church is known for the ghost that is said to be lingering there. Are these stories true or just a legend?

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

Right by the bustling La Rambla in Barcelona there is a famous food market called La Boquería or The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria. Fresh vegetables, traditional food, al within the enclosed marked that has become a staple of Barcelona landmarks now. But there used to be a time were it was a place of worship, and ended with a visit from the devil himself.

La Boquería Marked: Today the place is a bustling marked for food and no one really pays any attention to the haunted legends about this place. But it is said that every year a procession of ghost monks wanders and chants after the devil himself made an appearance in the monastery that used to be there.

The first mention of the La Boquería is from 1217 when a few tables were put up by the old city gate to sell meat. Until the 1800s the market wasn’t officially recognized and not enclosed as it is today. It was simply growing and spreading until the city decided to make a roof over the stalls and recognize it as a proper marked. 

La Boquería market was built on top of an old monastery built by the Carmelites Descalços in 1586. There was a time in Barcelona filled with riots towards the monesteries and churches and it is from this place the ghost story takes place. 

The Broken Traditions in the Monastery

The haunting incident happened in 1835 and according to the stories the monks had become too relaxed in their ways of worship. Their whole tradition was built on prayer and celebrating their patrons and weren’t even praying on the date of their patron saint Our Lady of Carmen. 

Read more: Check out all of our stories from Haunted Monasteries and Churches from all around the world.

There was only one monk who cared about their lacking ways and spoke up about it to the higher ups. But the convent prior didn’t care about the young monks’ warnings and the monks relaxed ways continued until the warnings came back to haunt them. 

According to legend the place became haunted when a group of dead friars suddenly appeared to the brothers of the convents, singing to them, perhaps cursing them, perhaps warning them about their oncoming demise?

The Chanting Skeleton Monks

One night the monks in the convent woke up by the chanting and went to the church where the sound came from. They found a choir of skeletal monks singing a sinister psalm, one more sinister than the other to the monks of the monastery. The skeleton monks chanting to them were all dead brothers of the order that used to live in the convent.

The living monks waited in terrified silence until the singing was over before they lit up the candles and led the ghosts back to their tombs in the convent cemetery. The tombs of the skeleton monks were already open and didn’t close before the chanting skeleton monks returned from their nightly choir session.

The Murder of the Monks

Why did the ghost monks appear to them? What did they want, chanting sinister psalms to their living brothers? There are several stories about what happened, and they all ended in fire and blood.  

One version of the legend is that the monks returned to where the choir had been singing and found the young monk that had complained about the lack of prayer dead. Why he died and by what means was never found out. There is also a version that tells that he was the only survivor of his brothers. Because what happened next was a bloodbath.

The Chanting Monks: Only one monk is said to have spoken up about not honoring their traditions and responsibilities as monks. The monks were all murdered in a riot after he warned them in the place were the La Boquería market today is.

Because, ten days after the apparition of the ghostly friars chanting their ghost songs, the monastery was attacked and burnt to the ground in the riots and the monks that lived there were all killed. It was because of riots that happened against religious buildings at the time and the day was remembered as Burning of the Convent. 

There is a really complex and long history of why the convents were attacked. Barcelona was in a state of unrest, and a riot were culminating under the lid, only waiting for a chance to blow up.

The riots started after an especially bad bullfight in El Torrin which was a bullring in Barcelona not too far from La Boquería market. The angry people watching the bullfight turned into a mob and started rioting, dragging decapitated heads of the bulls around the city and set fire to churches. And the convent were La Boquería is now standing was dragged into the mess.  

The Chanting Annual Ghosts at La Boquería

After the destruction of the convent the city of Barcelona decided to expand on the La Boquería market to fill the empty void the convent left. The blood bath was soon forgotten, and people returned to discuss meat and vegetable prices across the stalls, not vague talk about ghost monks and the devil appearing… at least for most of the year. 

According to legend the monks come back every year to haunt the La Boquería marked on the place were the monastery was. On the day the monastery was burned, July 25th, you can still hear the ghostly voices of the monks singing through the whole market. 

There are also those that say that the singing on La Boquería market happens on July the 15th on Our Lady of Carmen’s Eve. 

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References:

The Gothic Arch of Sant Adrià: Gateway to Barcelona

History of the Boqueria | Market of the Ramblas of Barcelona

La Boqueria – Wikipedia

13 Barcelona Haunted Houses & Places that will creep you out

Haunted and Mysterious Places in Barcelona | 19 Local Legends

Halloween: Spain’s most haunted places – The Local

Visiting Spain’s Most Haunted Locations | Right Casa Estates

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The Warrior Countess Ghost of Eltz Castle

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Few castles capture the European medieval feeling as Eltz Castle does. The long lasting Eltz family has always watched over the place, and even in death, there is an ax wielding countess in full armor, haunting the place. 

Steeped in history and mystery, Germany’s old castles are some of the most fascinating pieces of architecture in existence. These majestic fortresses are stories in themselves, filled with centuries-old legends and ghost stories. From dark fairy tales about princesses and knights to hidden passages and hidden rooms – these castles have something to captivate even the most jaded spirit! Every stone tells a tale of intrigue, from ancient battles to wicked plots. Without a doubt, a tour through Germany’s haunted old castles will leave you with an experience unlike any other.

The Eltz castle is definitely on that type of list and is a medieval castle on the top above the Moselle river in the Rhineland, west in Germany. The castle has belonged to the House of Eltz who have lived there since the 1100s and is one of the few castles that have never been destroyed and rebuilt. 

The armory and treasury in the Eltz Castle is considered to be one of the most important collections of its kind in Europe, and holds so much history. The castle is also said to hold more than one ghost, but the most well known of them is that of Countess Agnes of Eltz. 

The Countess Agnes

Agnes was the daughter of the 15th count of the Eltz Castle at the time. She was said to have been a beautiful girl and was promised to be the wife to the knight of Braunsberg. They had been engaged since they were children, and the time for a proper wedding and marriage were approaching. However, the Countess didn’t like her betrothed at all as he was a ruthless and mean man and far from a chivalry knight as they are often painted to be in fairytales. 

On the day of their engagement, they held an engagement party for the two families to come together. The knight of Braunsberg turned out to be even more despicable now as the marriage was more than just a distant future and Agnes refused to kiss him when he went for it as she was known to have a will of her own and out of a fight if she had to. 

According to some testaments, she usually hung out with her warrior brother more than her female companions. In some reports, it is said she only refused his advances, in others, she outright slapped him back when he forced himself onto her. This threw him into a rage and he declared a war on the entire family to repay for him being embarrassed in that manner. 

The Revenge of the Eltz

A few months passed, some say a whole year as the knight of Braunsberg waited, planned and came back for his revenge. And he returned to Eltz Castle with an army. He managed to lure the count and his knights out of the castle into an open battle, and some say he waited until the Count of Eltz went out hunting. 

Agnes remained in the castle together with only some servants, just as the knight of Braunsberg had planned. Alone in the castle the single Countess would be an easy target for the knight and his men. 

As he advanced with his soldiers to the Eltz Castle, he was one step closer to Agnes. The knight of Braunsberg had planned to take Agnes back with force, but had never anticipated that she would fight back the way she did. Just as she had done at the engagement party, she chose to hold her ground, but this time with an battle ax.  

She put on her brother’s armor and picked up weapons together with her servants. Together they fought side by side against the attackers. She is said to have had a battle-axe she wielded against her enemies. 

An arrow from the knight hit her and she died from the wound almost immediately. The servants who had loyally fought by her side were enraged and defeated the knight, killing him and ending the attack. 

The Ghost of the Countess

The bravery and steadfastness of the Countess is said to represent the Eltz family and their 800 years of history in the Eltz Castle. The ghost of Agnes is said to still linger inside of the castle. In her former room , the breastplate still hangs on the wall, with the hole from the arrow still visible. Her battle-axe also remained, protecting herself from the horrible knight to this day. 

She can be seen by the entrance of the Eltz Castle to this day, still wearing her suit of armor. It is also said that a phantom horseman is also riding outside of the gates, and the knight of Braunsberg is still seeking forgiveness for what he did. 

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Eltz Castle: A Fairy Tale in Stone – Discover Germany

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The Closed Door of the Ghost Town of Ochate

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There is something strange going on in the ghost town of Ochate. Tucked away in the Basque countryside, the abandoned town has been the center of murder mysteries, unexplained disappearances and strange lights, sounds and sightings were there isn’t supposed to be any. 

This town in Burgos, Spain has been abandoned since the mid 19th century and the Basque city is said to be a cursed place, haunted with a couple of paranormal mysteries attached to it. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

Today the route and road to the town is nothing more than a hiking route for those wanting fresh air, but when you reach the entry to the village, you will find the remains of an entire society that nature and time is now trying to reclaim. 

The Abandoned Town of Ochate

Not much is left of the village except crumbling ruins, grass covered streets that fades for every season that passes. The town of Ochate actually dated back as a settlement as far back as the Bronze age. The town has in fact been abandoned more than one time. The first one being at the end of the 13th century before it was revived again in the mid 1500s. 

Before 1860 Ochate was a growing and busy town settled with cattle farmers and people lived on what they grew. Ochate, or Otxate as it is written in Basque. In some dialects this translates as “Secret Door” and for many, this name fits well with the many legends and rumors about the place. 

The Cursed Epidemics Haunting the Town

What happened in the village is still not absolutely clear, but we do know the Spanish Flu hit hard here that globally took the life of between 25-50 millions. 

Not only one but three different epidemics during the course of a decade wiped out the population and no one wanted to settle there in the 1920s. People then started to leave the old village in search for a place without the sickness that had taken their entire village. 

The Deadly Epidemics: The Spanish flu was a virus that spread easily and infected people throughout the world. Because the virus was new, very few people, if any, had some immunity to the disease. From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people globally.

What was strange about the epidemics was how it looked; it only affected Ochate town and there was not much spreading to the nearby villages at the time. It was a town quite far from the next one, but still, why did it seem to hit this particular town so far from everything else in the first place? This is what seems to have started the rumors about Ochate being a cursed town. 

The Murders of the Shepherd

Because of heavy rain and hail it destroyed the crops the villagers depended on.There were also many years of bad harvests that forced many people to look elsewhere for work and a life.  

In 1930 there were only two families left in the village, and because of an unstable pastor that started to threaten everyone, they decided to move to another village. The last man in the village decided to follow them soon after. 

In 1936 there wasn’t anyone living there, but some shepherds were herding sheeps in the nearby areas. One of them ended up brutally murdering another shepherd in one of the abandoned houses in the village and it put the nail in the coffin for good. The town was now truly a ghost town. 

The Old Ghost Town in Modern Times

The old abandoned village was often forgotten and nature started to take it back, little by little and no one really paid it any attention for the next decades. 

In 1973 the town got talked about again when a person from the village next to Ochate disappeared under mysterious circumstances while he was plowing his field, and the rumors about Ochate being a place where people went to disappear started growing. 

 In 1980 there was a new interest for the village as rumors about something strange going on there spread. Paranormal researchers had started to investigate the town and claimed to have voices and ghostly sightings on tape. 

In 1981, someone claimed that a UFO was seen. People that were looking out to the universe, believing in aliens thought they saw strange lights and UFO’s. 

Strange lights from the village came from the night, and many have claimed it to be ghosts, and the rest claim it’s from the stone sarcophagi burundi in the ground around the village. 

But mostly there were the legends of the people that disappeared from the nearby area under mysterious circumstances without a trace that never came back.

The Articles about the Mysteries in Ochate

The mystic events in Ochate were written about by a local man, Prudencio Muguruza in his article Luces en la puerta secreta from 1982 and really started to get the haunted rumors about the ghost town moving. 

In the article he claimed to have seen these mysterious lights as well as held up the claim that the villagers were wiped out by epidemics. 

After the publication of the article the place got noticed by more people and theories about what happened there and what people saw. But what really came first, his article or the haunted rumors?

Alberto Fernandez and hit Paranormal Research

In 1987 a paranormal researcher named Alberto Fernandez brought a team to record these strange voices that people had been talking about for years. 

According to them, the mission was a success and they came back with two recordings of what they claimed was something paranormal. Further questioning from Fernandez was sadly not possible as he took his own life on one of his trips to Ochate. 

The Woman and the Little Girl

People that visited the place and explored the ruins claimed to have heard the voices of a woman and a young girl saying something that can sound like “Kanpora”, which is a Basque word meaning “get out”  in English. 

There was also the voice of a woman heard speaking in Spanish: “¿Que hace aún la puerta cerrada?”. This means something like “Why is the door still closed?”

Have a look at the pictures from the town and listen to the tapes. Can you hear it?

Was the Legend of Ochate True?

So what really happened in the abandoned village of Ochate? Did the villagers really die because of a horrible epidemic that killed all of them? Did people really vanish into thin air when staying too close to the place?

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Towns and Cities all around the world.

Because of the strange connection to the word door, many have started to speculate that the village has some sort of door between this world and the next. 

In 2017 there was a book published about it by Julio Corral and Antonio Arroyo. They claimed that there was no proof of an epidemic at all, and that the villagers simply left because the Royal Road or the Camino Real changed the course away from the village, and left Ochate roadless in the middle of nowhere. 

Perhaps one day, like it did once before, someone will once come and open the door and revive the Ochate town again. 

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References:

Mysterious and Haunted Places in Spain

The 10 most famous haunted houses in Spain — idealista

Ten paranormal places that you can actually visit in Spain

Ochate: Abandoned Door to Another World? – Caryn Larrinaga

Ochate – A Spanish Ghost Town

Ochate – Wikipedia

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The Haunted Town and Tragedy of Belchite

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One of the most famous haunted towns in Spain is definitely Belchite. During the Spanish Civil War the prospering town got caught up in the battles and were left in ruins and as a warning from Franco what happened to those opposed to his regime. Today, it is said that the villagers still haunt the ruins they once called home. 

Spain is home to many haunted places, including the abandoned town of Belchite. Located in the province of Zaragoza in Aragon, Belchite is a ghost town that has been left in ruins since the Spanish Civil War in 1937.

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

South of Zaragoza in Aragón is the former town of Belchite, a town that was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 in a big battle and all the 3000 people living in the village over a couple of weeks. After this, it was never rebuilt and no one returned to it. 

There is a huge metal cross on the main square in the old village that is a memorial to those who died in the civil war between the Spanish Republicans and General Franco’s fascist rebel forces, as no one wanted to move back to it after the war. 
Because of Belchite’s tragic past, the ghost town has left a dark reputation as one of Spain’s most haunted places. 

Franco’s Warning to Those who Opposed him

Belchite was once a prosperous town with a history dating back to the 12th century.It was built as a fortress commune for knights that were going to the holy crusades and saw its fair share of battles in the Peninsula War between Spain and France in 1809. But it was a civil war that would be the bloodiest. 

At the time there were around 4000 people living in the village, and those who were lucky managed to flee the place before all hell broke loose. 

The Giant Cross: There is not much left of the Belchite town today, and for memorial they have put up a giant iron cross to remember the souls that lost their lives.

But was destroyed and the ruins of the town were left as is by Franco because he wanted to use them as a warning of what would happen to the people if they didn’t do as he said. The Republicans were actually making their way to Zaragoza to hinder the nationalists progress in the north.

One stop on the Republicans’ way to Zaragoza was Belchite, which was caught in between the two forces. At the time the little town was under Nationalist control. 

The water supply was cut off and those trapped inside were starved to death in the scorching heat or killed in the battles that were going on in the hills. 

Eventually the battle came into the village as the bombs had layd most of it to ruins and the republican forces came in with tanks and the warfare turned into street fights. They went from house to house and in the final week of August and first week of September. 

Dozens of women and children tried to take refuge in the clock tower during the battles, but they lit the building on fire and smoked them all out. 

The bodies were so many and thrown into a pile in the town square. At one point during those two weeks, the pile of dead bodies was a storey high before they burnt them in a gasoline fueled fire day and night. 

The Town Left in Ruins: Only rubbles, ruins and ghosts are left in the town of Belchite after the battles during the Spanish Civil War.

The smell of the dead was so strong people had to wear gas masks, even if the heat was brutal.  Some of the villagers also ended up entombed as they were thrown down a trujal, which is an underground olive oil press. Their bodies are still there today, it is said. 

We don’t have an exact death toll over those who were killed during these two weeks as no one recorded it officially. However, eyewitnesses tell that as many as 5000, including the civilians, died. 

The battle led nowhere really, and the republicans goal to stop the nationalists progress in the north failed and only a trail of ruins and dead was to show for the plans. In 1938 the Nationalist retook the ruins of Belchite. The Village of Belchite is Left in Ruins

After the Civil War ended in victory for Franco and his fascist and nationalist followers in 1939, Franco then ordered the construction of a new town nearby instead to let Belchite sit in its ruins. He wanted it to remain as a monument of the war for propaganda reasons and to show the world what his opponents did to the country. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Towns and Cities all around the world.

The new village wasn’t completed until 1954 and was built mainly by Republican prisoners from the war. Those left in Belchite had to roam in the ruins under the bricks and beams were corpses of their loved ones and their homes completely destroyed. The Clock Tower is barely standing upright and the cathedral is littered in bullet holes. 

After the war Franco established a dictatorship that lasted until his death in 1975. Perhaps the village is today remembered more brutally under the fascist regime than what Franco intended. 

Ghost of the Civil War

The town is said to be haunted by the ghosts of those who died during the war and those who were forced to flee their homes. Now they wander among the ruins that are never going to be rebuilt.

Both the farmers that live close to the abandoned city as well as those brave enough to visit this eerie place have reported hearing strange noises and seeing mysterious figures lurking in its shadows.

There is not just one ghost haunting this place, but rather a cluster of them. People claim to have heard many calls in the empty streets, among other things they claim to have heard a call from a small child to its mother at dusk echoing faintly in the abandoned streets. 

The Haunted Church and Bell Tower

The church of San Agustin is badly damaged after those fateful days, but the ruins of it are still towering in the old village with its belltower. Before the civil war it was a gathering place for all in town, today it looms over the ruins with no one attending the church. Still, there are strange sounds coming from the belltower.

The Ringing Bell Tower: Belchite around 1900 before the battles when the town was whole, alive and untouched by the destructive civil war.

In the following years the town got a haunted reputation, especially the former church and school was said to be haunted by something paranormal. People claim to have heard the church bells ringing from the empty bell tower. Today the town is a memorial of the tragic past and is only accessible with a local guide. 

Ghost Hunters Seeking the Paranormal of Belchite

Until 2014, the ruins of Belchite were free for everyone to wander as they liked, but now the town is restricted to guided tours and is fenced off to try to keep the ruins as they were. 

People come to Belchite as tourists to try to learn about the history and what happened here, as well as people who used to live there and their relatives. The village also gets a couple of more odd visitors seeking something else. The abandoned town gets a lot of ghost hunters coming in with their equipment to try to get some of the supposed hauntings on tape. 

Belchite Today: Franco wanted the ruins of the town to be a warning, today it is used to show the destructive forces of war. Closed off by a fence, the town will continue to be abandoned and the only thing living there are its ghosts.

The place has even become a popular movie set for movies and commercials and parts of Pan’s Labyrinth were filmed there.
Today the Civil War is still a sensitive issue in Spain, where there are still people alive from the time. Politics is often still divided into left and right as it was then, although perhaps not so polar opposites, but the shadows and ghosts of Belchite remains as a reminder of just how destructive it can be. 

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References:

Visiting Spain’s Most Haunted Locations | Right Casa Estates

https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/inside-the-most-haunted-town-in-the-world-which-saw-tragedy-on-an-unimaginable-scale/news-story/5d5a768652d2d5526e7b1be33b178da3

Belchite – Wikipedia

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The Ghosts that Drove the Villagers of La Cornudilla out of Town

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Deep in the Valencian mountains in Spain you will find the abandoned town La Cornudilla. According to the rumors, the villagers were haunted for years and it was so intense they decided to leave it completely. Today, the ghost town have nothing but ghosts living there. 

Spain is home to a plethora of haunted abandoned towns tucked up on the mountainsides and deep in the forests, far from the bustling cities closer to the coast. These ghost towns are believed to be haunted by the ghosts of their former residents, and some believe that these ghosts still linger in the shadows of these forgotten places.

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

The stories of these haunted abandoned towns in Spain continue to fascinate people from all walks of life as you see the abandoned buildings that no one lives in anymore. At least, not any living things anyway. 

From mysterious disappearances to inexplicable noises, there are plenty of tales that surround these eerie locations.
La Cornudilla is said to be a haunted town between the towns of Requena and Utiel in the Province of Valencia.

It is located in deep the hills of the Sierra de Los Visos or La Ceja and today it is abandoned and according to legend the place is haunted even before the people left it. 

The Ghosts that Drove the People out of Town

Most haunted towns became haunted first after the people left it and the silence left were filled with ghost stories. La Cornudilla town was a bit different though as the haunted rumors started before the people left. Together with the lack of drinking water, electricity and other things for the modern world, it is said that a series of paranormal events drove the people out of town. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Towns and Cities all around the world.

According to the villagers, they heard voices and screams around La Cornudilla up to the end of 1950s and the villagers couldn’t even sleep, the sounds were so intense. There were however no one that could find out why or from where the sounds came from. 

In the middle of the night they kept hearing the sound of children crying and chains clanking, and eventually the fear ate the town up and the people left it.  

In the end the strange noises in La Cornudilla stopped except in one place, called The House of Noises that plagued the entire village. Today the house is just a rubble of ruins and stones, but people still claim to hear strange noises coming from it according to those visiting the ruins. 

Why Did the Town Become Haunted?

So why did this quaint little town tucked in the mountains in Spain suddenly become haunted without any explanation? The fact that the town didn’t have modern electricity, were far off from the rest of the civilisation and lacking drinking water certainly contributed to people packing up their things and leaving for other opportunities in the cities. 

Still, the legend about the town being haunted persists. Some people believe the strange things happening is because of the Arab cemetery that was already there where La Cornudilla village was built. 

Could the disturbed souls from the cemetery that used to be there be a contributing factor for the intense poltergeist activity the villagers of La Cornudilla experienced and eventually drove them from their homes?

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References:

Pueblos abandonados de Valencia: fantasmas y leyendas medievales

Los extraños sucesos en Cornudilla: ¿Qué espantó a los vecinos?

Mysterious and Haunted Places in Spain

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The Ghost Town of La Mussara in Spain where People Disappear into the Fog

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In the foggy mountains in northern Spain you find the abandoned town of La Mussara. It is said that people have disappeared into the fog, perhaps been transported to another place. There are also those visiting claiming to hear ringing from the empty bell tower. 

Mother, if you give me a husband
Don’t give him to me from La Mussara
There is always fog there
And I don’t like the soil
– Local chant

Spain is home to a haunted and abandoned town, where the ghosts of its former inhabitants still linger. It is an eerie reminder of a once thriving community that has now been left to decay and where nature now is claiming everything back. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

The abandoned town in Spain has become a popular destination for thrill-seekers looking for a unique experience. But it’s also an important reminder of how quickly our lives can change, and how even those who have lived in one place for centuries can suddenly be gone without a trace. But what happened to the La Mussara town, and what are the ghostly legends surrounding it?

The Abandoned Town in La Mussara

Northern Spain has some fantastic hiking routes and a wonderful nature to experience. One of these hikes will take you through the abandoned town of La Mussara in the Prades Mountains. It is also a mysterious town at 995 meters above sea level that is said to have swallowed up the people that used to live there.

La Mussara Abandoned Town: The ghost town found in the La Mussara mountains are now mostly in ruins as the last residents moved ages ago. Here from one of the walls from the former church.//Source//Jordi Gili/Wikimedia

La Mussara Mountain in Tarragona is a mysterious place tucked away in the mountains of Catalonia. The mountain was named after the abandoned ghost town that was deserted in 1959 in the range. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Towns and Cities all around the world.

Why was the town abandoned though? The place has been settled perhaps since Saracen times, perhaps even as far back as the bronze age. In 1857, there were 323 people living there, far from the rest of the world, tending to their farms. Some say it was because of the insects that destroyed the local vineyards and the inhabitants livelihood that made people leave. It was also far from drinking water and the rest of society. There are those that claim something strange is the reason for its abandonment though. According to some, people left because they knew the town was doomed. 

The Rocks That Takes People Away – La Piedra del 6

People also claim this is a place where strange things like time jumps happen and where people just disappear without a trace. 
According to local legend, there is a giant rock in the village called La Piedra del 6 next to a farmhouse.

Historically, Muslim armies area said to have marched through Mussara, a name derived from the term meaning “the place to march.” As these forces made their way toward the valley below, they routinely paused at the Sixth Stone. It was believed that this stone possessed magical properties capable of aiding them in overcoming their adversaries in forthcoming battles.

It is said if you jump over La Piedra del 6 you will be transported to another dimension and lost forever in the worst case. Some claim that you will get transported to another town, some call it Vila del Sis, some claim it is another place in the USA you get transported to.  

The Missing People in the Fog

Over the years several people have gone missing from La Mussara after visiting and haven’t left a trace. The writer Lorenzo Fernandez Bueno claims in one of his books that features the abandoned town, that the number of disappearances is much higher in these parts than in the rest of the country. 

What happened to those taken away is unknown but the legend coming from the locals, says there is a mysterious fog that covers the countryside around the town, like opening a gateway to another dimension or world. The hikers and visitors have according to this been swallowed and transported because of this fog. 

The Strange Fog: One of the things people claim is that it suddenly appears a strange fog were people just disappears into and never comes back.

This is something often called the Peluda, a meteorological phenomenon happening through January and February were a thick and white fog wells over the mountain range between Tossal Gros, Miramar and Torre del Petrol mountain. Could it be a supernatural fog as the legends claim as well?

The Disappearance of Enrique Martinez Ortiz

One example of a mysterious disappearance was the case of Enrique Marinez Ortiz, a 37-year old man who disappeared in the area on October 16 in 1991. He was with a group of friends picking mushrooms and walked past where the TV-antennas are. Some sources claim that the group had passed the rock to investigate, and his friend, Jorge, had talked about the magical and mysterious rumors of it all and all but one had touched the stone. How true that is, is not sure though, as they had been to this area many times before and knew it well.

The Disappearance of Enrique: After he disappeared and the strange details of the case were revealed, the area saw an influx of paranormal researchers and those interested in the occult.

They were walking and talking 300 meters from the television repeater when one of the friends asked Enrique a question. When he didn’t answer, the friend turned and saw he had disappeared, leaving only a wicker basket with a mushroom inside. 

They searched for days and even brought in 200 soldiers from Los Castillejos to completely sweep the era. They didn’t find a single trace. It has ever since joined the mystery of the town and the surrounding area. As the years went by and no answers have been given, there have come up many legends about this case. Did they all touch the stone? Did it have something to do with the strange fog?

Months later, in January 1992, Jorge, who was one of Enrique’s friends that was present when he disappeared, went to the Tarragona courts. He wanted to speak to the judge and was very worried and upset as he had experienced something he couldn’t explain.

The three friends who had accompanied Enrique when he disappeared had returned to La Mussara. Around midnight, they heard a noise coming from the church of Sant Salvador. They thought it was horse hooves but unsure so they went to investigate.

Once inside they claimed to have seen seven figures in robes wandering around the temple. Suddenly, they disappeared into thin air. How much of it was true, and who they could have been, has also remained a mystery.

The Strange Interference With Electrical Equipment

There is also something weird going on about the electric stuff in the area. And with the case with Enrique who disappeared close to the TV Antennas, people think it is something more. 

Because of this, the abandoned town also attracts UFO seekers to peer to the sky in search of the strange object that is rumored to be seen there. 

There are also talks about some electromagnetic interferences that have been measured in the abandoned town. 

The Bells Ringing from an Empty Belltower

In La Mussara there are around eight buildings still standing. One of them is the remains of the church of San Salvador from the 12th century. The old church has a bell tower from 1859. According to people they claim that they hear the church bell ring, even if the church has been empty for decades. 

The Haunted Belltower: Esglèsia de Sant Salvador a La Mussara is the ruins of the church and according to legends, it is said the sound of the bell ringing can be heard in the night..//Source/Wikimedia

People have also said they have heard strange voices coming from the church. They have also said to have seen ghostly figures, perhaps trying to get back from beyond the veil. 

The Foggy Haunted Road to La Mussara

Also the road to the town is said to be a haunted stretch. It always seems to be covered in the same fog found in the village surroundings and the wind is constantly howling. 

This old road T-704 leads to the ruins of the town of La Mussara now abandoned and looks like the perfect setting for a horror movie and is considered one of the most haunted roads in Spain. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Haunted Roads

Also on the roads it is said something strange is happening. Once a German engineer drove through the place in 1995 and claimed to have disappeared for three hours. He reappeared in an unknown place and didn’t know what had happened. 

The Legends of La Mussara

The place has had rumors of terrible things for centuries and it is as if the town is cursed. Some say it was just bad luck that made the town deserted. But why would this town be cursed?

There are those that claim this place was a center of satanic rituals and is a cursed place where misfortune happens, and many claim it was just a quaint mountain town where the inhabitants were drawn to the bigger cities. 

Now, the only life there is in the Refugi La Mussara, a bunkhouse for hikers as well as supernatural seekers that was built in the 80s. Here you can take refuge from the thick fog that comes down the mountain and swallows you whole. And who knows, perhaps you can hear the faint ringing of the bells from your bunk bed late at night?

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References:

https://hemeroteca-paginas.lavanguardia.com/LVE07/HEM/1965/11/06/LVG19651106-034.pdf

Driving the 10 most haunted roads of Spain

Ten paranormal places that you can actually visit in Spain

La Mussara (Vilaplana) – Wikipedia

La Mussara and Avencs de La Febró – Barcelona Navigator

La Mussara – Vilaplana, Spain – Atlas Obscura

4 sitios de España en los que pasar una noche de miedo | Placeres

A trip to Spain’s ghost town: La Mussara | The World from PRX

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The Headless Ghost of Reichenstein Castle

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Reichenstein Castle is also known as Falkenburg, standing on a mountain spur in the Rhine Valley. For a long time it was under the domain of a long line of robber knights that plundered everything and everyone. And the last of the robber knights are said to haunt the place as a headless ghost.

Germany may be one of the most beautiful and remarkable countries in Europe, but its haunted old castles have a history filled with ghost stories and legends that are sure to send chills down your spine. From dark fairytales of princesses and knights and robber kings to magnificent castles in ruins, these gloomy buildings have a history of hauntings that make them truly one-of-a-kind.

The oldest part of Reichenstein Castle is far up in the wine producing village of Trechtlingshausen in the Rhine Valley. The castle was built way back in the 11th century, but the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times it is now a time capsule of history. The castle was meant to protect a neighboring village, but ended up with a long period of being the fortress for a robber knight that are said to still haunt the place. 

The Robber Baron

One of the people living in Reichenstein Castle was a robber baron named Dietrich von Hohenfels who lived in the castle at the end of the 1200s. He had grown up in Reichenstein Castle as the third born son of Philip von Hohenfels, a robber as well and didn’t know any other way of living. When he took over the castle after his father, he followed in his footsteps and it is said he got even more notorious than his father.

Dietrich von Hohenfels lived together with his nine sons and used the castle to hoard all of his riches he stole from passing ships in the Rhine River. Together the robber baron and the rest of his knights abused their subjects, stole their wives and robbed traders and defenseless wanderess alike according to the stories that are now told of them. 

All of this happened in a time of great turmoil known as the Great Interregnum in the Holy Roman Empire that Germany at the time was a part of. No one seemed to be able to gather under only one leader, and anarchy, crime and robber knights such as Dietrich von Hohenfels and his family ran rampant. 

This would all come to an end when the House of Habsburg would rise to power and rule the Holy Roman Empire for generations to come. In 1273, Rudolf von Hasburg was elected leader and started his campaign to stop all of the robber knights who had gained too much wealth and power and been left alone for too long. 

The Beheading of the Robbers

In the end the robber baron and his knights all got captured and had to pay for their crimes in 1282 when the whole castle was besieged by Rudolf von Habsburg. There are several variations of the legend. Some say that Dietrich von Hohenfels managed to escape the siege of Reichenstein Castle with his wife, Agnes, but the rest of his knights were hanged. But he didn’t live for long as his former subject bore a grudge and hunted him down, eventually finding him and killing him and his wife. Because of their crime and regrets, they are now wandering in their afterlife in the castle. 

Another variation of the legend tells that Dietrich von Hohenfels died together with his nine sons during the siege. In this version, Hohenfels pleaded for the lives of his sons, but his plea was denied. All of them were executed by decapitation and buried in the chapel inside of the castle. It says that the headless ghost of Hohenfels is still haunting Reichenstein Castle, himself haunted by being the reason his sons met their early demise. 

The last legend is how Dietrich von Hohenfels managed to save his sons with his head. When he pleaded to Rudolf von Habsburg, he was given a challenge. Dietrich von Hohenfels would be beheaded standing up, with his sons standing in a line to await their faith. Each son Dietrich von Hohenfels managed to pass after he was beheaded was to be spared. So he was beheaded and his headless body was swaying for a moment before passing all of his sons and managed to save their life. The sons were spared, and never heard from again. 

The Ghost of Reichenstein Castle

Not only do the old castles like Reichenstein Castle provide a peek into Germany’s past, but they also represent amazing architecture from centuries ago. There is something truly captivating about wandering through ancient walled fortifications and hearing about their cursed pasts in between eerie stories of ghostly figures passing by. 

Today it is said that the ghost of Dietrich von Hohenfels is heard rather than seen inside of the castle and the guests visiting are said to feel like they are never truly alone. Other unexplained things like windows and doors opening and closing without there being anyone there. 

And for eternity the once mighty Robber Baron Dietrich von Hohenfels are forced to haunt the grounds of the ruins of his own castle.

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References

Great Castles – Ghost of Burg Reichenstein

Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire) – Wikipedia  

Rudolf I of Germany – Wikipedia 

Haunted Castles of the World by Charles A. Coulombe

Dietrich von Hohenfels

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The Ghost Girl on the Curve at Jafre

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Right outside of the abandoned town of Jafra in Spain there are tales about a ghost girl haunting the place called the Ghost Girl on the Curve. After she was chased from the house by her father she was never seen again until she started to appear in front of lost hikers, helping them find their way home. 

Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of this abandoned Spanish town lies a legend that has intrigued locals and visitors alike for generations. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

The abandoned town is Jafre and right outside it is said a ghost girl appears for hikers sometimes to guide them. She is today called The Girl on the Curve, but before she died she was called Melinda. 

The Haunted Town in Garraf Natural Park

Jafre Spain, an abandoned town forgotten within the Garraf Natural Park, is a place of enchanting beauty. Its rolling hills, dense forests, and winding roads create an otherworldly atmosphere that seems to be frozen in time. 

Jafre is a Catalonian town that was abandoned in the 1980s or perhaps so far back to the 1960s according to some, and left beyond only ruins of the village, legends of murderers, mysteries and ghosts. 

Garraf Natural Park: The Ghost Girl on the Curve is said to haunt the Garraf Natural Park, outside of the abandoned town of Jafre in Catalonia, Spain. She is said to guide lost hikers back on their paths.//Source//joan ggk/wikimedia

From a distance, the park’s dense foliage appears as a dark, foreboding mass, casting an eerie shadow over the landscape. As you approach, the twisted branches and gnarled trees seem to take on a life of their own, whispering secrets to those who dare to listen. It is within this hauntingly beautiful setting that the legend of the Ghost Girl on the Curve unfolds.

Locals believe that the park is inhabited by restless spirits, trapped between this world and the next. The air is thick with an inexplicable energy, and visitors often report strange sensations and unexplained phenomena. It is within this ethereal landscape that the Ghost Girl on the Curve is said to roam, forever trapped in her tragic fate.

The Legend of the Ghost Girl

Once, a wealthy Austrian family moved there a century ago with three children. They moved into an abandoned farmhouse a bit outside of the town, and seemed to have a lot of money.  

The father spent the next three years building a huge garden for them to play in. It had a huge maze of trees and shrubs. 
No one from the outside was allowed to enter. The children suffered from a skin disease and the parents didn’t want anyone to see them. 

Time went by and a fourth child named Melinda was born in the farmhouse and her mother died that very night. 
The three older children were also dying one by one because of this unspecified skin disease. Some of the darker rumors were that the father was poisoning the children with frog soup.

Both the garderes and household workers in the big house of the Austrian family started leaving one by one as the father started to behave strangely, bordering on a maniac at times, and he kept getting worse. 

The Farmhouse Outside of Jafre: The family is said to have lived in one of the many farmhouses close to the abandoned town. Melinda was the daughter that is remembered as the ghost girl on the curve that haunts the national park. Today they are mostly left to ruins. Source//Clemens Schmillen/Wikimedia

In the end all was dead or had left the house except Melinda and her father. Because he had lost almost his entire family is said to be the reason why he slowly lost his mind completely. 

We don’t have much info about what happened inside of the old farmhouse once everyone left, but we do know it ended in tragedy. Melinda was six years old when one October fled to the garden with her father following her, chasing her. 
According to the legend she fell into a well in the garden and both she and her father were never seen again. 

The Girl on the Curve

After this, the ghost of little Melinda has been reported to appear in the forest, helping lost hikers and visitors finding their way. 
People have also said that Melinda can be seen on the curves of the winding pathways in Garraf National park, which have given her the name, The Ghost Girl on the Curve.

Reports of encounters with the Ghost Girl on the Curve have been documented throughout history. Witnesses describe a young girl in a flowing white dress, her ethereal form glowing in the moonlight. Her eyes, filled with sorrow and longing, seem to pierce through the veil of reality, leaving those who see her in a state of awe and terror. Some claim to have heard her plaintive cries, carried on the cold night breeze, echoing through the trees.

More Than a Ghost Haunting Jafre

The girl is not the only thing that is said to haunt the abandoned town of Jafre though. Several claims of UFO’s have also been called in as in several of the other abandoned cities across Spain. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Towns and Cities all around the world.

There are also rumors about black masses happening in the town filled with the spirits. It is even a rumor about them desecrating the cemetery where they dug out the bones buried there and scattered them across the town. 

The Enduring Mystery of the Ghost Girl on the Curve

The legend about Melinda or the Girl on the Curve continues to captivate the hearts and minds of those who dare to venture into the Garraf Natural Park. 

Is the Ghost Girl a figment of collective imagination, a product of the human need for the supernatural? Or is she a real manifestation of a tragic soul, forever trapped in the realms between life and death?

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References:

Los mejores campings de Barcelona

Jafra, el pueblo abandonado del Garraf origen del fantasma de Melinda

Haunted and Mysterious Places in Barcelona | 19 Local Legends

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The Haunted Halls of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral

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Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been a site of intrigue and mystery for centuries— its haunted halls filled with stories that spark the imagination with ghosts on the roof and an ironworker that sold his soul to the Devil.

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has captivated visitors for centuries with its stunning architecture, stirring religious artifacts, and gripping tales of mystery. People come to hear the bells ring to remind us about the hunchback of Notre Dame and see the frightening gargoyles along the roof.

Rumors of hauntings have further cemented the cathedral’s reputation as a supernatural hot-spot, leaving its visitors to ponder whether these rumors are just urban legends or based on fact.

History of the Notre Dame Cathedral

Noted by visitors from all across the world, the Notre Dame Cathedral’s captivating architecture has inspired many throughout the ages. Built of limestone and characterized by its two towers flanking its main entrance, it has stood tall for centuries as a testament to Gothic style. Its intricate carvings, majestic details, and mesmerizing sculptures carve a path for learning about the history that lies within its walls and contributes more to the speculation of paranormal activity.

From its construction in 1163 to its destruction by fire in 2019, the iconic cathedral has served as a beacon of faith for thousands of years and amassed tales that might never be fully unraveled. 

The Devil and the Ironworker

One of the most enduring tales of hauntings in Notre Dame is that of a mysterious ironworker who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastery over his craft. According to legend, the best ironworker, Biscornet was commissioned by the church to create the metal for the cathedrals door at the inauguration in 1345. 

The work was too much and he was in danger of not being done in time. But at the inauguration the metal work was done, there was only one problem. No matter how hard they tried, they were unable to open the door. 

Read also: The Bell Tower Goddess of Beijing

When they went to Biscornet to ask him about it, they found him hanged with a note warning them to spay holy water on the door to make them open. 

It was then believed that the ironworker had made a pact with the devil and sold his soul to get the work done in time for the opening day. 

The Women on the Notre Dame Roof

The creepy story about the demonic front door is not the only legend about the old cathedral. According to legend, there are also spotted some ghosts as well.

Two female ghosts haunt the roof of Notre-Dame cathedral were they can be seen between the grey gargoyles and gothic carved stone. Apparently you can see them walking on the cathedrals roof before either jumping off the roof or disappearing as soon as you see them. 

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