A school and orphanage housing children in need called Complejo de la Misericordia is deemed to be haunted. This school in Spain is said to be haunted by the ghost of the children that lived there and had their life ending too soon inside of the school building. 

There are some buildings that are said to be more haunted than others. Especially a big building that gathered a lot of people with a miserable backstory has a potential to be more haunted than most. 

This is the case with The Complejo de la Misericordia in Valencia on the Spanish east coast that is said to be haunted by the children that ended their life tragically in the building. 

The Complejo de la Misericordia Orphanage and School for Children in Need

It was once an orphanage called Casa de los Pobres de Nuestra Señora de Misericordia in postwar Spain that housed thousands of children in need. The Complejo de la Misericordia was dubbed El Paradis in the 1960s, but only as an ironic name as the place was far from a paradise for those living there. 

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

According to those that grew up in the Casa de los Pobres de Nuestra Señora de Misericordia, or simply the center, in those years, both children that lived there permanently because they had nowhere else to go or temporarily because the parents lacked the means to take care of them at the time.

Although the place was meant to take care of the children most in need, the orphanage was a place with harsh punishments and a string of strange deaths. And even though the children were better off than at home, is it really ok to treat children badly just because they don’t have any other choice?

The Harsh Days at El Paradis

It is said that the food at the Complejo de la Misericordia was scarce, the flu epidemics went around the children that were put into cramped spaces and worst of all, some of the priests at the center were said to have abused the children. 

There were also cases where a child died under tragic and sometimes even strange circumstances. Some children drowned in the pool and another died after falling down from the third floor window.

“I saw him fall, hitting his head on the iron railing. In the place where there should have been a bronze ball, there was now a four-inch threaded stud that shattered his brain instantly, as it bounced I turned and tried to catch him, but only managed to brush his arm before he slammed into the floor. Cement on the ground in front of the football field, like a limp puppet”

This was written in a blog by a former child that lived there named Ismael Sanchez and it is not really known if this is what really happened, but the child did die. 

It is said that the child’s name was Campos, and it is said that he is still haunting the Complejo de la Misericordia. 

The Complejo de la Misericordia Today

Today the Complejo de la Misericordia, or the House of Mercy as the meaning suggests in Valencia is used by the local university, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. The building is from the 1600s and was used as a hospice for years.

Today the old orphanage is an educational center and school and has around 4000 students and 200 teachers plus staff attending it on a daily basis and mostly the days just go by as days do. People are minding their own business and there is perhaps not much time and quiet to notice the strange things the people working the early morning or night shifts do? 

The Hauntings at the School

The cleaning staff refuse to work alone at the The Complejo de la Misericordia building because of the haunted rumors that go around the place and more than one of the staff has some unexplainable story about the place. 

In the night they kept hearing strange sounds and voices like children crying and it is said that the light inside turned on and off by itself. 

Read More: Check out the haunted legends from schools all over the world like Madam Koi Koi and The School Hauntings in Nigeria and The Kong Kong Ghost

Paintings on the walls suddenly fall down and the after hours staff are said to be the ones experiencing it all the most and some downright refuse to work the night shifts because of all the paranormal experiences they have had on their job making the rounds. 

One time a security guard named Nicolas lost his car keys and asked his wife to pick him up and bring the spare keys after the building was turned into an educational building. This was around 2009 when a lot of the people came forward to tell about their experiences and there was a lot of buzz going around. 

When the wife arrived at the scene to give him his keys she saw a child waving at her from the window. Right by the third story window the child fell from all those years ago. She told her husband about the child, and he told her that there was no way that a child was inside. At least not a living child.

The Haunted Orphanage

The hauntings at the Complejo de la Misericordia continue to intrigue and mystify those who work and study within its historic walls. Despite the passage of time and the transformation of the building into an educational center, the echoes of its tragic past still resonate.

The stories of strange sounds, flickering lights, and unexplained sightings persist, captivating the imaginations of both students and staff. The cleaning staff may refuse to work alone, and some after-hours employees avoid the night shifts altogether, fearing encounters with the paranormal. The painting’s sudden falls and the ghostly cries of children only add to the chilling atmosphere that envelops the school.

Despite the haunted reputation, the school carries on its mission of education and growth. Thousands of students and hundreds of teachers pass through its doors daily, unaware or unconcerned with the paranormal happenings. The bustle of everyday life masks the eerie occurrences that occur during the early hours or late evenings.

As time moves forward, the Complejo de la Misericordia remains a historic landmark, embracing its somber past while striving towards a brighter future. The stories of the children who suffered within its walls serve as a haunting reminder of the importance of compassion and care for those in need.

While the haunted tales of the Complejo de la Misericordia may continue to intrigue and send shivers down the spines of those who hear them, the school remains a place of education and growth, a testament to the power of resilience and human spirit. As the days turn into nights, and the years pass by, the echoes of the past continue to haunt the halls, forever reminding us of the importance of empathy and kindness towards those in need.

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References:

El fantasma de la Misericordia | Las Provincias

El oscuro pasado del orfanato de la Misericordia de València se convierte en una escape room

Las historias paranormales que esconden las paredes de la Casa de la Misericordia de València

Mysterious and Haunted Places in Spain