Some legends refuse to stay buried.
There are places in this world where history and legend become so intertwined that separating fact from fiction is nearly impossible. Cartagena, Spain, is one of those places. Hidden among its centuries of history is a disturbing tale involving a mysterious coffin, unexplained deaths, a Serbian aristocrat, and a vampire who may have found his final resting place in a local cemetery. Naturally, Rick and I had to investigate.
According to legend, more than a century ago, a mysterious coffin arrived by ship in Cartagena. Nobody claimed it, and arrangements were eventually made to transport it across Spain. Wherever the coffin traveled, stories of strange illnesses and unexplained deaths supposedly followed. Eventually, it returned to Cartagena, where a mysterious Serbian aristocrat took possession of it. The stranger was reportedly never seen during daylight hours and eventually disappeared. The coffin was supposedly buried, and the legend of Cartagena’s vampire was born.
Which brings us to this photograph. This is an actual mausoleum in Cartagena’s Los Remedios Cemetery, long associated with the vampire legend. Look closely above the entrance, and you will see a bat carved into the stone with its wings spread across the archway. Some accounts even suggest there is an unused burial niche inside, waiting for an occupant who never arrived.
Is there really a vampire buried here? There is no historical evidence to support that claim. But after years of investigating haunted locations and unexplained phenomena, I have learned that sometimes the greatest mystery is discovering what happened to inspire these stories in the first place.
Rick and I came looking for the Vampire of Cartagena. Whether we found him remains unanswered, but the tomb is very real, and sometimes that is enough to make a legend worth investigating.
Now, as I sit aboard the ship in Cartagena’s harbor, the sun is setting and there seems to be a chill in the evening air. If I don’t survive until morning, you’ll know the vampire probably found me. Apparently, there may be a price to pay for telling his story, and I suspect he prefers payment in blood.
Happy Halloween! 🎃👻💀
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