Ghostly Spirits in France

The Ghosts of the City of Light

The Spooky Passageways of the Paris Catacombs

Beneath the capital, Paris you'll find a frightening world. The Paris Catacombs is one of the most haunted places in France. The catacombs opened in the 18th century and became one of the largest graveyards on record, With its dark passageways and skull and skeletons leering it can give you a terrible fright. Through the years some additional skeletons have been added like the one of Philibert Aspairt, whose body was found in 1804, nine years after he disappeared in this underground world so don't lose sight of your guide.

This is certainly an interesting place to take a look at just don't wander off alone you might never see daylight again. You never know who or what you might bump into while walking along the dark passageways.

Meet the Ghostly Spirits of Chopin and Jim Morrison

Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is among the most haunted cemeteries in the world, It was opened in 1804 and has over 300,000 tombs and graves. There are many famous resting places here like those of Édith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Molière and Marcel Proust. Visitors have experienced eerie feelings and seen ghostly apparitions of Chopin and Jim Morrison. Depending on your musical taste you might ask one to play some music for you or the other to sing you a song. Ghostly spirits can be friendly. Morrison has appeared on photos taken near his grave.

There are other ghostly spirits you might run into and you might see some strange orbs appearing suddenly and have been caught on camera.

The Red Man Of the Tuilleries

While In Paris visit the lovely Jardin des Tuilleries where among the statues, flowers, and fountains you can find one of the most infamous spectres in France. The Red Man Of the Tuilleries was a butcher who Catherine de Medici ordered to murder. His crime was knowing too many private affairs of the crown. When he stated to an astrologer that he knew when the queen would die he was sentenced to death. Now legend has it that he appears in the gardens when dramatic moments are about to happen in the nation's history.

Ghostly Apparition of Marie Antoinette

It appears that the Palace of Versailles is haunted by the most famous queen in the history of France, Marie Antoinette. She was beheaded during the Franch Revolution and chose to remain in her home there are sightings of her in her royal bed chamber and roaming in the gardens. The palace has become one of the top tourist attractions 20 kilometres from Paris and is also one of the most haunted in the country.

Not only can you meet Marie Antoinette you might just find yourself in a time warp and discover you're in the middle of an 18th-century party. There are apparitions roaming about wearing clothing of the 18th century as well.

The Ghostly Spirit of Louis d'Estouville

Mont St. Michel is another well-known attraction. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site on an island off the coast of Normandy. It is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Here you can meet the ghostly spirit of Captain Louis d'Estouville who commanded the garrison at the abbey and during the Hundred Years' War led the slaughter of 2,000 Englishmen. Legend has it that the sand about the garrison was red with blood and Mont St. Michel is still being guarded by him. There are also some ghostly monks roaming about.

Ghostly Procession of Knights and Monks

At the Château de Châteaubriant in Brittany legend has it that at the stroke of midnight on October 16 you can see a ghostly procession of knights and monks following Francoise de Foix up the stairs while the clock keeps striking the hour and then disappear at the last stroke. Francoise was the wife of Jean de Laval-Chatearbriant and the mistress of King Francis I. Legend has it that she was locked in a room, poisoned by her jealous husband and died on October 16, 1537.

Ghostly Sightings and Sounds of Wailing

The Château de Brissac is the highest castle in France overlooking the lovely Loire Valley. From here come ghostly tales of strange presences, wailings at midnight, ghostly apparitions, and sudden touches. The chateau has a dark history of murder. Here Charlotte, the young wife of the former owner Jacques Breze, was caught in an adulterous act with her lover and they both were stabbed with a sword by the jealous husband, pinning them between the castle walls. Now the ghostly apparitions of the lovers can be heard wailing in sorrow and seen roaming through the castle.

Dozens of Trapped Spirits

At the Château de Blandy-les-Tours in Seine et Marne on All Saint's Day, November 1, dozens of trapped spirits can be seen on the ramparts. You can hear sounds of chains and muffled cries. One of the nastiest of apparitions is that of a 10th-century lord, once a notorious murderer, now roaming through the halls in bloody clothing and brandishing a dagger. A ghostly dagger might not endanger you but then you could die of fright.

Headless Ghost

Chateau Trecesson is a Medieval castle in Brittany with many legends and tales of horrible murders and strange deaths. One legend is that of a bride who was murdered by her brothers and buried alive in the castle walls on the morning of her wedding. Roaming about she is knowns as the Bride of Trecesson.

Besides the bride, you might like to peek into the "ghost room" where ghostly sprits of card players are having a game and elsewhere in the castle you might bump into the headless ghost. However, today the chateau is privately owned so the legends remain.