The Ghosts of Mortemer Abbey of Normandy, France
The way you can tell this is a recent photo is because they didn’t have cameras in the 1500’s
There are countless stories of tragedies and torture surrounding historic monuments and locations around the world. Oftentimes these stories sprout legends of ghostly figures roaming the lands or monsters seeking vengeance but usually, the stories are limited to one spirit or event causing the hauntings.
But in the Forest of Lyons, a historic monastery is home to multiple different spirits each spawning from different tragic events, making Mortemer Abbey one of the most haunted places in France.
The White Lady of Mortemer Abbey
During the 12th century, a catholic religious order of monks and nuns called the Cistercians began to grow in influence. They branched off the Order of Saint Benedict in order to pursue a life of simplicity, love, prayer, work, and self-denial.
As their influence grew, they were gifted land by those in power including the land where the monastery was built, gifted to the monks by King Henry I of England in 1134. With the monastery built by nearby marshlands, the monks dug out a drainage lake in an attempt to dry it out. This water eventually stagnated creating a dead pond or “morte mare” in French, giving the monastery its name of Mortemer Abbey.
Legend says after the death of his only son, King Henry I in an attempt to reform his daughter, Matilda, locked her in a room in Mortemer Abbey for five years. The anger and hate she felt stained and seeped into the walls of the monastery. But Matilda didn’t die there; she went on to live for several decades until 1167 when it’s said her spirit returned to Mortemer Abbey to haunt the area as the White Lady.
She is said to appear on nights closer to a full-moon moaning as she drifts through the ruins of the monastery. Those that have reportedly seen her, or know of others that have seen her, say she can either be wearing black or white gloves. If she appears to you with white gloves you're destined for good luck but, if she appears with black you are cursed to die within a year's time.
The Werewolf of Mortemer Abbey
The next event at Mortemer Abbey was said to have occurred in the early 1500s when the monastery was at its peak, considered one of the biggest monasteries in the world at that point and employing over 200 monks. The legend says one night a frail suffering woman was brought to them with an illness only they could help with.
It was revealed to the monks she was possessed by the spirit of a wolf and cursed to become a werewolf for seven nights. The monks chained her to a room and went about conducting multiple exorcisms to eradicate the spirit.
In the end, it worked but possibly unbeknownst to the monks whatever evil wolf spirit or demonic force that was in the woman attached itself to the grounds and walls of the monastery.
Several hundred years later in 1884, a man by the name of Roger Saboureau was said to be hunting around the woods near the monastery when he was attacked by a large werewolf. He shot it multiple times killing the creature and when returning back at dawn found the bloody body of his wife.
Some say the spirit of Roger’s wife or his own heartbroken spirit still wanders the area when the moon is full.
The Ghostly Monks of Mortemer Abbey
Another historic event that shaped the future of Mortemer Abbey occurred in 1790 when France was overtaken by revolution and the abbey was in disrepair.
Over the preceding two centuries the Monks within the abbey had turned away from the once simple life their ancestors had pledged to live. They became enamored with wealth and material possessions. In the 1600’s many monks turned their backs on the monastery leading to a slow decline whereby 1790 only four monks remained living there.
The French Revolution was led by revolutionaries angered by the decades of social and wealth inequality, they pushed back on the wealthy and stripped the churches and monasteries of the riches they contained.
When the revolutionaries reached Mortemer Abbey they didn’t care about its dilapidated appearance and proceeded to further ransack what was left, spilling and breaking barrels of wine on the ground.
They finally made their way to monks, rounding up the remaining four into a cellar, slaughtering them, and spilling their blood among the ruins of the once prestigious Mortimer Abbey.
The following year with a new French government in place Mortimer Abbey was sold off as a national asset to a “M Duval” who then sold pieces of its interior for years until it no longer turned a profit.
Now abandoned, Mortimer Abbey sat there until purchased by the rich Delarue family of four in 1863. But they soon realized they weren’t alone. Reportedly they saw shadows in the night, doors and latches opening and locking on their own, paintings flipped turned to the wall, and could hear the footsteps of spirits throughout the home.
The Delarue family sought help from local clerics, legends say they attempted multiple exorcisms up until 1921 when the family realized there might be something of a demonic presence in the home instead of just the monks.
Soon they moved out and Mortimer Abbey was once again abandoned.
During World War two, legend says an English paratrooper found himself near the forest surrounded by the enemy. A monk appeared from the forest and guided the man to the entrance of a resistance cell. When the man attempted to thank the monk, he disappeared.
But Did it Happen?
Every owner since then has experienced some type of haunting, sounds in the night, growls, moaning, items slamming or being thrown, and some have reportedly seen the ghostly figures of monks or the white lady floating around the grounds. There are also reports of other types of creatures and ghosts roaming the grounds. Up to eleven have been reported but I couldn’t verify or find any stories about these other ghosts or creatures in my research.
My research has also brought up other questions about the legends. Empress Matilda was said to have been locked in Mortimer Abbey for 5 years but the monastery was built in 1134 and King Henry passed away in 1135. During 1135 King Henry and Matilda were together as Henry was forcing many to swear their allegiances to Matilda since she was next in line for the crown after her brother’s death.
Finding good sources for the monks was also incredibly difficult especially since it occurred during a revolution. For the werewolf legend, the only source I could find on it was using the ISBN number from the French Wikipedia page on lycanthropes. This led me to a book from 1986 which is no longer available. The author of the book appears to be the current owner of Mortemer Abbey according to the official website of Mortimer Abbey.
In the end, I couldn’t find any tangible sources for any of the legends. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t out there. I’ve also looked for some form of tangible proof such as pictures of the spirits or more recent interviews with first-hand accounts of anything besides footsteps or strange sounds. But as far as actual tangible evidence of the spirits, there doesn’t seem to be any.
One picture in 1995 was said to be proof of the white lady but the picture was easily replicated with lights and camera effects. The current owner of Mortimer Abbey who wrote the book in 1986, embraces the legends and ghosts, offering tours of the grounds. Maybe one day someone will manage to catch a picture of one of the many apparitions living in Mortimer Abbey.
But what about you? Do you think Mortimer Abbey is actually haunted or is it solely a monastery with a tragic past?
