Mortemer Abbey

Normandy · France · Monastery

On full-moon nights the Empress Matilda appears in the abbey ruins — her gloves reveal whether she brings fortune or death.

Mortemer Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1134 in the forest near Lisors in Normandy, is often called the most haunted abbey in France. Matilda — daughter of King Henry I and Holy Roman Empress — was confined here for several years on her father's orders, and legend says she returns as a white lady on every night of the full moon. If she wears white gloves she heralds a wedding or a birth; if black, death speaks through her. Caretakers and visitors have reported whispers and figures among the ruins, which today house a small ghost museum and night tours.

FAQ

Where is Mortemer Abbey located?

Mortemer Abbey is in Normandie, France.

More haunted places in Normandie

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• Château Gaillard Normandy · Castle ruin
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• Cideville Parsonage Normandy · House
• Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche (Street of the Fishing Cat) Paris · Alley
• Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Paris · Church
• Château de Kerjean Brittany · Castle
• Manoir Pavlovich, Pomponne Paris · Manor

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: AndeNan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons