In the northern part of Italy, near the town of Vercelli, there is the Abbey of Santa Maria di Luchedio. It is considered to be one of the most sinister and mysterious places in all of Italy. Locals do not dare to stroll around the local area without special need. And tourists note a feeling of eerie fear, which makes them leave the abbey as quickly as possible. According to legend, a dangerous spirit is closed in the monastery underground.
The monastery was built by Cistercian monks in 1123. The monks were engaged in the cultivation of rice, which earned themselves good fame and respect from the rest of the population. Rice helped fight poverty and hunger as it turned out to be cheaper and more nutritious than wheat, which is traditional for the local cuisine. The monks managed to break up large rice fields and even organize an artificial irrigation system on them. In a word, in those days the monastery enjoyed a good reputation, and there was not even a word about any evil spirits.
The first event that disrupted the smooth course of history in these parts was the unexpected death of Princess Euphrosyne, who was sent here after being captured during the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. The girl was inconsolable in her grief, and a year later she died. Until now, many circumstances of this strange exile are unknown, but the sarcophagus with the girl's body is still kept in this monastery.
The next 4 centuries were turbulent at times both for the abbey and for the whole of Northern Italy. Here, on the one hand, a large number of all sorts of sorcerers, black magicians and heretics appeared. On the other hand, the local Inquisition raged, which punished with particular passion and cruelty all those accused of witchcraft. Since then, there has been a legend according to which all the accused were chained to one of the columns of the central hall of the monastery before the execution of the sentence. Since then, the column has periodically been covered with droplets of liquid inexplicable from the point of view of science, and quiet moans are heard inside it. Locals call it the column's “crying” over the terrible memories from the past.
But this was not the last terrible page in the history of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Lucedio. The Inquisition failed to get rid of all the warlocks in the region. And in 1684 one of these would-be sorcerers performed a magic ritual in the cemetery near the monastery. As a result of this ritual, he allegedly summoned a demon, which he could not control. After that, terrible incidents began to occur in the district.
They found the bodies of local residents returning home at night. Then the girls in their dreams appeared a spirit, forcing them to seduce the monks. Be that as it may, the monastery really began to decline very quickly. However, some terrible rituals, torture and even murder continued to take place in him. This was reported by several young guys who were hired for seasonal work, but were tortured and eventually managed to escape.
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Little by little, the Vatican learned about the abbey and its horrors, and an experienced exorcist was sent. He was able to pacify the demon and seal him under the altar of St. Mary's Church. They say that to pacify the demon, he composed special music, the notes of which can still be seen on a fresco in the dilapidated chapel of the abbey. The locals are sure that if you play this melody in reverse order, the terrible spirit will be free again. True, it is hard to believe that no one has tried to do this so far.
Since 1784, the Lucedio Abbey has been officially closed. But now researchers of paranormal phenomena, lovers of mysticism and ordinary tourists who want to experience the eerie atmosphere of the monastery come here. At the cemetery near the monastery, rituals are periodically continued, after which the locals find the remains of animals, and once the corpse of a girl.
Within the walls of the gradually collapsing monastery, a skeleton in monastic clothing was found. And in the dungeon, several more remains of monks were found, which were in a sitting position and were located in a circle. Perhaps these guards are guarding that very imprisoned demon.
