Transylvania Legend: Haunting of Cârţa Monastery

Before we dive into the haunting of Cârţa Monastery we must first know of the building and it's inhabitants.

The Cârţa Monastery

The Cârţa Monastery was built circa 1206, exact dates are a little hard to pinpoint. Several documents point to dates for the completion of the monastery. Some dates set completion of the first building as early as 1204, but for the most part, 1206 is the date that comes up most when I research. Built in the Ţara Făgăraşului region, located in Southern Transylvania. It now houses a Lutheran Evangelical church however when it was built it housed the Cistercian Order, a mix of Catholic and Anglican monks and nuns, also known as the Benedictine order. The monastery was built first by the Cistercian Order, using materials that would return to the earth, like wood. This would be the first building that would have been erected. A few years later a stone chapel was built close to the to the original chapel.

They were referred to as the "white" monk's because of the white choir robe that they wore over their habits. The monastery, at times was overcrowded with the Monks, sleeping many more in the rooms than designed for.

Poor living conditions the monks seldom lived past the age of 40. They were then buried in the yard of the monastery. Also, in modern times they buried soldiers from the First World War.

Upon excavation of an area of this site there were remains of two men found.

The oddity of it was that both men were over 6 and a half feet tall. Now the average height of men hasn't changed too much, even since the middle ages, only a few inches. But since the time period was not kind to people who were visually different, they were sent to live in monasteries.

It was in the cellar that these two bodies were uncovered. The same place that strange things have been observed by the priests that serve there. Chairs move on their own and the walls seem to vibrate.

Upon numerous searches I couldn't find much about the hauntings there, however because of their ghosts people flock to it every year. Not only to take in the paranormal but the architecture as well.

The monastery is located 43 Kilometers from Sibiu. It attracts thousands of people every year for the legend that it is haunted by the monks that resided there in medieval times. But what is truly interesting is that this monastery has some unusual ties.

Sigismund, The Holy Roman Emperor, issued a document about the monastery in 1418. Sigismund founded The Order of the Dragon, described in an earlier post to protect Christianity in Europe.

Also, Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary, disbanded the monastery in 1474. Matthias Corvinus was the King that impression Vlad the Impaler in 1462.

Vlad the Impaler was also a part of The Order of The Dragon and the inspiration for the monster Dracula.

An interesting place to visit not only for the chance ghost sighting but the place it hold in Romanian and Transylvanian history.