Paranormal Portugal: Most Haunted Locations

As arguably one of Europe’s oldest countries, Portugal is often overlooked for its host of haunted locations. From eerie sounds echoing through palatial hallways to ghostly apparitions walking through the cloisters of ancient convents, it’s no wonder that this historic country is a hotbed for paranormal activity. With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to sit back with a glass of wine (or something stronger) as we delve into five of Portugal’s most haunted locations.

Could these spooky tales be true, or are the reported ghostly sightings merely products of an overactive imagination? You be the judge. 

* These stories are based on local legend and should be treated as such.

The Demon of Biester Palace  – Sintra

Chalet Biester or Biester Palace is better known as ‘The House of Witches’. Located in Sintra, the neo-Gothic building topped with a conical roof resembling a witch’s hat was built between 1866 and 1868 as a country retreat for the wealthy playwright Ernesto Biester, who had roots in Germany. 

Decorated by ‘some of the best artists in Portugal’, ‘it is one of the most recognised mansions in the Serra de Sintra, the mystical setting of numerous palaces once frequented by Portuguese royalty and nobility. 

With seven underground floors, it is rumoured that the mansion was used for secret societies to meet and meddle with the occult. Legend has it that one of three books was written in this very mansion by the Devil himself. It’s no wonder that Chalet Biester was the setting for Roman Polanski’s supernatural thriller The Ninth Gate. The mansion is now a private home and so, with no way of finding out more, it is unlikely that any of us will learn the true nature of whatever satanic happenings have taken place within its walls. 

The last nun of São Bento Train Station – Porto

Porto’s São Bento Train Station is among the city’s most famous buildings. Known for its beautiful architecture and elaborately painted azulejo ceramic tiles, it was built in 1900 and influenced by the 19th-century Parisian Beaux-Arts style. However, few realise that the famous transport hub was constructed over the site of a 16th-century Benedictine convent, the Convento de São Bento da Avé Maria.

By 1821, fifty-five nuns inhabited the convent, which was the last of its order due to the abolition of all religious houses under the decree of 1834 by the minister of justice Joaquim António da Aguiar. It earned him the nickname of O Mata-Frades (The Friar-Killer).

Over the years, the number of nuns dwindled until the last one died in 1892. It was then that the government worked swiftly to tear down the Convento de São Bento da Avé Maria and replace it with the more atheist-appealing train station. The first train departed in 1896 and the foundation stone for the new station was officially laid in 1900. 

While the convent was erased from history, one of its former inhabitants is still sticking around. Numerous accounts have been shared that a ghostly figure of a nun can be seen walking the hallways of the train station to this day. Her soft voice can be heard chanting prayers that echo through the halls, giving some passengers the fright of their lives. Perhaps the lost soul of the last nun of Convento de São Bento da Avé Maria is still watching over the foundations of her former convent? 

Sanatório de Valongo – Porto 

The Sanatório de Valongo near Porto looks like something out of a Hitchcock movie. Built in 1910 to house tuberculosis patients with a capacity of just 50 beds, over 400 people were admitted between 1958 and 1975. Sadly, the gaudy building was the last place many of its residents called home, with them dying tragic deaths in what some say were horrific conditions. 

By 1961, antibiotics had largely eradicated tuberculosis and the sanatorium finally closed its doors; it  has lain abandoned ever since. Now a popular site for paintballing, youngsters have noticed something strange within the crumbling building. Amidst the graffiti, one can see pentagon symbols and strange satanic inscriptions plastered across the walls. Some say satanic rituals have taken place within the sanatorium, possibly disturbing the souls that still haunt the corridors today. People claim to have seen doors opening and closing by themselves, abandoned trolleys moving without any force, and shadow-like figures appearing in the dilapidated windows, watching over the main entrance and darting from room to room, scaring off the most fearless of paintballers.

Casa Amarela – Ovar

According to local legend, the owner of Casa Amarela (Yellow House) in Ovar went bankrupt. Unable to see any way out, and to prevent the bank from seizing the family home, he allegedly killed himself and his daughter in the house, cursing the property forever. Another local legend states that the owner threw his daughter and her boyfriend down a well in the garden after learning that they were courting without his consent and it is said that he committed suicide within the house shortly after the murders. 

Whatever happened behind the closed doors at Casa Amarela remains a mystery, but one thing is for certain, the house has gained great recognition for its strange and eerie happenings. According to locals, new owners are quick to move on. The sound of cries and of doors slamming have been noted on numerous occasions, leaving residents fearful inside what they thought would be their forever home. 

Lying abandoned, Casa Amarela was due to be demolished until workers found the bulldozers would suddenly turn off without explanation as they tried to tear down the building. They didn’t stick around for long after hearing screams from within the house and seeing a red-like substance dripping down the walls. Casa Amarela remains untouched to this day and is known as one of the most haunted houses in Portugal. 

Quinta da Juncosa – Rio de Moinhos

Quinta de Santo António da Juncosa is arguably one of the most haunted homes in Portugal. The 16th-century manor house was once the home of Luis de Lencastre Carneiro de Vasconcelos, Baron of Lajes and his wife Maria Júlia. The couple lived happily on their country estate until the baron suspected a secret affair between his wife and a lover. Enraged by his (mistaken) discovery, Luis bound his wife with rope, tied her to his horse and dragged her through the grounds until she died from the battering. After learning his wife was innocent, he went on to murder his children before committing suicide in guilt. 

The house has been abandoned for over seventy years, yet, despite the murder tale being pure fabrication – the baron actually died in 1933 and his wife in 1955 – locals have alleged that strange things have happened within the overgrown mansion. Some claim they have seen ghostly apparitions of what appear to be the baron and his wife walking through the grounds. Others have noticed lights flickering on and off in the empty mansion. On one occasion, someone reported hearing a horse galloping through a nearby field and a woman’s blood-curdling screams. Tales of the paranormal happenings at Quinta da Juncosa are just as mysterious as the mansion itself, which today is slowly being reclaimed by nature. 

Did you know?

Beco do Chão Salgado, in Lisbon, is the site of one of Portugal’s bloodiest executions. It was here that the Távora family was executed in 1759 after all five family members were accused of treason and sentenced to death by King D. José. The Távora family were tortured, decapitated and burnt. The execution site was then covered with salt so that nothing could ever grow there. After the event, King D. José, who allegedly watched the macabre massacre with glee, ordered an obelisk with five rings, one for each person slaughtered, to be erected on the site. The alley remains to this day and is known as Salty Ground Alley.