Whether you’re religious, a ghost hunter, a history buff, or just a big fan of architecture;
there’s not quite like a Church, specifically an old church.
With a lot of them housing some very dark and tragic events.
From fires, to vaults, to restless spirits.
Church’s, though they are a sanctuary for some, can also be some of the scariest places
you can encounter.
So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going to be counting down our list of the Top 5
Scary Churches Where Praying Won’t Help You.
Let’s jump in.
5 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - Key West, Florida
St. Paul’s Church is the fourth church structure built by St. Paul’s between the 1800’s
and early 1900’s, and though it may look bright and new, this is because the church
has been rebuilt numerous, and I mean numerous times.
The original church, made of coral rock was completed in 1839, however, it was destroyed
the Havana Hurricane in 1846and was rebuilt in 1848.
Once again though, the church was destroyed when the Great Fire of Key West struck in
1886, however, by some good fortune, the Rectory survived unscathed, and rebuilding once again
began on the third structure, ending in 1887.
Disaster struck again though in 1909, when the Church was destroyed by a powerful hurricane
-- this time though the parish hall survived as well as the rectory.
The Church was once again rebuilt and construction was completed in 1919.
However, during all of these rebuilds, it was discovered that the site was once a Seminole
burial ground -- with the land being previously owned by the Fleming family before the Church
was built -- and the land was only granted after the widow was assured her husband’s
remains that were interred on the land, would not be disturbed.
However, this is where it gets spooky.
Legend has it that this promise was broken, and widow’s husband, John William Charles
Fleming was removed from the site -- spookier still, according to some locals, his ghost
still wanders the site.
Other apparitions have been reported as well in the graveyard.
One being a ghostly group of children who were killed in a fire set by a jealous Deacon
who taking revenge on his unfaithful wife.
Yeah.
Yikes.
4 St. Andrew’s On The Red - Selkirk, Canada Built between 1845 and 1849 to serve the local
community of retired Hudson’s Bay Company personnel, this church is located in a small
suburb of Winnipeg, located on a lightly forested hill with an incredibly impressive Gothic
design.
It is by far the oldest stone church in Western Canada, and has definitely had its fair share
of paranormal activity.
The church became an old campfire story among young teens, and rebellious kids who would
dare their friends to walk backwards around the Church three times; with the expectation
that you would disappear.
Now, of course that never actually happened, but it was still a frightening tale to tell
children so they didn’t wander through the cemetery at night.
Now, what makes this Church truly chilling is that victims of influenza, diphtheria,
typhoid and tuberculosis from the early colonial era were interred here, and their restless
spirits are said to still wander the grounds of the Church.
Specifically, some visitors have reported disembodied red eyes floating through the
cemetery, organs playing spontaneously, as well as a mysterious woman cloaked in white
who is known to rattle the gates of the Church.
If you dare, you can take a self-guided tour of the church located in Selkirk, Canada.
3 St. Michan’s Church - Dublin, Ireland This is an Anglican Church built on the side
of an early Norse chapel from 1095, with the current structure dating back to 1686, undertaken
by William Robinson.
As it stands, this church is the only parish church on the north side of the River Liffey
surviving from a Viking foundation.
Now, the exterior of the church is nothing to write home about, however, the interior
is what we’re going to be discussing - specifically the Vaults.
The Vaults of St. Michan’s (mai-kan) contain a large amount of mummified remains -- with
the walls of the vaults containing limestone, thus keeping the air dry and creating ideal
conditions for preservation.
Among the remains are the 400-year-old body of a nun, a 6 and a half foot man believed
to have been a crusader, a boy with a severed right hand and feet, and Henry and John Sheares
who took part in the 1798 rebellion.
Unfortunately a number of the crypts in the church’s vaults were damaged by vandals
in 1996 and once again in 2019.
After the most recent event, the church has stated that several mummified remains were
desecrated by vandals, including the remains of the nun and the crusader.
Tours used to be open, however, after the recent incident they have been temporarily
shut down.
Not only will you be dealing with the enraged spirits of the dead when visiting this church,
but also the despicable living.
2 Cathedral of the Assumption of our Lady - Guadalajara, Mexico
Also known as The Guadalajara Cathedral, this is a Roman Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese
of Guadalajara and was built in 1541 in the Spanish Renaissance style with Neo-gothic
spires.
However, though the building is beautiful, it has been plagued by hauntings and tragic
events.
On May 30th, 1574 during mass, neighbors fired shots into the air.
Some of the bullets fell onto the cathedral and started a fire, ultimately damaging the
building.
A second tragic event truck in 1818 when an earthquake shook the city, causing the towers
and dome to collapse.
The cathedral was of course repaired, however it continues to be in dangers: it was damaged
by earthquakes in 1932, 1957, 1985, 1995, and 2003.
However, outside of natural disasters, the cathedral also has a ghostly side to it.
One of the most popular attractions is of course the Crypt of Archbishops -- which is
truly chilling.
However, more chilling still is the mummified bodies on display there -- with one dating
back to the 1700’s, which belongs to a child that was killed for converting to Catholicism.
Some visitors to the Cathedral have claimed they have seen her eyes blink and have witnessed
her hair move.
Very spooky indeed.
1 St. Thomas’ Anglican Parish of Mulgoa - New South Wales, Australia
Designed by Reverend Thomas Makinson and built from 1836 to 1838, this church is incredibly
striking with a Gothic Revival design and is said to be one of the most haunted churches
in not just Australia, but in the world.
Though the church is youthful look and in a semi-rural area, it is hiding an incredibly
dark and tragic history.
Legend has it that two young boys died in a fire in the bell tower of the church after
a prank went horribly wrong.
Since that fateful day, any kind of light, even candles anger the spirits of the boys’
restless spirits.
According to a Facebook group “Haunted Places of Sydney”, they say, I quote, “There’s
an urban legend that claims that if you drive laps around the church at night, the headlights
of your carl will switch off, and if you continue, the car will stall.”
However, it isn’t just the church’s legend that is creepy -- the surrounding cemetery
is also filled with monuments that date back almost 200 years, adding to the creepy factor.
As of right now, the church is owned by Anglican Church Property Trust, and was added to the
New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any scary churches that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
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And until next time, see ya later.