Mysterious inscription on tombstone reveals Count Dracula's final resting place
Researchers say the burial site, tucked within the Turbolo Chapel of the Santa Maria la Nova church complex, could belong to Vlad III, the real-life inspiration behind Bram Stoker's infamous 1897 vampire novel.
Known as Vlad the Impaler, the 15th-century Romanian ruler earned his grim nickname through brutal tactics, including impaling his enemies on massive stakes.
Though he was reportedly beheaded in 1476, his grave has never been conclusively identified.
After more than a decade of study, researchers deciphered a mysterious, Latin-like inscription on the tomb, uncovering two key words: 'Blad,' interpreted as 'Vlad,' and 'Balkan,' the region he once ruled.
The marble tomb also features a knight's helmet crowned with a dragon's head, a symbol tied to the Order of the Dragon, a medieval secret society that once counted Vlad among its members.
Flanking the tomb are two sphinx-like statues, which experts believe may serve a dual purpose.
In Italian, the sphinxes may reference 'Tebe,' or Thebes, the ancient Egyptian city. But scholars suspect it's also a cryptic nod to 'Tepes,' the Romanian epithet for Vlad, meaning 'the Impaler.'
The team began their research in 2014 after learning about a theory that suggested Vlad's daughter, Maria Balsa, smuggled his remains out of Romania following his death.
Historical records suggest she was later adopted by the powerful Ferrillo family of Naples, sparking the idea that Vlad was laid to rest in what is now Italy.
Maria is also believed to have arranged his burial in her father-in-law, Matteo Ferrillo's, tomb inside the same chapel where her father may have been laid to rest.
The tomb sits in the small cloister of the church complex, a former monastery for Franciscan Friars and now one of the most visited religious sites in the city.
What sparked the researchers' interest in the tomb was the unusual symbols carved that are not typically seen in Christian burials.
Professor Giuseppe Reale, director of the Santa Maria la Nova complex, said: 'It emerges that the mysterious inscription is an epitaph in praise of Vlad III of Wallachia, widely known as Count Dracula.'
In 1462, Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, is believed to have impaled the bodies of 20,000 people outside the Romanian city of Târgoviște to ward off Ottoman forces.
This led to him receiving the nickname Vlad the Impaler, posthumously.
Vlad the Impaler was arrested for the murders and held in prison for 12 years, although the exact location and length of this captivity are disputed.
The consensus is that he was imprisoned in Romania between 1462 and 1474, although other reports claim he was held in Turkey.
Vlad was killed during a battle against the Ottomans in 1476.
It was previously believed that Vlad was buried at Snagov Monastery, near Bucharest, but a study published in 1933 cast the first serious doubt.
Researchers excavated the area and found only animal bones, no human remains, raising a red flag that the grave long believed to hold Dracula was empty.
This discovery fueled decades of speculation and now lends significant weight to the recent findings in Naples, where a hidden inscription inside a centuries-old tomb may point to Vlad's true resting place, suggesting that historians may have misidentified his grave for nearly a century.
For now, the tomb remains sealed off from the public as experts dig deeper into what could be the most dramatic rewrite of vampire legend since Stoker gave the world Count Dracula.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Sniffer dog once-honoured for finding nine missing people dies after eating nail-filled sausages that had been thrown in his kennel in 'vile, cowardly act'
A 'hero' sniffer dog who was credited for locating nine missing people in Italy has tragically died after eating nail-filled sausages. Seven-year-old bloodhound Bruno was found lying in a pool of his own blood yesterday morning at an animal training centre in Taranto, southern Italy, after the deadly treats were thrown into his kennel. Bruno, who was once honoured by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for his services, died in agony from internal bleeding, his trainer Arcangelo Caressa said. Meloni, who was pictured alongside Bruno in 2022, condemned those involved and called the killing a 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable act'. 'Thank you for everything you did, Bruno', she added. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the dog's horrific killing, while cops are reviewing surveillance footage from the training facility to identify those responsible. Bruno had worked on missing persons cases in the southern Apulia region and helped find nine people who had disappeared. He had also taken part in operations aimed at dismantling groups that organised clandestine dog fights. It is believed he was killed in an act of revenge. Trainer Mr Caressa paid an emotional tribute to Bruno, writing on Facebook: 'This morning I died alongside you. 'You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you.' He added that many of the missing persons he had located were Alzheimer's who had wandered off on their own and gotten lost. 'Some families wrote to me this morning to thank me again. Their loved ones are alive thanks to Bruno. And now he is no longer with us.'
Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Telegraph
Meloni condemns ‘vile' killing of hero sniffer dog with nail-filled sausages
Giorgia Meloni has condemned the 'vile' killing of a sniffer dog that died after sausages filled with nails were thrown into its kennel overnight. Bruno, a seven-year-old bloodhound, was once honoured by the Italian prime minister for helping to locate nine missing people. But on Sunday the dog was found lying in a pool of blood at an animal training centre near the city of Taranto in Italy's southern Apulia region. The animal died an agonising, hours-long death from internal bleeding, his trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said as he vowed to track down the culprits. In a Facebook post, Ms Meloni called the killing a 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable act.' She was pictured in 2022 bending down by Bruno's side as it lifted its nose to her face. 'Thank you for everything you did, Bruno,' she added. Bruno had worked on missing persons cases across the region, leading to the recovery of nine missing people, some of whom were Alzheimer's patients who had wandered away from their home. Family members of those he helped were among those sending messages of condolence. 'This morning I died alongside you,' Mr Caressa wrote on social media next to pictures of nail-filled bait found near Bruno's corpse. 'You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you.' 'They will pay, I swear,' he added. Prosecutors have opened an investigation and detectives are reviewing CCTV footage from the training centre in an attempt to identify those involved. Potential motives include revenge by criminals whose activities Bruno helped to uncover while working with law enforcement. 'Boundless cruelty' On July 1, a strict new animal cruelty law came into force in Italy which included sentences of up to four years in prison and €60,000 (£52,000) in fines for intentionally killing an animal with cruelty. The law was named after Michela Vittoria Brambilla, the Italian centre-Right politician and animal rights activist, who pushed for its passage for nearly 20 years. On Sunday, she urged authorities to apply the law with full effect in Bruno's case. 'A nail-filled bait gave a horrible, long and painful death from internal bleeding to he who had saved so many lives. At the thought of such boundless cruelty one should be ashamed of belonging to the human race,' she said. A bloodhound's sense of smell is estimated to be around 1,000 times stronger than a human's and can lock a human scent in its nose, and trail a hunt, for long afterwards. Besides search-and-rescue operations, Mr Caressa revealed that Bruno had also recently been on missions involving animal abuse and illegal dog-fighting gangs. Messages of condolence have poured into the National Dog Training Centre near Taranto, while Piero Bitetti, the city's mayor, called for the quick identification of the culprits. He said: 'Together we must give a strong signal: we will not permit Taranto to be identified with such barbaric acts. Our community deserves to be seen for what it truly is: united, respectful and civil.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious inscription on tombstone reveals Count Dracula's final resting place
A mysterious inscription discovered in a centuries-old tomb in Naples could finally uncover the long-lost burial site of Count Dracula. Researchers say the burial site, tucked within the Turbolo Chapel of the Santa Maria la Nova church complex, could belong to Vlad III, the real-life inspiration behind Bram Stoker's infamous 1897 vampire novel. Known as Vlad the Impaler, the 15th-century Romanian ruler earned his grim nickname through brutal tactics, including impaling his enemies on massive stakes. Though he was reportedly beheaded in 1476, his grave has never been conclusively identified. After more than a decade of study, researchers deciphered a mysterious, Latin-like inscription on the tomb, uncovering two key words: 'Blad,' interpreted as 'Vlad,' and 'Balkan,' the region he once ruled. The marble tomb also features a knight's helmet crowned with a dragon's head, a symbol tied to the Order of the Dragon, a medieval secret society that once counted Vlad among its members. Flanking the tomb are two sphinx-like statues, which experts believe may serve a dual purpose. In Italian, the sphinxes may reference 'Tebe,' or Thebes, the ancient Egyptian city. But scholars suspect it's also a cryptic nod to 'Tepes,' the Romanian epithet for Vlad, meaning 'the Impaler.' The team began their research in 2014 after learning about a theory that suggested Vlad's daughter, Maria Balsa, smuggled his remains out of Romania following his death. Historical records suggest she was later adopted by the powerful Ferrillo family of Naples, sparking the idea that Vlad was laid to rest in what is now Italy. Maria is also believed to have arranged his burial in her father-in-law, Matteo Ferrillo's, tomb inside the same chapel where her father may have been laid to rest. The tomb sits in the small cloister of the church complex, a former monastery for Franciscan Friars and now one of the most visited religious sites in the city. What sparked the researchers' interest in the tomb was the unusual symbols carved that are not typically seen in Christian burials. Professor Giuseppe Reale, director of the Santa Maria la Nova complex, said: 'It emerges that the mysterious inscription is an epitaph in praise of Vlad III of Wallachia, widely known as Count Dracula.' In 1462, Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, is believed to have impaled the bodies of 20,000 people outside the Romanian city of Târgoviște to ward off Ottoman forces. This led to him receiving the nickname Vlad the Impaler, posthumously. Vlad the Impaler was arrested for the murders and held in prison for 12 years, although the exact location and length of this captivity are disputed. The consensus is that he was imprisoned in Romania between 1462 and 1474, although other reports claim he was held in Turkey. Vlad was killed during a battle against the Ottomans in 1476. It was previously believed that Vlad was buried at Snagov Monastery, near Bucharest, but a study published in 1933 cast the first serious doubt. Researchers excavated the area and found only animal bones, no human remains, raising a red flag that the grave long believed to hold Dracula was empty. This discovery fueled decades of speculation and now lends significant weight to the recent findings in Naples, where a hidden inscription inside a centuries-old tomb may point to Vlad's true resting place, suggesting that historians may have misidentified his grave for nearly a century. For now, the tomb remains sealed off from the public as experts dig deeper into what could be the most dramatic rewrite of vampire legend since Stoker gave the world Count Dracula.
