Blok888: Top 10 Most Spectacular and Scariest Cemeteries in the World

Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery - Edinburgh

By Simon Webster

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is actually situated at the southern edge of the Old Municipality. Greyfriars takes its term from the Franciscan friary on the site, which has been dissolved in 1559. The churchyard was built in 1561, to compensate the churchyard at St Giles, that has been considered over crawded.

By Byronv2

The Kirkyard was associated with the history of the Covenanters. The Covenanting movement first began with signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirk on 28 February 1638. Following the failing of the militant Covenanters at Bothwell Brig in 1679, a number of 1200 Covenanters were imprisoned in an area to the southern part of the churchyard. When, in the 18th century, a part of this area was amalgamated into the churchyard as vaulted tombs the area became generally known as the "Covenanters' Prison".

Covenanters' Prison By John W. Schulze

As 1999, when a homeless people broke into Mackenzie's stone coffin for the night ( MacKenzie is a barrister who persecuted many of the Covenanters that were buried in Covenanter’s Kirkyard ), Greyfriars Churchyard has become the epicentre of an escalation of mysterious incidents associated with the ghost of Mackenzie; known colloquially as the Mackenzie Poltergeist. The Mackenzie Poltergeist has been considered the very well-documented paranormal occurrence in the world. Even before 1999, there had been records of strange disturbances in the graveyard. Between 1990 and 2006 there are 350 reported attacks and 170 reports of people collapsing. Visitors experienced being cut, bruised, bitten, scratched and most often blacking out. Several complained later of bruises, scratches and gouge-marks on their bodies. The majority of attacks and experiences of unease took place in MacKenzie's Black Mausoleum and the Covenantors Prison.

MacKenzie's Black Mausoleum By Lisa

In 2000, an exorcist, Colin Grant was summoned to the graveyard to execute an exorcism ceremony, he was said to have picked up "evil forces" and also claimed that the forces were extremely overpowering and feared that they could kill him. Some weeks later, he died suddenly of a heart attack. Edinburgh City Council shut off that part of the cemetery, chained off and only a select few are allowed to pass through its wrought iron gate. Many visitors venturing into the cemetery at night on their own have commented on seeing people at the gate as well as images in their photographs that are unexplained.

By alphis tay

The Mackenzie Poltergeist is now a major tourist draw. Black Hart Entertainment run nightly ‘City of the Dead’ tours of Greyfriars Kirkyard. These provide spook-enthusiasts with the only opportunity to enter the Covenanters’ Prison since its gates are locked at other times.

By Magnus Hagdorn

You can always prove your ‘prowess’ in the timehonoured fashion, by knocking at the Lord Advocate’s door: Bluidy Mackingie, come oot if ye dar. Lift the sneck and draw the bar!