It's almost time for the epic series premiere of The Originals and I've been preparing myself like a true fan (although I know others can say they're the biggest fans) I have been reading up on not just the simple history of New Orleans but also it haunted history and no haunted history is complete without a few vampire stories.
For a city that takes such a casual view on Death, having a few vampires wandering the French Quarter to join in the fun with the living doesn't seem so out of place. When you take a haunted tour of the French Quarter, you'll make a stop by the Ursuline Convent. The convent was built in 1727 and a small group of nuns organized it into an orphanage, a school, and a hospital. The convent boasts a few miracles: 1 being that it managed to avert a devastating fire in 1812 that burnt down half of the French Quarter. A nun placed a Madonna statue in the window and the nuns began to pray to it. When the fire reached the convent, the fire averted and went out. The second miracle happened in 1815 when New Orleans was facing a siege from the British. The nuns gathered the women and children together at the convent and prayed for the safe deliverance for their male family members fighting before the Madonna statue. General Andrew Jackson fought and won the battle for New Orleans and America and went to the Ursuline convent to thank the nuns for their prayers. The Madonna was named Our Lady of Prompt Succor and patron saint of the city.
When you take that tour to the Ursuline convent, the tour guide won't tell you about the miracles; instead he'll tell you about the hauntings. During the mid-1800s, women from France, poor, orphaned girls were sent over to New Orleans in hopes of finding husbands and the state would provide them with a small casket filled with their dowries. These girls were known as fille à la cassette ("girl with a casket"), which was shortened to "casket girls". There was one group in particular that stood out however. This group of girls was carrying large caskets, full body caskets ornately decorated and very heavy. The girls claimed that these caskets contained their dowries and that they were NOT to be open until they married.
The girls arrived to the convent where they were to receive their education and housing until their marriages and stored their caskets on the third floor. One girl was curious about these caskets the new girls brought over seas and went to look inside them. Yet when she opened the casket, they were empty! All of the caskets were empty! It was then reasoned that the new girls had brought vampires from Europe over to New Orleans. These human girls served the aristocratic vampire families for generations (it was reasoned). The nuns made a decision: they blessed nails and screws then sealed the windows and caskets inside the convent to keep the vampires away. They blessed a total of 8,000 screws. The strange girls became agitated and restless in their sleep. One night there was a great howling wind and the sealed windows and caskets flew open. The sisters tried again and again with the blessed screws to keep the vampires out but their efforts were useless.
These vampires were said to be all female. They would open the convent to speak with their human servants every night. These female vampires integrated with the high society of Creole and the rich much like the male vampires and their presence is still felt by the residents to this day.
Theories abound as to the identity of the Ursuline Convent Vampires. One suggests that they resemble the legend of St. Ursuline (saint and founder of the Ursuline order) who was a patron saint of virgins. Ursula was suppose to marry a pagan king but she begged her father to let her go on a pilgrimage for 3 years and keep her virginity and only then will she marry the pagan king. Strangely enough, her father and fiancé agreed. Ursula took over 100s of virgin hand maidens with her on her pilgrimage. Ursula had also heard a prophecy that she would die on this journey. Attila the Hun and his Mongol hoard were said to have massacred Ursula and her retinue in one of the famous Christian massacres. However, some have said this Catholic legend stems from the Norse legend of Freya.
Nevertheless, these female vampires created a lineage that still persists to this day as some believe.
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