The House of the Seven Chimneys
On the rooftop of a 16th-century house in Madrid, a woman in white was said to walk between the seven chimneys at night, holding a torch.
What was reported
The Casa de las Siete Chimeneas, a red-brick house with seven chimneys in the centre of Madrid, is one of the oldest in the city. Legend says it was built for a young woman who married a captain who died at war, and who then died young herself in mysterious circumstances.
Soon after, people reported seeing a woman in white walking across the rooftop at night among the chimneys, carrying a lit torch and pointing towards the nearby royal palace. Later stories added that bones were found when the house was repaired.
Explanations offered
The legend has many versions and isn't supported by records, and some link it to rumours about a king's secret love. The house is now the home of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and its legend is one of Madrid's best known.
- When
- Built in the 1500s
- Where
- Plaza del Rey, Madrid, Spain
- Witnesses
- Madrid folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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