Cádiz Town Hall has become the epicenter of paranormal phenomena in the city. Located in the Plaza de San Juan de Dios, surrounded by the medieval neighborhood of Pópulo and a stone’s throw from the Church of San Juan de Dios and the old Misericordia Hospital, the Town Hall is the center of attention of many looks and inexplicable. events that manifest within. Over the years, multiple testimonies from workers and visitors have reported inexplicable events that seem to defy all logic.
Legends that inhabit the corridors
Mysterious stories surrounding City Hall are nothing new. Over the centuries, this building has been the scene of rumors and tales of spectral apparitions. Among the most recurring testimonies is that of a “the monks’ court” which, according to the testimonies of several witnesses, is on the first floor of the building. These figures, described with tunics and hoods, They advance in silence until they disappear into the walls near the Church of San Juan de Dios. Although their presence was noted by several municipal employees, they were never able to record it, which goes against the testimonies.
The call “the ghost of the archivist” It’s another story that continues. According to tradition, this apparition corresponds to a former employee of the Town Hall, who lost his life in the building. Over the years, several people claim to have seen his shadow that hovers around the municipal archiveswhile others claim to have heard strange sounds or felt an ominous presence in the archive area. Despite the lack of evidence, these stories are “commonplace” among comments from city hall employees.
Testimonies of the inexplicable
The stories about these phenomena are not exclusive to a specific era. Housekeeping and security, tasks generally performed at night, seem to be the jobs most likely to encounter the inexplicable. Amalia Camacho, town hall employee, She was one of the first to describe the appearance of the procession of monks in a corridor on the first floor: “They were wearing hoods, we couldn’t see their faces,” she says, claiming to have seen these figures disappear into the darkness. Another worker, Carmen del Rio, He said that when he joined the city council, a colleague who was about to retire warned him that strange things had been seen in the building.
One of the most disturbing testimonies is that of a cleaning lady who claimed to have been attacked by “invisible hands” while working in one of the rooms. According to her story, while opening a door, she felt a knock and later noticed that something had left her with a black eye. This incident, although extraordinary, is not the only one; other workers recounted similar experiences, such as sounds of keys jingling without anyone holding them or elevators activating on their own.
Jose Manuel Francisco, building security officer, also reported strange episodes. According to him, he heard on several occasions shots from closed windows where I saw lights turn on and off for no apparent reason. Additionally, unexplainable odors, such as that of old cologne or freshly lit tobacco, are a constant for those who work night shifts. The researcher from Cádiz José M. Serrano or I have studied and written about this in different books.
The unexpected turn
What has most disconcerted the residents of Cádiz in recent times is the result of a paranormal investigation which revealed a much closer and personal presence. A specialist team, experienced in capturing supernatural phenomena, traveled to City Hall to explore the alleged apparitions. But what they discovered was something completely unexpected, as the journalist from Cádiz tells us. José Luis Porquicho from CádizDirect.
During the investigation into the “Fourth Millennium” program, the sensitive subject Aldo Linares, member of the team, perceived the presence of a man who died a few months earlier. What was surprising about this appearance was not only its novelty, but also its emotional closeness. Linares, in the presence of several witnesses, approached one of the women and revealed to her that the figure she was seeing was related to her. The woman, visibly moved, confirmed that the man described by the researcher was a close relative who had recently died.
Linares detailed intimate situations, such as health problems the deceased had had, and mentioned a particular office where he was located. The woman, in tears, corroborated the details: which led to a deeply moving moment. This recent appearance marked an unexpected turn in research, shifting attention from classical legends to a more personal and moving dimension.
Some researchers have pointed out that this type of apparition is not always linked to a specific location, as one might think with the ghosts of monks or the archivist. In this case, the deceased’s appearance seemed to be emotionally connected to his loved one, and not so much to the town hall itself. According to this theory, spiritual manifestations can follow the people they wish to protect, wherever they are. This would open up a new interpretation of the phenomena occurring at the Town Hall, suggesting that certain apparitions could be more linked to the people who frequent the place than to the building itself, a phenomenon which would be more recent than the previous ones already known. .
The Cádiz City Hall continues to be a space where the supernatural and the everyday seem to coexist in harmony. In this environment, the inexplicable continues to occur, challenging the boundaries between the rational and the unknown.
*If you have had a strange experience, do not hesitate to write to us and tell us about it at mail@garciabautista.net
