Father Sebastiaan is truly one of a kind. A multifaceted man - who else can claim fangsmith, Vampyre clan leader, events organiser and author, all in one sentence? - with a wealth of knowledge on all things dark and mysterious, we had the exciting opportunity of picking his brain vis-à-vis Paris and its murky history.
Though often referred to as “The City of Light”, i.e. La Ville Lumière (partly because of its influence during the Age of Enlightenment, and partly because it was one of the first European cities to adopt street lighting) it’s no secret that this city has a dark and seedy history steeped in bloodshed. What with the French Revolution, the siege of the Paris Commune, and of course the many executions at the gallows and by guillotine, it comes as no surprise that Paris has its fair share of creepy stories – and we’re here to explore them.
“What’s really interesting is those ghosts that we encounter — those supernatural beings — a lot of people think that they’re external from the human collective consciousness. I think they’re internal.”
Father Sebastiaan first moved to Paris back in the mid-2000s, and to his dismay realised that the city had no ghost tours or haunted walks to speak of. Taking matters into his own hands, he began researching the haunted history of Paris, eventually culminating in a book as well as his very own tour (check it out at darkparis.com).
Mysteries of Paris, available on Amazon.
Our conversation lead us down various alleys, including talk of the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Bathory of Paris, Aleister Crowley, paranormal investigations, and of course the ever-popular Catacombs – we’d sit and listen to Father Sebastiaan’s tales all night if we could. (For a brief overview of the Paris Catacombs, check out one of our previous articles right here.) For those interested in a more detailed exploration Paris’ spooky stories, be sure to check out Father Sebastiaan’s Mysteries of Paris book (soon-to-be Dark Paris) – especially if you’ve got an upcoming Paris trip planned!
Now for the interview:
