Catalina Lercaro (Catherine Lercaro), 16th century, was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

woman of the Lercaro family. She was renowned in the city of

San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna, ) is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain. The former capital of the Canary Islan ...

(

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

). The Lercaro were an important family of Genoese merchants, who were based in Tenerife after the Castillian conquest. Pozo

Catalina, daughter of Antonio Lercaro and his wife, was forced to marry an older man, who enjoyed a good position and great wealth. This arranged marriage did not please Catalina, who on her wedding day killed herself by leaping into a pit that was located in the courtyard of the family mansion. (Since 1993, this building has been operated as the Museum of the History of Tenerife). The legend suggests that Catalina's body was interred in one of the rooms in the house. Because she committed the sin of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

prohibited her receiving a

Christian burial A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation and practiced inhumation almost exclusively. Today this opposi ...

in a consecrated cemetery. The Lercaro family left the city and moved

La Orotava La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...

. Since then many people claim to have seen the specter of Catalina Lercaro walking through the mansion (now the museum). Catalina Lercaro is the most famous

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

of the Canary Islands. Her ghost story is also known in Spain. The mansion where she died is the most famous "haunted mansion" on the islands.

In popular culture

This legend was popularized in the rest of Spain in the early 2000s, thanks to the radio program '' Milenio 3'' and the television program ''

Cuarto Milenio ''Cuarto milenio'' is a Spanish television program directed and presented by journalist Iker Jiménez and Carmen Porter. The program has been broadcast weekly on television channel Cuatro since November 2005, being the channel's longest running ...

''.Temas: Hipatía de Alejandría, Casa Lercaro, Perdidos y El caso Macastre
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References

Bibliography

* * * People from San Cristóbal de La Laguna Spanish ghosts 16th-century Spanish women Culture of the Canary Islands {{Spain-bio-stub