Did historians just find the tomb of Dracula?

One of history’s greatest mysteries is the true burial site of Vlad Tepes, better known as Dracula, the infamous 15th-century ruler of Wallachia.

For centuries, there has been much debate about where he was actually laid to rest: some claim Romania, while others argue that his final resting place is actually in Naples, Italy.

The secret of the Santa Maria la Nova church

In recent years, increasing attention from researchers has focused on the Santa Maria la Nova church and its adjoining monastery in Naples. Giuseppe Reale, director of the museum centre associated with the church, believes that all signs point to one of the tombs inside the church containing the earthly remains of Vlad Tepes.

As Blikk reports, the story gained wider publicity back in 2014 when Italian and Estonian researchers – Raffaele and Giandomenico Glinni – identified the tomb of Mattia Ferrillo in the monastery courtyard as a possible burial site of Vlad Tepes. The tomb features symbols such as dragons and sphinxes, which are thought to be references to Dracula.

Family connections and the mysterious inscription

It is believed that Vlad Tepes’ daughter, Maria Balsha, was sent to the Neapolitan court at the age of seven and later married into the Ferrillo family. This could explain why her father was also buried in the Ferrillo crypt.

As hvg.hu points out, further support for this theory comes from a mysterious inscription found on the wall of one of the church’s chapels. The inscription has not yet been fully deciphered or made public. Claudio Falcucci, an expert in dating and identifying artworks, examined the text and concluded it dates back to the 15th century and contains the name “Vlad” multiple times.