Legend has it that the cathedral in southern Italy houses the body of the daughter of Count Vlad III di Valacchia, famous as Count Dracula.
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The story that links Acerenza, in the Basilicata Region, to Count Dracula arouses particular curiosity.
Yes, the province of Potenza it would have to do with the “vampire” of Transylvania.
No book by Giusy Tolve and Roberto Lacava There is an entire chapter dedicated to the topic.
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The authors write: “Living in the late 1400s, Maria Balsa, wife of Count Giacomo Alfonso Ferrillo, was the daughter of the crown prince of a territory located between Romania and Serbia, Vlad III of Wallachia, better known as Count Dracula.”
According to the book, she arrived in Italy as an orphan and, due to her social status, was adopted by the King of Naples, Alfonso d'Aragona, who later gave her in marriage to his nephew Alfonso Ferrillo.
But how can you be sure that she is Count Dracula's daughter?
In the Cathedral of Acerenza, renovated in 1520-1524 by the Ferrillo spouses, in the upper left corner you can see the coat of arms of the Balsa family which dominates, in classification, that of the Ferrillo family.
Not surprisingly, there is a dragon: the same one that appears on the coat of arms of Vlad III belonging to the Order of the Dragon. A coalition of noble warriors born during the Crusades to contain the advance of Muslims.
Founded by Vlad III and Sigismund of Luxembourg, father of Alfonso of Aragon, the Order of the Dragon spread quickly and, in particular, was represented by Balbo, ambassador of the Republic of Venice, and by the leader Filippo Scolari who was part of the first 24 founding knights of the order itself.
The curiosities don't stop there, as the cathedral is full of references to vampirism.
Right at the entrance, monstrous creatures bite two innocent victims in the neck.
In the crypt it is possible to see, in bas-relief, a strange representation that reproduces the goddess Lilith, known – according to legend – for appearing only at night to suck the blood of men, particularly newborns.
In the frescoes, the man who is supposed to represent Dracula is placed with his back to the altar, as if he wanted to turn his back on God.
The Madonna and Child, next door, do the same thing. A bit like Vlad did when, according to legend, to see his wife, killed by the Turks, he signed a pact with the Devil, which would make him undead.
The authors of the book remember that even the famous Italian-American director, Francis Ford Coppola, became fascinated by this story when he decided to shoot the film “Dracula” in 1992.
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