{"id":120905,"date":"2021-08-20T20:18:23","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T18:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thefreethinker\/?p=120905"},"modified":"2021-08-20T20:18:23","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T18:18:23","slug":"people-flock-to-a-uk-church-not-to-find-jesus-but-draculas-grave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thefreethinker\/2021\/08\/people-flock-to-a-uk-church-not-to-find-jesus-but-draculas-grave\/","title":{"rendered":"People flock to a UK church, not to find Jesus but Dracula’s grave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"
Image via Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

EXASPERATED officials at St Mary\u2019s Church in Whitby, Yorkshire,\u00a0 grew so fed up with people asking them where Dracula is buried that they were compelled to put up the above sign<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The church, adjacent to Whitby Abbey, rose to fame in the late 19th century after it was mentioned in Bram Stoker\u2019s famous novel Dracula<\/em> as the site of the toothy count\u2019s arrival in England.<\/p>\n

The world best-known bloodsucker has been inspiring visits to the area ever since, with fans travelling to see what they believe the church is the site of the count\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

The problem became so overwhelming that the church is now explicitly asking people not to come looking for the grave, and if they do visit the church, to stop bothering its congregation.<\/p>\n

In a post on Twitter, a local visitor, Kevin Meagher, <\/span><\/span> pointed out that the church had posted the sign asking tourists off \u201cwithout a hint of irony\u201d, to stop pestering them and regular church-goers.<\/p>\n

The tweet has since gone viral, receiving more than 18,000 likes as people shared their amusement at the sign.<\/p>\n

One person wrote:<\/p>\n

We sniggered at this the other day. I used to work at Whitby Abbey and people asked ALL the time!
\n<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another commented:<\/p>\n

I recall hearing visitors to the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street, London, being gently informed by staff that Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although the church is mentioned in the novel, it was never suggested that Dracula is buried there.<\/p>\n

The church has also become a pilgrimage site for lovers of all things spooky, with the graveyard and the town playing host to the annual Whitby Goth Weekend, which brings thousands of tourists to the area each year.<\/p>\n

Please report any typos\/errors to barry@freethinker.co.uk<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019d like to buy me a cup of coffee \u2013 and boy, do I get through a LOT<\/em> of coffee keeping this site active \u2013 please click the link below.<\/h3>\n

\"I'd<\/a><\/h3>\n

I\u2019d love a cup of coffee<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EXASPERATED officials at St Mary\u2019s Church in Whitby, Yorkshire,\u00a0 grew so fed up with people asking them where Dracula is buried that they were compelled to put up the above sign. The church, adjacent to Whitby Abbey, rose to fame in the late 19th century after it was mentioned in Bram Stoker\u2019s famous novel Dracula […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3705,"featured_media":120917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[9008,9011,9014,9017,5193],"class_list":["post-120905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-dracula","tag-st-marys-church","tag-transylvania","tag-whitby-abbey","tag-yorkshire"],"yoast_head":"\nPeople flock to a UK church, not to find Jesus but Dracula's grave<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"EXASPERATED officials at St Mary\u2019s Church in Whitby, Yorkshire,\u00a0 grew so fed up with people asking them where Dracula is buried that they were compelled\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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