La Recolección Church

Ciudad de Guatemala · Guatemala · Church

At midnight, chains are heard dragging through the La Recolección quarter — a procession of hooded penitents who never found peace.

In the streets around the Recolección church in Guatemala City, people have told for generations of a nocturnal procession of penitents in black hoods, walking in chains with lit candles and murmuring unintelligible prayers. Those who meet them are warned never to look them in the eye, and anyone who accepts a candle from their hands finds it turned into a human bone by morning. Encounters are said to peak at midnight before All Saints' Day, when the chained souls file past the church. The legend was already circulating before the 1917 earthquake, and the old women of the quarter say one should pray for the souls so they may find rest.

FAQ

Where is La Recolección Church located?

La Recolección Church is in Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.