The Story of Măreasa from Poieni, Pietroasa

The Story of Măreasa from Poieni, Pietroasa

It is said that in the 19th century, the Strâmbu estate belonged to a countess named Leopoldina Stojanovits, whom the locals called “Măreasa,” a name derived from the phrase “Her Grace.”

Leopoldina had a son, Bogdanovich Ferencz, who, at 18, fell in love with a girl from Budapest—also desired by another man. He challenged his rival to a duel and lost, dying in the confrontation.

Legend has it that, filled with grief, in 1881 “Măreasa” ordered a crypt to be built in the Poieni forest, by the creek, where she buried her only child. Only a year after the burial, the coffin was robbed, and the body thrown into the river. In her sorrow, “Măreasa” placed her son back in the coffin, moved it to the innermost chamber, and sealed the crypt with a brick wall. At the entrance, she had an iron door installed, closing the crypt forever. After this, the countess left Poieni for good and never returned.

Read the full story at prinbanat.ro