In 1564, Queen Catherine de Medici created the Tuileries Garden, unaware that the place would become haunted. Once, a small château and tile factories occupied the land, along with an abattoir where Jean, the future “Jean the Flayer,” worked. Jean, who knew the secrets of the court, became inconvenient for the queen, who ordered his discreet death.
When the fatal blow was struck by his assassin, Jean allegedly uttered a terrible prophecy: “I will return.”
The assassin, when reporting the death to the queen, felt a chilling presence behind him. Turning around, he discovered a bloodied man in the middle of the crowd staring at him without blinking—he believed he recognized Jean. To be sure, he returned to the scene of the crime and found that the body had disappeared.
Later, Jean reappeared before the queen to utter ominous prophecies, terrifying Catherine de Medici. He vanished for two centuries before reappearing in 1792 before Marie Antoinette, predicting her decapitation. In 1815, he warned Napoleon before Waterloo.
In 1871, the Tuileries Palace burned during the Commune, and Jean the Flayer was seen amid the flames. Since then, he has haunted the Tuileries Garden, with his last recorded appearance dating back to 1871. It is said that he can still be encountered during a visit, perpetuating his mysterious presence.
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