Photo of the Day: Keeping the Spirits Away

St Augustine is known for its unique architecture and its haunted history and the Villa Zorayda has both under its roof. The palace is believed to be extremely haunted and as a result, no two windows in the building are alike. A superstition states that if the windows are all different, the spirits would not be able to find their way back into the house. Based on the haunted history of the Villa Zorayda, the theory may not be that helpful.

UPDATED: I have been corrected on the history of the Villa Zorayda. The story about the haunting and window/door sizes were told on three separate tours of St Augustine both haunted history and sightseeing. Prior to writing this photo, I also did an online search as well and came across some of the same stories. However after posting the photo, the staff of the Villa Zorayda Museum reached out to correct the history and help put an end to the false history being given out by the tour guides. The architectural style of the Zorayda is based on the Alhambra Palace in Spain. The various sizes of the opening are based not on spirit superstitions but on Moorish/Islamic influences. So I stand corrected and either way, it is a pretty cool looking building in a great historical town. (Photo: November 12, 2011)

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