What is the name of the Bleeding Nun in Matthew Lewis's 'The Monk'?

The story behind the answer

In Matthew Lewis's The Monk, the Bleeding Nun is named Beatrice de las Cisternas. She is a ghost who haunts the Castle of Lindenberg and becomes involved in the novel's subplot about Don Raymond and Agnes.

Agnes plans to disguise herself as the Bleeding Nun so she can escape the castle and elope with Raymond. Raymond mistakenly meets the genuine apparition instead. The ghost follows him and torments him until the Wandering Jew reveals her history and explains how her restless spirit can finally be released.

Beatrice had been forced into a convent when she was young, later abandoned her vows, and became involved with the Baron of Lindenberg. She murdered him at the urging of his brother Otto, who then murdered her. Because her body remained unburied, her ghost continued to appear until Raymond recovered her bones, placed them in the family vault, and arranged for thirty masses to be said.

The names Elvira and Antonia are also important in The Monk, but they are living characters in the main Ambrosio plot. Matilda is Ambrosio's supernatural companion, not the Bleeding Nun.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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