Sanatorio Carlos Durán Cartín or Sanatorium of Carlos Duran is located 7 km North of Carthage, in the Cartago province of Costa Rica. It stands in the shadow of Irazu Volcano as a testament to human tragedy and charity of those who dedicated themselves to helping others.
Location: 7 km North of Carthage, Cartago Province Map
Carlos Durán Cartín (1852- 1924)
Sanatorio Carlos Durán was found by Doctor Carlos Durán Cartín. He was a prominent figure in the history of Costa Rica. Having completed his education in London, he served as a president of Costa Rica from 1889 to 1890 and played an important political role in the country long after completing his career as a politician. Doctor Carlos Duran persuaded Costa Rican Congress to establish this hospital on August 16th, 1915. Its maximum capacity was 300 patients who lived in buildings separated between men and women. The staff consisted mostly from Sisters of Charity of Saint Anne. Sanatorium was intended to treat tuberculosis that was a deadly disease in the beginning of the twentieth century. After analyzing altitude, air humidity, elevation, temperature and prevailing winds doctor chose this location for his sanatorium. It was believed that isolation patients in an area with plenty of fresh air will cure the disease. Doctor Carlos Duran had an additional reason to find a cure. His daughter was stricken by the "white disease" as it was known at the time. Sanatorium went in decline in the 1950s due to new discoveries in the medicine. Tuberculosis became a curable disease and number of patients have dropped. This medical complex was closed in 1963.
Sanatorio Carlos Durán just like Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky is famous for paranormal activity. Cold chills, voices, full body apparitions are fairly frequent in the complex. Some eye witnesses claim that they see a ghost of a nun that once lived here and was rumoured to have ability to heal people. When she was alive she frequently visited the beds of the sick patients in the last stages of their lives. Some were miraculously cured, others died in peace. Locals claim that she still returns to pray for the people she cared for. Occasionally she is seen in a company of a young girl who walks along her side. There is no identity or a name of a nun or her mysterious companion. Was she a sick daughter of doctor Carlos Duran? We will probably never know.
Another story that circulates around the Sanatorium of Carlos Duran is presence of two mysterious figures that are frequently seen at the the top floors of the complex. They always travel together and often observe people who visit the site. Some say they look like nuns, other claim that these are two priests. Whoever these two entities are they seem to dress in long black robes and appear together.