Vampires are a fascinating subject, and their presence in history goes back millennia. But who was the first vampire ever to exist? Who knows? But the first documented one came from Croatia, and his name was Jure “Grando” Alilović from Kringa.

Where And What Is Croatia?

The Republic of Croatia is located in Southeastern and Central Europe. Part of the Balkans, Croatia shares robust historical ties with the Hasburg Monarchy, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and also has Roman Catholic traditions.

Croatia is on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. To the northwest, it touches Slovenia, Hungary to the northeast, to the east, it touches Serbia, and to the southeast, it touches Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Montenegro, and to the west, it shares a maritime border with Italy.

Fun fact, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi (Sissi,) was the Queen Consort of Croatia from April 24th, 1854, to September 10th, 1898.

But it is in the small rural village of the Istria County of Croatia, specifically in Kringa, that the home of the historical Jure “Grando” Alilović resided. Jure, pronounced “You-rae,” is the first documented vampire in European history.

The History Of Jure “Grando” Alilović

Jure lived from 1578 to 1656 in Kringa, in the region of Istria. He was a villager who became the first real human believed to be a vampire in historical records. In his region, he was referred to as a štrigon, a local word encompassing vampire and warlock.

Alilović was a stonemason, an occupation consisting of creating structures and sculptures using stone. He was married to his wife, Ivana, and had two children, Ana and Nikola.

According to historical records, Alilović died in 1656, following an illness that cost him his life. The legend has him returning from the grave from dusk to dawn as a vampire. He frightened his home village until the day he was decapitated sixteen years later in 1672.

To avoid the terror, his children, Ana and Nikola, moved from Istria to Volterra in Italy at a young age.

The Legend Of The First Recorded Vampire

The legend says that Jure would appear to his horrified widow, Ivana, as if smiling and gasping for air. It was in their bedroom that he would sexually assault her. Ivana described the corpse to the authorities and clergy.

The village priest’s name was Giorgio, and he was the one who buried Jure. When he encountered the vampire, it’s said he held a cross to his face and yelled, “Behold, Jesus Christ, you vampire! Stop tormenting us!” But for sixteen years, Jure would torment his wife or knock on someone’s door in the village and from that household, someone would die a few days later.

Sixteen years later, the prefect Miho Radetić led a group of brave villagers to chase and try to kill the vampire. They concluded that piercing his heart with a stake made of hawthorn would do the trick, but it failed as it bounced off Jure’s chest.

The night that followed, nine villagers gathered in the graveyard with lamps, crosses and hawthorn stakes. Once Jure’s coffin was opened, they found his corpse perfectly preserved and smiling. His tongue was improperly nailed to his jaw, as it was customary at the time for the dead. It is said that the priest, Giorgio, was present that night. They tried to pierce his heart once again, but failed as it wouldn’t penetrate his chest.

Giorgio performed exorcism prayers, and then a villager, Stipan Milašić, sawed Jure’s head off from the corpse. It’s said that the vampire screamed as the flesh was torn and blood poured from the cut. But following that night, peace returned to Kringa.

The Legend Lives On

The legend of Jure still lives today as one of the most mysterious encounters in history. The village even embraced the legend. It is now possible to visit the village and go to a vampire bar, as well as go on a tourist tour revolving around Jure Alilović.

To this day, Jure Alilović remains the first historically recorded vampire and his legend feeds the paranormal centuries after his death.