Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
A nun who, in the name of God, is believed to have more than 177 people to her name was the Greek woman Mariam Soulakiotis, better known as Mother Rasputin. She is not only regarded as one of Greece’s most notorious female serial killers, but is still venerated as a saint by many of her followers to this day. Mariam, who was born in 1888, grew up in poverty on a farm 50 kilometres from Athens. She was working in a factory when, at the age of 23, she met Father Matthew Karpathakis, who questioned the teachings of the Old Calendarist branch of the Greek Orthodox Church, leading him to found his own sect. He referred to this group as the ‘New Calendarists’, for whom he had a monastery built not far from Keratea. Maria joined this sect and, as Mother Superior Mariam, became the Father’s right-hand woman. As Father Matthew grew increasingly frail with age, Maria gradually assumed greater control over the monastery and, by extension, the sect. To attract new members to the sect, free treatment for tuberculosis patients was offered at the monastery. Anyone wishing to join the sect had to transfer all their possessions to the monastery. Mother Superior Mariam ruled with an iron fist. All cult members had to confess their sins and then atone for them through fasting, silence, prayer and hard physical labour. Anyone who failed to follow these rules was beaten and tortured. Mother Superior Mariam deliberately targeted wealthy families, whose fortunes provided the cult with a secure income. New cult members were completely isolated from the outside world upon entering the convent. Father Matthew died in 1939. From then on, Mariam led the cult, punishing anyone who defied her instructions. In 1949, rumours began to circulate amongst the people of Keratea that something was amiss at the convent. All too often, the residents heard loud screams from the monastery’s inhabitants, which were believed to be the result of torture. However, it was not until 1950 that the authorities intervened, when a daughter approached them to report the abuses within the sect. The sect had forced her mother to transfer all her possessions to the sect. An investigation was launched. A raid involving hundreds of police officers was carried out on 4 December 1950, initially on suspicion that olive oil was being exported to Cyprus and tyres imported. However, during the raid, the police found numerous people who had been abused, tortured and imprisoned. It transpired that more than 500 people, all of whom were members of the sect, had transferred their assets to the church. Shortly afterwards, they died in mysterious circumstances. Over 170 bodies were recovered from the convent grounds. Following the findings of the investigation, Mother Superior Mariam was arrested in December 1950. Her trial began in September 1951. She was initially sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment for the export and import offences. On 6 February 1953, she was tried again for seven counts of premeditated murder, for which she was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. During her final trial, on 18 November 1953, she was sentenced to a further four years’ imprisonment for abuse, embezzlement, fraud and unlawful deprivation of liberty. The authorities believed that Mother Superior Mariam was responsible for more than 177 deaths. She had amassed a small fortune. Not only did she own 300 farms and houses, but she also possessed US$750,000 in cash, property and other assets. Yet all her wealth was of no use to her, as she died on 23 November 1954 at the age of 71 in Averoff Prison. Until the very end, she had maintained her innocence and dismissed the accusations as “satanic fiction”. The convent remained open until 2019. Many members of the sect believed in Mother Superior Mariam’s innocence and, despite her conviction, venerated her as a saint.
