Rennes-le-Château and the Holy Blood of Bruges
by Rennes-le-Château, a small medieval village in southwestern France, is internationally renowned for being in the middle of probably the greatest Conspiracy Theory of the 20th Century. A local restaurant owner wanted to increase business and spread some rumours of a lost treasure… And this was the origin for the non-fiction bestseller The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail or Dan Brown’s historical faction thriller The Da Vinci Code.
Father Bérenger Saunière arrived in Rennes-le-Château in 1885. He soon was spending large sums of money, funding several building projects, such as the Church of Mary Magdalene. According to the rumours spread by Noël Corbu, who had opened in the fifties a restaurant in L’Hotel de la Tour, the former estate of Saunière, the source of his wealth was a treasure, hidden inside a pillar in his church.
Image via Wikipedia
An Elaborate Hoax
His story attracted Pierre Plantard, who wanted to play a vital role in the history of France and concocted an elaborate hoax, planting fake documents in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, that implied Plantard was a descendant of a royal dynasty. In 1967, Gérard de Sède published a book about his friend’s claim to fame. They chose the area and history of Rennes-le-Château as their setting.
The next step was The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, in 1982 published by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln. They said Saunière found documents implying that the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene were connected to the French royalty. Saunière found them in his church, in a Visigothic pillar, in 1891.
Image via Wikipedia
Saunière had been a teacher in the seminary of Narbonne, but being undisciplined, he was appointed in 1885 to Rennes-le-Château. He renovated the church, built a grand estate for himself (the Villa Bethania) and a personal library which resembled the Tower of David in Jerusalem (the Tour Magdala). In 1896, the bishop of Carcassone investigated how Saunière had been able to fund these building projects. The bishop relocated him to a different parish, but Saunière refused and resigned. In 1910 he was tried for fraud; he had been selling masses he never performed. In 1917, Saunière died in poverty.
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Post CommentLost in Arizona
On April 3, 2009 at 11:38 am
This was an interesting article. Once the whole idea of Christ and Mary having a child together, and that child being the holy grail, it was just such a huge uproar in the anthropological community. But it does raise some curious questions of “Why couldn’t it be possible?” But I suppose to the Catholic church, the whole presumption is just too much to bear since Christ was considered to be the purist of all humans. It does make one think. And the whole tie in just makes one’s mind think too much…lol.
Elizabeth Abbott
On April 4, 2009 at 3:23 am
Very good! This was the proof of what a good writer can actually achieve! However it does make one wonder! How many times had this been done throughout history?
I like your article.
Elizabeth Abbott
On April 4, 2009 at 3:25 am
The photos are awsome. See! I read it over again!!
C Jordan
On April 6, 2009 at 6:35 am
I’m glad you wrote this. I found it very interesting, because I have been following this story for many years. I first came across it in relation to the Holy Graille, and the knights Templar. The “sanguine” or blood connections are a facinating subject, and this hoax was uncovered before Dan Brown wrote his novel,”The Da Vinci Code”, a fact he chose to ignore.
Well written Patrick.
CutestPrincess
On April 6, 2009 at 11:42 am
that’s great,your works are always interesting…
Lori
On April 7, 2009 at 11:24 am
I am very interested in the relationship between Jules Bois, Emma Calvé, and Karl Huysman. Your article is timely for me. I enjoyed your no nonsense approach to the story. Clean and clear.
Chris Stonecipher
On April 7, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Patrick,
I enjoyed reading your article. It is informative, well researched and quite intriquing. Nice work my friend. I dugg this and buzzed it up.
Blessings,
Chris
Lauren Axelrod
On April 9, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I still love a good conspiracy theory. I have more of an open scientific mind and I trust the words of the gods and the writing on the walls of 17,000 year old caves.
I hate to say it, but I really enjoyed the Da Vinci code. In fact, I watched it last night.
Only1God
On April 20, 2009 at 12:03 pm
There is no reason why this couldnt have happened, there is more evidence here than there is to back up most of the bible
Brother Thomas
On May 12, 2009 at 4:35 am
well, what can I say? NO ONE can accurately describe anything a hoax if they don\’t know/understand all the facts!
Question: why would pope innocent order to \”kill EVERY man, woman AND child! God will know his own\” at a village in that region? My guess: VERY SINISTER!!!
YOU CAN\’T FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!
Patrick Bernauw
On May 12, 2009 at 6:43 am
To Brother Thomas: I didn’t say the killing of the Cathars is a hoax, Brother!
To Only1God & Brother Thomas: I only said there is hard evidence Pierre Plantard and Noël Corbu faked some “facts”.
Rene vanhaecke
On June 18, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I am working for years on de family tree of the vanhaecke family, Ludovicus is in that tree…thise dark history is new for me.
more news of ludovicus vanhaecke is welcome….
Patrick Bernauw
On June 18, 2009 at 2:16 pm
@ Rene Vanhaecke: You always can contact me… en dat kan uiteraard ook in het Nederlands. Ik heb trouwens ook in het Nederlands over hem geschreven: http://www.squidoo.com/satanistinbrugge
Debra.
On July 11, 2009 at 3:38 am
That always was a fascinating story. Nice read!
Francois Hagnere
On July 29, 2009 at 5:31 am
I read a lot on this and evertyhing related, I went there a long time ago. There is so much to say…
Redman Crosby
On September 6, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Yes a good read. I would comment that in fact sources of any information are contrite as to lineage of dialogue. By that I mean the stories of the Soothsayer’s are just that, yet in history, the church burnt at the stake it is estimated now, over 11 million women and men, mostly women. Therefore Power and corruption were rife and 98% Male dominated throughout the 2000 plus years since Jeshua and Magdaline.
This then begs the conundrum, what about the women? How does a Virgin Mary who supposedly still has a Hymen intact have and bare children, it is biologically impossible, yet is still taught and sanctioned in the bible? food for thought. I would say history without true knowledge leads to Religions. True knowledge that can be backed up, which all this can’t, is Serendipity.
The body of evidence is massively contrite, I feel we must look beyond Belief, beyond Faith and start to use our individual inner knowing which is incorruptable, ie awareness beyond the Intellectual Mind or Monkey Mind.