Savoy of California
Mounting Victor’s Severed Leg
With two years if sobriety, I watched my father mentally torture my sister Victoria while in a hospital bed. We were waiting for Victor’s doctor to come inform his patient whether or not he was going to sever our father’s leg due to drinking and bar-hopping with crutches. He had a big boot due to diabetese.
Vicki was not arranging a bouquet of flowers – to his liking! My little sister – bought the monster – flowers!
“Can’t you do anything right?” our wounded lion said.
This is when I stepped into to help.
“Let me show you. You just take them out of the vase, and…..
THROW THEM OUT THE WINDOW!”
We were up four floors, and Vicki started laughing. She took the bouquet from my hand and put them back in the vase – while Vic grumbled! I turned on him!
“As for that bum leg of yours, if they cut it off, I want to mount it like a marlin with these words egraved under it…
“HERE’S IS THE LEG THAT KICKED MY ASS MOST OF MY LIFE!”
Vic threw the remote aside and was cussing as he tried to get out of bed…
AND KICK MY ASS!
I taunted him some more! The Doctor comes in the door!
“What’s going on here!”
“He’s torturing my sister -with his fucking leg!”
“Step out in the hall! I can not let you abuse my patient!”
“Your patient suffers from a patholigicl disorder…….
HE’S MENTALLY ILL!”
“I undestand that!”
Five months earlier, Vicki calls me us and asks me to help find
KING VICTOR
“He’s bar-hopping, running around on his leg – with crutches. His doctor said he can’t drink, and has to stay off that leg!”
I come over and we hit one bar after another.
“He was just here!”
Vicki is fuming!
“Want to go to an AA meeting!” I ask.
“Where is it?”
“Turn around, We can just make it!”
Vicki does a u-y, and….and we are on our way!
FUCK VIC AND HIS FUCKING LEG
It was a good meeting……..
AND VICKI NEVER HAD A DRINK AGAIN – AS FAR AS I KNOW!
PARASITE ALLERT! I have avoided blogging on the leg because The Parasite relly want this story, so……..
THEY CAN WRITE A BOOK ABOUT VICKI PRESCO’S SOBRIETY…..
because the Fake Sober Books – didn’t sell, and increase the value of
ROSAMOND ART
In the last week I’ve been watching ‘Breaking Bad’. Substitute Rosamond Prints and Bios for…………………
BLUE METH
This series is…..fiction. My series will be based on fiction – and fact! Then there is
BULLSHIT GUESSING
Forinstance, I long wondered what Vic did with his father’s body after Victor Hugo’s body. In the top pic you see Captain Victim freaking out as we are about to go under the Quirinius Bridge. I suspect he wrapped his father in chains, put him on his flatbed, threw him off the bridge, and went and got good and drunk.
In my novel ‘Savoy of California’ I declare myself the…………
GODFATHER OF CALIFORNIA
If Vic were alive, he would be so proud of me. Then I show him the books I am working on that the City of Belmont helped oppress.
7/21/2026
Savoy Mobsters
Nancy Pelosi the Speaker of United States House of Representatives is an agent of the Corsinis and from Baltimore, Maryland. Pelosi has Italian ancestry and she is a Dame of the Italian Order of Merit. Nancy Pelosi is extremely evil and malicious and she runs a large Democratic Wiccan coven of witches who are irrational, childish, and slanderous and many of them are prescription pill drug addicts. Nancy Pelosi is also colluding with Donald Trump the same way Trump works under the Savoys and she works under the Corsinis. The Savoys and Corsinis are close friends
Savoy of California
What is real? I was being real while The Unreal Mob attacked me and my Artistic and Literary Legacy. Then – they went after my children. Nearing eighty, alas it is my turn – to strike! As Count Prescowitz of Belmont and Bohemia, and Lord of Ralston Hall, I gather my crew from all over the world. Let me know if you want a part in the greatest Soap Opera – ever!
Count of Belmont
braskewitz@yahoo,com
Savoy-Genovese Mafia
Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta the SMOM ambassador to Moscow has meetings with Putin
The House of Savoy are a top royal bloodline with high authority over Switzerland and they are violent militant fascists with control over great wealth concealed in private Swiss banks. They are involved with private banking and military industrial companies. The Savoys are the owners of the Genovese crime family which extort Wall Street. The billionaire Gabelli and Cipriaini families are high level criminal agents of the Savoys. The Savoy coat of arms and the flag of Switzerland are the same. Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy the Prince of Venice worked for the private Geneva based SYZ Banque and he the primary owner of the Venetian Mafia. The Savoys governed Geneva in service to the Vatican and they were Dukes in Genova, Italy. Vittorio Emanuele IV holds the title of Prince of Naples and has a residence in Geneva Switzerland. Prince Vittorio is also an owner of some Camorra mafia clans which are based in Naples. The House of Savoy ruled the Dukedom of Savoy located in the Swiss-French-Italian region which is now part of France. They are managers of France. The Savoys established Banque de Savoie in 1851 which still operates in France. The Savoys had a French Savoy-Carignano family branch ruling in French controlled Turin. Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy is married to the French actress Clotilde Courau. Pierre Castel is a French billionaire winemaker worth about 9 billion and he lives in Geneva and is a distant relative of the Castell family of Germany. Pierre Castel is an agent of the Savoys.
2/22/2026
Thomas Dogget vs. The Priory de Sion
When Thomas Doggett immigrated to the colonies over 400 years ago he probably could never have imagined that his “family” tree would grow to over 15,000 relatives today.
Paul Smith hated our Templar-Sion study, that Dan Brown made a half billion dollars off of. We belonged to several groups – that he harassed! He was the Priory de Troll. Ian Sinclair got us banned. Smith hated my Rose Line….
Royal Rosamond
Mary Magdalene Rosamond
CHRISTine Rosamond
Do you see the Rosey Biblical names?
Below are all the books Smith slams on the fantastic subject my daughter and her mother pooh-poohed! I was about to published my first book on these matters. I get the last word.
For sure, Thomas Doggett in rolling over in his grave, he never believing his name would be next to so many royal people – thanks to me! If the Belmont Historic Society had not done all they could to oppress my family from Belmont, then the City Cark Janke built would be home to these amazing theories.
THE PRIORY DE BELMONT
John Presco
Count of Carlmont
Denny Lawhern Loved Genealogies
At high noon on July 27, 2024, I John Presco found proof, Denny Lawhern oppressed my posts on the Belmont Historical Society, and, he wanted me to go away – AND DIE! But more than that – he wanted to UPROOT my family DNA from Belmont – even more than he had!
I did not hear from Lawhern because he was scouring my blog to find evidence I was not related to Carl Janke. Not once did he or Cynthia McCarthy comment on the photographs in the Stuttmeister-Janke crypt of me introducing my daughter and newborn grandson – TO THEIR ROOTS. Any genealogist would have been thrilled to help me with MY RESEARH of my family tree, accept the co-founder of the Belmont Historical Society. The really BIG QUESTION, is, Did Denny research Doris Vannier’s FAMILY TREE – and find me? The next BIG QUESTION, is, did Denny find my DNA Battle with Ian Sinclair? I think he did. Then, he looked at the star of his DNA,
THOMAS DOGGETT
Good Ol Mr. Doggett will be famous – when the dust settles. I have already placed him amongst the BIG BOYS! What – is the fate of Denny Lawhurn who can be titled
THE GREATEST USURPER OF ALL TIME!
I can not be blamed! It’s, just…..Chinatown, JA(N)KE!
John Presco
President: Royal Rosamond Press
‘
Denny remarked that through his research about his relative, Thomas Doggett, that “(He) never met the gentleman, but (he) ‘talked’ to him through all of the documentation.” Denny says he “…can visualize him.”
To put down “roots” in another manner, Denny became the family genealogist and historian, compiling a massive family tree. He did original research around the country, united two branches of his Lawhern tree that had lost each other a few generations ago, and even travelled to Britain to accomplish some research there. He traced his Lawhern line back to an orphan in London who was indentured to a sailing ship as a teenager, eventually putting down “roots” in Virginia before the year 1700.
Denny feels that his strong drive for volunteerism and community service, as well as his love and passion for craftsmen work, has been passed down from his 17th century relative Thomas Doggett- who was a farmer, a family man and wore many hats in service to his community.
Ian Sinclair and I belonged to a Knights Templar yahoogroup where he worked hard to get me banned. He claimed a wheel had come off my cart. Above is a photo of Ian with Star Dove who drove around America blessing Masonic sites. Did this tiny woman bless Benton family? I do not see any copyrights on this material. Let me know if you object to me posting this Magical Mystery Tour.
Sinclairs Keep Attacking Me
Posted on August 30, 2013by Royal Rosamond Press
Above are photos of Ian Sinclair who worked hard for his clan to get me and another skeptic evicted from a Knight Templar yahoogroup. He did not like my posts that showed a bevy of real Knight Templars with the name de Rougemont, the speculative source of my family name Rosamond. Other researchers have pointed out the Sinclair family has no connection to any Knight Templar, but for the fact they helped persecute them.
BIRTH12 Apr 1940
Los Angeles County, California, USADEATH8 Mar 2022 (aged 81)
Belmont, San Mateo County, California, USABURIAL
San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, USAAdd to MapMEMORIAL ID237451467 · View Source
Densel Lynn Lawhern, known to all as Denny, was a man who turned a troubled childhood into the source of a deep inner strength for the benefit of others. He was a strong optimist who tried to look for the blessings in each day, and not pass up a chance to love others. His bright smile was infectious, and his heart was genuinely kind. His door was always opened to those who needed a place to stay, including foster children, international students, a younger sister and her family, his aged father, and many others who depended on him. One rarely meets a man so compassionate and giving of himself. He labored tirelessly for not just his family, but also for his community.
Denny was born in Los Angeles on April 12, 1940, just days after Nazi Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. His parents were “Pat” Lawhern and Abby Summers, who separated before he was born, so he grew up with various family members and partly under foster care. He moved around from Los Angeles to Henderson, Nevada, to San Bernardino, California, then to the Delhi/Turlock/Merced region, as well as to Palo Alto, and his frequent moves left him with a deep longing for “roots.” He would spend his lifetime dedicated to growing “roots” ever deeper for his family, and in his community.
In 1957, as a 17-year-old Junior in high school, Densel joined the US Air Force and served his country at George Air Force Base, Victorville, California, where he completed high school at night. Then he went on to be stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. He was in the regular Air Force for four years, and in the reserves for two. He was a patriot of his country all his life, and a strong supporter of our troops.
On November 10, 1962, Densel married Toni Lee Lowe in Turlock, California, where he was working as an auto mechanic for Farish-Herzog Pontiac. A few years later, they moved to Belmont, California, to raise their family. Both became active members of their community, soon buying a home. Denny started work as an auto technician at Superior Body Shop in San Carlos, retiring 58 years later as a Manager/Estimator. In support of his work there, he received an Associate of Arts degree in Automotive Technology/Management from College of San Mateo, in 1982.
Denny earned his Private Pilot’s license in the 1970’s, and enjoyed flying for many years, with his wife as his co-pilot. One of his avid hobbies was studying aviation history.
As Denny set down his “roots” in Belmont, he did it with all his might. He served 12 years on the Belmont Planning Commission, where he helped direct some of Belmont’s largest projects, including Island Park, San Juan Hill Plan, Western Hills Plan and the Downtown Plan. He was the President of the Sterling Downs Neighborhood Association, Vice-President of the Nesbit School PTA, a member of the Ralston and Harbor Grade Separation Task Force, the Emmett Store Preservation Committee, the Twin Pines Bond Committee, chairperson of the Historical Buildings Review Task Force, a member of the Belmont School Facilities Committee, and of the Heritage Tree Committee. He also was a Boy Scout leader and volunteered with the YMCA and the Red Cross. For twenty years he served as Santa Claus for the fire department. In 1997 he received The Belmont Chamber of Commerce William Chapman Ralston Award for his outstanding community service.
In 1987 Denny was a founding member of the Belmont Historical Society. For 37 years Denny served as the City Historian and for 14 years was President of the Board of Directors. He was Curator of the Belmont History Room at The Manor House, 10 Twin Pines Lane. The society has helped to establish many of the city’s buildings as historical landmarks. He worked diligently in a volunteer capacity to collect, catalog, archive, digitize, meticulously organize and display the history of his beloved city, scouring old newspapers and estate sales for source material and artifacts. He uncovered a wealth of information on local history, became an oft-quoted resource, and spoke frequently to citizen groups, schools, scouting clubs, and senior care facilities around the area, using several 30-minute slide shows that he created. He would bring with him historical objects that he encouraged people to hold in their hands and “feel” the history, and he operated the museum with this interactivity goal as well. His desire was to help others find their “roots” in Belmont, just as he had. For his work Denny received the 2019 Community Service Award from the city.
To put down “roots” in another manner, Denny became the family genealogist and historian, compiling a massive family tree. He did original research around the country, united two branches of his Lawhern tree that had lost each other a few generations ago, and even travelled to Britain to accomplish some research there. He traced his Lawhern line back to an orphan in London who was indentured to a sailing ship as a teenager, eventually putting down “roots” in Virginia before the year 1700.
In his free time, Denny extensively travelled the backroads of California and the West Coast to take nature hikes, photograph the area, and visit small museums. One of his favorite places to visit was Yosemite, where he took many stunning photographs over the years. He owned an RV and travelled the USA in the company of his sister Abbie after the untimely death of his wife. One long driving trip was to Alaska, and two times they travelled all the way around the US, visiting distant cousins, family history sites, and most of our National Parks.
On these trips, Denny developed his skills as an outstanding photographer. A show of his wildlife photography from Alaska was mounted in August, 2009, by the Belmont Arts Council at Twin Pines Park. If was named “Denny Gone Wild.”
Denny lovingly cared for his home in Belmont for 55 years. In recent years he worked diligently to make it energy efficient, and carefully renovated and cultivated his yards to make them an oasis for his family’s enjoyment. Throughout his life he loved using his home for family reunions and gatherings, and one of his greatest joys was to have as many family members at his extended dining table as possible. He even created a special art room for younger members of the family to come play in.
Denny was a survivor against many medical hardships, including a heart attack and surgery, kidney cancer and skin cancer. He worked hard in his later years to constantly improve his diet and exercise. However, time took its toll, and Denny passed away at his home on March 8, 2022, after a life well-lived. He was interred at Skylawn Cemetery, Half-Moon Bay, alongside the ashes of Toni, his beloved and painfully missed wife of 43 years, who preceded him in death in 2006.
Densel Lawhern was also preceded in death by brothers Ernest, Dow, and Arthur Lawhern, Don Creamer and Paul Smith, and their wives. He is survived by his brother Richard (Maren) Lawhern and his daughter Helene (Paul) Kocher; sister Glenda (David) Laird and their daughter Michelle (Ryan) Dudley; sister Abbie (Richard Vaught) Hull and her son Matt (Veronica) Hull, and their daughter Melissa Vaught; daughter Toni Lynn (Michael) Charlesworth; foster son Dwight (Valerie) Pedersen and their daughter Madison; and son Jason Lawhern, as well as his Lawhern cousins. Particularly close to Denny were Abbie’s children Melissa and Matt, and his daughters Camila and Viviana, who Denny considered his grandchildren, along with Dwight’s daughter Madison. His niece Helene and her children Sophie and Eric were also very close. Denny was Uncle to 17 nieces and nephews, and their many children and grandchildren. He will be sorely missed and long remembered by his family, and the thousands of volunteers and citizens of the city of Belmont that he interacted with and faithfully served.
Indentured Servant from 1600’s England
The following was written by Rebekah Jackson after interviewing her friend Denny Lawhern about his own investigation into his family history. It focuses on Denny’s 8th Great Grandfather, (1607 – 1692), Thomas Doggett who came to the colonies in 1637.
PART I-
Thomas Doggett was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire England July 4th 1607. In May 1637 at age 30, Thomas Doggett sailed aboard the ship the “Mary Anne” with William Goose as Master. Thomas came as an indentured servant to Thomas Oliver, a Calinder (English title), age 36, of Norwich.
The Mary Anne sailed out of the little Village of Norwich on the East coast of England On May 1635 arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, June 20, 1637.
Thomas settled in the American Colonies in the area of Concord with the Thomas Oliver family. Thomas Doggett serviced off his indentured obligations for Thomas Oliver for about a year.
Thomas Doggett continued to live in the Concord, MA area and met his first wife there. They had one child, John Doggett, born 1642 in Concord. However, tragically Thomas’s first wife died in childbirth.
Thomas Doggett and his first son John Doggett would then move to the Weymouth, MA area where Thomas would meet his second wife, the widow Elizabeth Fry (maiden name Humphrey) and her two children, both girls. They were married in Weymouth, MA. Thomas and Elizabeth would have one child together, Samuel Doggett, born 1652 in Weymouth, Ma. Tragically, Thomas Doggett’s second wife Elizabeth would also die in childbirth, leaving Thomas Doggett a widow with four children- his two boys, John and Samuel, and the two girls from his first marriage.
In 1653 Thomas Doggett at age 45, and with four young children, would move to Marshfield, Ma. There he would meet the widow Joan Chillingsworth (maiden name Hampton) and her two children and they were married May 17 1654. They would have four children together: Rebecca, Jemima, Patience and Martha, bringing the total to ten children between the two of them.
Thomas Doggett would purchase a 120- acre farm in 1659 in Marshfield to help support the big family. He was a master craftsman of all trades and could build or fix anything. Thomas was also very active in the little village of Marshfield serving as the town Constable, Surveyor, Selectman, Grand juryman, Coroners Jury and Tax collector.
-Thomas and Joan had a good 30 years farming and raising their families together. Joan passed away on Sept 4th, 1684 in Marshfield Ma at the age of 68. Thomas Doggett would live to the age of 85, passing away in Marshfield, Ma. They are both buried in the Winslow Cemetery, in Marshfield, MA.
When Thomas Doggett immigrated to the colonies over 400 years ago he probably could never have imagined that his “family” tree would grow to over 15,000 relatives today.
PART II-
Interview Commentary by descendant, Denny Lawhern:
My friend, Denny began researching his family tree over ten years ago and discovered Thomas Doggett and his journey to the British Colonies- being the earliest relative he found to be an immigrant to what would become the USA. Denny utilized Ancestry.com and through submitting a DNA sample would learn of a multitude of relatives- many of whom he would interview for the creation of his family tree. He also located several documents pertaining to his relative Thomas Doggett and visited the town of Marshfield, MA in 2017 to research his relative.
Denny remarked that through his research about his relative, Thomas Doggett, that “(He) never met the gentleman, but (he) ‘talked’ to him through all of the documentation.” Denny says he “…can visualize him.”
Denny learned that in Thomas’s day it was common for a widower to marry a widow- a young woman’s family might not find a widower, especially with children, a suitable match for their young daughter. It was typical to blend the families of widower and widow with the widower “adopting” the children of the widow and continuing to care for them as family even if their mother passed away.
Thomas’s Indenturor, Calinder Thomas Oliver was married twice and lost both wives to charges of “witchery” in Massachusetts. They were shockingly both burned at the stake.
Denny also located Thomas’s actual Will- the distribution of his worldly goods that included land, animals, furniture, clothing, items made of pewter, brass and iron, farming items and books.
The Will.
Of note is that Thomas’s third wife, Joan Chillingsworth’s first husband and his father were co-founders of the town of Marshfield, MA along with a few other families. In Thomas’s day there were about 50 families in the area, and it is not far from Plymouth, MA where the pilgrims landed.
Thomas’s grave at the Winslow Cemetery is marked by a large boulder- Denny has a photo. The burial grounds have several boulders, approximately 20-30. Of note is that Daniel Webster, of Webster’s Dictionary fame, is buried in the same cemetery.
Denny visited the town of Marshfield in 2017 and viewed documents pertaining to Thomas Doggett at the Town Center- the documents are housed in a vault. He has copies of several documents and includes here a drawing of the ship the “Mary Anne” that brought Thomas to the colonies, his Will and the present-day Marshfield, MA town sign.
Denny feels that his strong drive for volunteerism and community service, as well as his love and passion for craftsmen work, has been passed down from his 17th century relative Thomas Doggett- who was a farmer, a family man and wore many hats in service to his community.
Reflection from Rebekah:
What changed for me was realizing that every person’s journey as an immigrant is both unique to that person and yet similar to others taking the same leap at the same time in history. Their reasons could be opportunity, escape, religious, political, economic, safety, persecution, both legal and illegal rationales, etc., and these reasons don’t seem to change over history nor geography. I could see the inter-connectedness with the past and how globalization includes emigration/immigration both spatially and over time on our planet encompassing the present day and into the future. No matter how government and political entities might try, you can’t stop people moving from area to area, from region to region- it is a global force unto itself.
This interview and narrative were written by Rebekah Jackson, a student at Foothill College.
Last Updated 19 March 2025
Rennes-le-Château Timeline
The undisputed facts about Bérenger Saunière and Marie Dénarnaud
The Origins of The Myth
Paul Smith
Preliminary Note: The historically factual account of Bérenger Saunière, about a priest who lost his position in 1911 because he accepted more money than he was able to say Masses for, was transformed into a Myth by the 1950s when the charlatans came knocking on the door: sudden accounts of “how workmen renovating the church in Rennes-le-Château discovered something making the priest rich overnight” appeared out of nowhere (not dating from the priest’s lifetime). The earliest claims by Noël Corbu and Robert Charroux were quickly elaborated upon by Pierre Plantard, Philippe de Chérisey and Gérard de Sède to promote the mythical history of the Priory of Sion, also only dating from the early 1960s. Today, new myths replace the original myths without any sign of this trend abating, with Marie-France Etchegoin and Frédéric Lenoir observing: “The story of Rennes-le-Château functions as a powerful catalyst, attracting all the mysteries, all the speculations – as well as all the deceptions that swarm in the esoteric nebula. We have before us the creation of a contemporary myth” (Code Da Vinci: L’Enquête, Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris, 2004)
1885
1 June: Abbé François-Bérenger Saunière appointed parish priest of Rennes-le-Château, replacing Antoine Croc4 and 18 October 1885 – French General Elections
The Abbé Bérenger Saunière delivered a political sermon from his pulpit by reading one of the articles from the local religious paper, La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne (which ran a series of articles about those elections in its issues, aimed at the ‘enemies of the Church’, dated 13 September, 27 September, 4 October, 11 October, and 18 October 1885)
It is not known which of the above articles Saunière read from his pulpit, but it could have been the one dated 11 October that contained the following passages:
“The victory is not yet complete. The ballot poll, fixed at Sunday October 18, must ensure our triumph or deliver us yet to the keen enemies of the Religion and Fatherland. The moment is thus solemn and it is necessary to employ all our forces against our adversaries. That is our great concern…. Yes, let us act, pray, amend ourselves, make penitence; and perhaps we will obtain that this day of October 18, becomes for us a day of delivery”
Saunière would have asked his parishioners to vote for the ‘Union of the Right’, dedicated to the reversal of the anticlerical legislations of the Republican Government and towards the restoration of the French Monarchy – this Party was comprised of a coalition of the Conservatives, the Bonapartists and the Monarchists – with the Monarchists being the most successful part of the coalition during the 1885 elections winning the most Seats
It was this success by the Monarchists within the ‘Union of the Right’ coalition, by gaining so many extra Seats, that forced the Republic into introducing the Law of Exile in 1886 banishing all the French Royal Heads from France
[*On 8th February 1884 there appeared the Papal Encyclical of Leo XIII, ‘Nobilissima Gallorum Gens’ (‘To the Most Noble French Nation’, On the Religious Question in France) – addressed to the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of France – mentioning that France was alienating itself from its past Catholic Traditions and that it had to do all it could to restore those values]
30 October: Mgr Billard receives a complaint from the Minister of Religion relating to the ‘reprehensible behaviour’ of four clerics during the electoral period of 1885 and asking for their transfers
15 November: Mgr Billard responded by stating that Saunière had no intention of attacking the Government, but had the right as the Defender of Religion to read an article from La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne, “to give advice to the voters of his parish in the presence of anti-Christian anti-Concordat programmes of several candidates of the deputation”
2 December: René Goblet, the Minister of Religion, wrote to Mgr Billard stating that he had suspended four priests in the Rennes-le-Château region:
B. Saunière, curate at Rennes-le-Château
Tailhan, curate at Roullens
Jean, curate at Bourriège
Delmas, vicar at Alet
13 December: Article in La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne, criticises the suspension of the four priests by the Minister of Religion, commenting:
“To the long list of priests who have been victims of a systematic persecution have been added, since the last electoral period, the names of four priests from the local diocese: Jean, Tailhan, Delmas and Saunière. The Prefet of the Aude notified them of the Ministerial decision depriving them of their stipends with effect from 1 December 1885. In vain their Bishop sought to defend them against the allegations by providing the Minister of Public Worship with a firm but dignified explanation of their conduct. He had the misfortune to see the Minister take no notice at all of it. The informers have triumphed. Can they not comprehend the seriousness of their error, given the consequences that will inevitably unfold in their parishes…”1885 election results:
Republicans 383 seats; ‘Union of Right’ 201 seats (Royalists 73 seats; Bonapartists 65 seats; Conservatives 63 seats)1886
January: Abbé Bérenger Saunière temporarily transferred to the Seminary of Narbonne for delivering anti-Republican, right-wing sermons during the elections
22 June: Republican Government confirmed the Law of Exile, whereby Heads of the French Royal Houses had to depart from French soil (repealed by the Act of 24 June 1950)1887
The Royalist politician, Baron de Mackau, instrumental in forming the alliance between French Royalists and General Georges Boulanger, becoming a most important intermediary between the two forces. Royalists hoped to use Boulanger as a ‘battering ram’ to topple the Republic. Boulanger was also backed by Radical politicians hoping to make him into the standard-bearer of constitutional revision in order to create a more democratic Republic
5 June: Parish Council Re-Floors the Church of Rennes-le-Château, work undertaken by Saunière Lapolisette
1 July: Bérenger Saunière reinstated at Rennes-le-Château
27 July: New Altar (F. D. Monna, Toulouse) donated by Mme Marie Cavailhé, fulfilling a vow she made during a serious illness when living in Rennes-le-Château – a staunch Monarchist belonging to one of the richest families in the department, who in 1874 had published a book of Royalist Poems entitled Fleurs-de-Lys (first poem dedicated to the Comte de Chambord).
It is commonly accepted that when the old altar was replaced a flagstone usually called ‘La Dalle des Chevaliers’ was discovered. The earliest reference is found in an article by Antoine Fagès dating from 1909: “we notice a tombstone which was discovered at the time the church was paved. It was found lying flat in front of the high-altar. It is made of a very crumbly type of sandstone, and the carving which constitutes its beauty would have disappeared long ago if it had not been found with the design facing downwards.” The next reference appeared in an article by Henri Guy dating from 1927. A reference to the flagstone appeared in a 1906 article by Elie Tisseyre, who said it was used as a stepping stone on the Calvary, without giving any explanation of its origin.
Bérenger Saunière installed new stained-glass windows (Henri Feur, Bordeaux) in his church costing 1,350 francs – a bill that was paid for in instalments on 30 September 1887, 12 April 1897, 26 April 1899 and 7 January 1900. The beginning of Saunière’s church renovations that were to last for a period of 10 years
14 September: 25th Anniversary of the Coronation of the Miraculous Statue of Notre Dame de Marceille (the Countess of Chambord donated a Byzantine Icon to the church in 1863, placed in a niche by the Miraculous Statue – this is probably what gave Bérenger Saunière the idea that he received a gift from the Countess of Chambord later during his 1910-1911 ecclesiastical Trial when he was concocting his “List of Donors”, since this “donation” is not recorded in his Account books)1889
1889 election results:
Republicans 366 seats; Right 210 seats (Royalists 86 seats; Boulangists 72 seats; Bonapartists 52 seats)
27 January: General Georges Boulanger elected in Paris – seeking to gain the Catholic vote, offering religious peace and stability within a Republican framework.
(“The clergy intervened more openly in the elections than in previous ones, taking a stand against the Republicans, who had just passed the law establishing 3 years military service and obliging seminarists, like students and future members of the teaching profession, to serve for a year. The military law and the educational laws were from then on the Catholics’ great subject of protest” – J-M Mayeur & M Reberioux, The Third Republic From Its Origins To The Great War, 1871-1914; Cambridge University Press, 1977)
17 March: General Boulanger’s speech in Tours (written by Naquet): “No one among the conservatives who follows me does me the insult of saying that I support the Republic in order to betray it”
General Boulanger later fled to Belgium following threats of arrest for plotting to overthrow the state – he was tried in abstentia by the Senate sitting at a high court and was condemned to life imprisonment
1 July: On an Episcopal visit to Rennes-le-Château, to celebrate the Rite of Confirmation for the children, Mgr Billard congratulated Saunière on everything he had done, consoling him, and encouraging him, in spite of all the difficulties that he had encountered, to try and continue his pastoral ministry
19 September: Préfet of the Aude writes a letter to the Minister of Public Worship during the 1889 Elections warning how Monsignor Billard the Bishop of Carcassonne was still engaging in discreet Anti-Republican activities and referring to a Circular distributed by the Bishop1890
4 May 1890 – 12 June 1891: Bérenger Saunière also serves as parish priest at the village church of St Andrew in Antugnac, situated some seven miles away from Rennes-le-Château – his surviving sermons during his Ministry there were published in 1984 (edited by the Abbé Bruno de Monts)1891
15 February: Municipal Council approved Saunière’s request to fit out, at his own expense, a square by the church and cemetery, as long he did not construct any roofed building and that a key allowing access was deposited in the Town Hall. Saunière eventually constructed a small building above a water cistern on the site and when the local council did not object, moved his library and office there. Saunière planned to turn the building into a chapel in 1898.
The Dénarnaud family move into the village Presbytery, including an orphan Julie Maleville (1879-1957) – the foster sister of Marie Dénarnaud
Monsignor Billard, Bishop of Carcassonne, inherits 1,200,000 Francs from the widow Madame Rose Denise Marguerite Victorine Sabatier of Coursan – not in his capacity as Bishop, but in his own private person (the Bishop was an active anti-Republican)
Formation of ‘Union of Christian France’: ‘Co-operation of Christians and all respectable people, whatever their political opinions, to defend and demand unanimously civil, social and religious liberties’
2 March: Archbishop of Paris denounced anti-Christian sects who wanted to make ‘a series of anti-religious laws the essential constitution of the Republic’
Pope Leo XIII sanctioned a local Feast of the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes, authorising a proper Office and Mass
Ceremony 21 June 1891: Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and the ‘Visigothic’ Pillar installed by Bérenger Saunière at Rennes-le-Château, in the presence of a Lazarist priest from the church of Notre-Dame de Marceille (Lourdes was considered the symbol of the restoration of the Bourbon Monarchy by Père Emmanuel d’Alzon [1810-1880], the founder of the Assumptionist Order)
It is commonly believed that the ‘Visigothic’ Pillar dates from at least the Carolingian period, and that it was originally one of two pillars that supported the old church altar. The earliest reference dates from 1906 in an article by Elie Tisseyre, who wrote: “We also noted in another little garden a stone pedestal supporting a Virgin. The pedestal was very old and beautifully worked but had been restored in order to deepen the relief work and in so doing the workman had robbed it of all artistic merit.” The next reference appeared in an article by Antoine Fagès in 1909, who wrote: “to the left of the door of the church, serving as a base for the Virgin of Lourdes, is a pillar which formerly supported the high-altar. According to Abbé Saunières [sic] the high-altar was composed of a large flagstone set into the wall on one side and supported in front by two pillars, one of them coarse and the other just referred to, which appeared to us to date from the same period as the tombstone (‘La Dalle des Chevaliers’).”
19 July: In Toulouse, Comte d’Haussonville, representative of the Comte de Paris, expressed the view that it was ‘extremely probable’ that at the next elections the candidates of the monarchist committees would identify themselves with those of the committees of the ‘Union of Christian France’
23 July: Pope Leo XIII confirmed the local Feast of the Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes, authorising a proper Office and Mass (the Sacred Congregation of Rites had previously granted the diocese of Tarbes of celebrating this Feast on 11 July, 1890).
July, November: Bérenger Saunière borrowed two amounts of 250 francs from Madame Marre Barthélémy (Saunière had ‘Secret Funds’ representing 80 francs for the whole year)
21 September: From Bérenger Saunière’s Notebook, “letter received from Granes, discovery of a tomb, rain in the evening”
29 September: From Bérenger Saunière’s Notebook, “Saw the curé of Névian – Went to see Gélis – Went to see Carrière, Saw Cros and secret” (“secret” an abbreviation for secrétaire – “Cros” being Abbé Guillaume Cros, 1810-1898, the Vicaire général, with Pierre Pradel the Secrétaire général)
30 September: General Georges Boulanger died – Saunière noted in his journal, “Mort de Boulanger”1892
16 February: Pope Leo XIII calls to French Catholics to rally in support of the Republic in his Encyclical Au milieu des sollicitudes – putting to an end the solidarity between the Church and the Monarchists (‘Union of Catholic France’ was dissolved soon afterwards)
From La Croix: “Let us attack these unfortunate laws and let us urge all Catholics – royalists, Bonapartists, republicans – to unite their efforts in order to try loyally establish a Christian Republic in France”
La Croix accepted the Tricolor but only on condition that the white part bore a picture of the Sacred Heart, the sign of the consecration of the Republic to Christ. – J-M Mayeur & M Reberioux, The Third Republic From Its Origins To The Great War, 1871-1914 (Cambridge University Press; 1977)1893
1893 election results:
Republicans 488 seats; Right 93 seats (Monarchists 58 seats; ‘ralliès’ 35 seats).
Decree of 27 March: Vestry-committee (Conseil de Fabrique) Accounts were made subject to General Public Accounting Rules – something Bérenger Saunière regarded as another attack on the freedom of the Church
5 September: On this date Bérenger Saunière stopped completing once and for all the column devoted to those masses which he had actually said (his comment “I stopped there”) in the notebook in which he recorded the mass-intentions that people had sent to him. At that time he accumulated, almost eight months late, the last masses which he had said, and for which he had been receiving payment since 9 January. From this date begins Saunière’s fraudulent trafficking in masses activities that were to last until the end of his life
Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Notre-Dame de Marceille purchased by Monsignor Billard, the Bishop of Carcassonne.
Jean Moulines, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château, 1893-1893
Pierre Sauzede, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1893-19001894
October: Bérenger Saunière began renovating the church cemetery
Philippe VIII, becomes the Orleanist Pretender to the French Throne
The National Pilgrimage to Lourdes was an overtly anti-Republican protest1895
12 and 14 March: Inhabitants of the village sent two letters of complaint to the Préfet de l’Aude about Saunière’s work in the cemetery without making any reference to the desecration of graves or to the destruction of epitaphs on gravestones
20 July: Sanctions imposed against Saunière by the local Parish Council for his refusal to assist in putting out a fire in the village on 14 July – Bastille Day (the Fête Nationale introduced in 1880)1896
The newsletter Mont-Segur (1896-1899 and 1901-1904), celebrating the achievements of the Cathars and denouncing the Crusade, and written entirely in Occitan, established in Rennes-le-Château by banker Arthur Cassou and Prosper Estieu (1860-1939) – composer of Occitan Poetry, village schoolmaster in Rennes-le-Château from October 1899, and member of The Gnostic Catholic Church shortly before 1900, through which he got to know Déodat Roché (1877-1978)
March: First of several financial gifts by Abbé Henri Boudet (1837-1915) to Bérenger Saunière, other financial gifts dating from March 1896, March and October 1897, January and November 1898, March 1899 and March 1900 – amounting to a maximum total of 290 francs
7 July: Letter to Bérenger Saunière from Georges Castex about the renovations of the church of St Mary Magdalene, costing 2,400 francs
Bérenger Saunière’s selling of masses activities takes-off on a Grand Scale – becoming noticed by his superiors at the Carcassonne Bishopric. Saunière advertised mass requests in religious magazines, journals and papers around the world, and the responses just poured in on a massive scale – the priest had cashed-in on a religious activity during the height of the conflict between Church and State in France 1885-1905. Saunière’s mass requests appeared in Advertisement Supplements in magazines and journals that were either commonly discarded as rubbish or used for starting fires in the old-fashioned fireplaces, hence the reason why none of the mass requests have survived
13 October: Report by the Préfet de l’Aude indicated that Alfred Saunière had been a prêtre libre (Free Priest) – a priest without a Parish – for about three years. The Report also stated “Monsieur Alfred Saunière is hostile to the Government and to the Republic.” (Alfred Saunière had been lecturer at the Petit Séminaire in Narbonne 1880-1892, and had also been the editor-in-chief of the journal La Croix du Sud)
20 November: Bérenger Saunière signs a contract with Bernard Giscard of Toulouse (1851-1926) to supply Statues of the Saints, the Stations of the Cross, the ornate Baptismal Font, the Holy-Water Stoup, and a Bas-Relief of Jesus Christ on the Mount above the Confessional to decorate the church (the statue of the Devil that holds-up the Holy Water Stoup, ordered a little later and specially made for Saunière by Giscard, had a head that strongly resembled the head of the Dragon slain by St Michael, also offered in Giscard’s Catalogue)
The Baptismal Font depicted the Baptism of Christ, symbolising the restoration of the French Monarchy; whilst the Holy Water Stoup was decorated with the figure of the Devil, symbolising the vanquishing of the French Republic. The imagery was obviously regarded as a preliminary to the forthcoming 1898 French General Election
1897
6 February: Charles Dénarnaud of Alet-les-Bains installed the Calvary in the centre of the garden next to the church entrance, strategically facing the ‘Visigothic’ pillar and statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Calvary bears the inscriptions Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat, Christus AOMPS Defendit (Christus ab omni malo plebem suam defendat)
A flagstone commonly called ‘La Dalle des Chevaliers’ was originally placed on the steps of The Calvary
6 June: Saunière’s church re-consecrated on the Feast Day of Pentecost by Monsignor Billard, the Bishop of Carcassonne in the company of R. P. Mercier, a Lazarist priest from the Church of Notre Dame de Marceille
Bérenger Saunière was to write to Monsieur Giscard, the supplier of the additions to his Church:
“Dear Monsieur Giscard,
Our splendid Pentecost celebrations, which were accompanied by a temporary suspension of our mission and by the visit of our Lord Bishop, have made it impossible for me to acknowledge sooner the receipt of all the items – as rich as they are varied – that your firm has kindly supplied to us, and to tell you something of the effect they have made on the countless people who have seen them. Before a crowd that was much too large for our little church, His Grace cast his eye over all the beautiful items amassed in the House of God: statues, bas-reliefs, pulpits, Ways of the Cross, a font – nothing was overlooked. But what especially caught his eye were the piscina, the font and the bas-relief. He especially liked the last of these, and spent a long time studying it in great detail. He asked me in front of everybody who the artist was who had so beautifully rendered the scene of ‘Come ye all to me’. Of course, I told him your name. And then, probably without even knowing you, he started praising you in the highest possible terms in front of all my many colleagues. The next day – Monday – we had some visitors, not only from neighbouring parishes but also from very far afield and, according to many people, news of all these wonderful objects has spread all over the département. Deo gratias! I’m delighted above all for you, Monsieur Giscard, since your name, which is already being passed around among those many colleagues of mine who attended the Pentecost celebrations, is certainly destined to become famous. Thank God, and may your excellent firm prosper even-more. This is what I ask heaven to grant to you all
B. SAUNIÈRES [sic], Priest.”1898
1898 election results:
Republicans 489 seats; Right 96 seats (Monarchists 44 seats; ‘ralliés’ 32 seats; Nationalists 6 seats; Révisionists 4 seats; Diverse 10 seats)
Bérenger Saunière purchases several plots of land in the name of Marie Dénarnaud that would become the site of his future estate (on 22 October, 27 April, 20 July, 16 August)
Monsignor Billard, Bishop of Carcassonne, struck down with paralysis – having also been suspended from his post for “having administered the assets of his diocese in the most irregular fashion and for having contracted staggering debts, which were completely unjustified” (Simon Laborde, Biographical notice on Monsignor Billard, late Bishop of Carcassonne, 1902)1899-1905
Bérenger Saunière builds his Estate:
-The Villa Béthanie (originally called ‘Villa de Marie’);
-The Tour Magdala (originally called ‘Tour de l’Horloge’ or ‘Tour du Midi’);
-The Belvedere, The Gardens and Terraces, and a Cage for monkeys
Elie Bot (1861-1947), Master-Builder from Luc-sur-Aude
Tiburce Caminade, Architect from Limoux
Oscar Vila, supplier of interior decorations from Couiza
Construction work on The Tour Magdala began in 1899, with the library installed on 5 June 1906 – where Bérenger Saunière would also store his collection of stamps and postcards
3 June 1901: work began on the Rennaissance-style Villa Béthanie: consisting of a Napoleon III style lounge, dining-room in the style of Louis XV; a statue of the Virgin of Murillo, a bust of the Curé of Ars (Jean-Marie Vianney, 1786-1859), a lithograph by Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), with stained-glass windows depictions of the Sacred Heart and a large Fleur-de-Lys placed over the building
The statue of the Sacred Heart situated above the front of the Villa Béthanie was a gift from Bernard Giscard of Toulouse to one of his best customers (7 March 1901)
The total cost of the construction of Saunière’s Estate, including masonry, plumbing, carpentry, decorating, furnishings, and wages came to the sum of around 27,000 francs, according to the Saglio Commission of Enquiry undertaken in 1911 during Saunière’s ecclesiastical Trial
According to Saunière’s correspondence his guests included Edward Auriol (a citizen of Castres; Tarn), a handful of colleagues in the Aude or neighbouring districts, some encountered during his period at the Seminary of Narbonne in 1886; Abbé Gachen, curé of St. Jean-de-Paracol, Abbé Louis Gazel, curé of Floure, Abbé Eugène Grassaud curé of Amélie-les-Bains and Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, Abbé Barthélèmy Rouanet, then the curé of Bages les flots
1899
March: Annuaire du clergé français (a clergymen’s directory) obtained by Bérenger Saunière from Alfred Mame & Son of Tours – using it to solicit Mass Requests from priests all over France, following the numerical order of the French départements
25 May: Pope Leo XIII consecrates the whole human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in his Encyclical Annum Sacrum
31 May: Bérenger Saunière submitted a petition against the obligation imposed upon him to submit the Vestry-committee (Conseil de Fabrique) Accounts for inspection, to Étienne Dujardin-Beaumetz (1852-1913), President of the Radical Left Parliamentary Group, and his Parliamentary Representative
2 October: Prefect of the Aude entrusted the Sub-Prefect of Limoux to conduct an official investigation into Bérenger Saunière following his name being put forward by Mgr Billard for promotion as personnat [a benefice in a cathedral that took precedence over the canons]. On 16 October the Sub-Prefect of Limoux replied to the Prefect of the Aude: “Monsieur Saunière is comfortably off. He has no family responsibilities. His conduct is good. He professes anti-government views. Attitude: militant reactionary. Negative recommendation.” Abbé Saunière did not receive his promotion
8 October: Article in Echo de Narbonne presented Alfred Saunière as a major player in local conservative politics1900
Summer: Bérenger Saunière drew some water from the village water-tank to water his garden with and, in doing so, deprived the village school, where Prosper Estieu was living, of its entire water supply. Estieu in response successfully obtained permission from the Sub-Prefect in Limoux for the school to obtain a separate water supply
13 June: Sub-Prefect of Limoux writes to Prefect of the Aude as follows “The present village council is devoted to its curé. In fact the council it is not far off entering into a war against the village school-master, so as to be able to clandestinely grant Saunière the various advantages that it seems determined to deny to Estieu”
2 August: Prosper Estieu meets Déodat Roché in Rennes-le-Château
Pierre Rouge, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1900-19021901
1 March: Monsignor Billard bans Bérenger Saunière from soliciting for mass-requests from anywhere, an injunction repeated on 16 May
1 July: Law Of Associations introduced by the French Government according to which no religious congregations could be formed without authorisation from the State. Congregations had to submit an annual list of members, property, and financial status that had to be submitted to the Government authorities on request1902
1902 election results:
Republicans 465 seats; Right 124 seats (Conservatives 89 seats; Liberals 35 seats)
13 May: Monsignor Paul-Félix Beuvain de Beauséjour (1839-1930) replaces Monsignor Paul-Félix-Arséne Billard as the Bishop of Carcassonne, confirmed on 20 March 1904
22 July: Inhabitants of Rennes-le-Château submitted a formal complaint about Prosper Estieu to the Prefecture for filling their children’s heads with “excessively progressive ideas”, supported by the Mayor
16 September: Report by the Sub-Préfet de Narbonne – “Abbé (Alfred) Saunière, an intelligent and energetic priest, has to date placed at the service of the anti-Republican cause the personal qualities to which we have become accustomed. Put in charge of the Cercle Catholique de Narbonne, where all his efforts were devoted to recruiting the most talented people possible to the reactionary cause, there are no circumstances in which his intervention has not been motivated by a desire to oppose the Government and to stand in its way by whatever means. It has more or less been firmly established that most of the aggressive articles attacking the Minister (of Religion) which have appeared in the Courrier de Narbonne were inspired by this ecclesiastic, if they have not actually been written by him, and that he himself is no stranger to certain manoeuvres and attempts at applying pressure which certain electors are subjected to every time there is an election in this town.” One of the people involved with the Cercle Catholique de Narbonne was Louis Cavailhé
Victor Rivière, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1902-1919
Paul-Félix Beuvain de Beauséjour, Bishop of Carcassonne 1902-19301903
8 February: Mayor of Rennes-le-Château sent a letter to the Prefect complaining that Prosper Estieu was “a very bad teacher”
15 February: Letter from the Prefect to the Sub-Prefect of Limoux wondering if the Mayor’s letter dated 8 February, which was not in his handwriting, had actually been written by Bérenger Saunière
9 June: The Bishopric repeats its ban on Bérenger Saunière from soliciting for mass-requests from anywhere
July: Bérenger Saunière drafted and signed a formal complaint against Prosper Estieu – who eventually resigned from his post and left Rennes-le-Château in August for Raissac-sur-Lampy
20 July: Pope Leo XIII died
4 August: Pope Pius X (to 1914)1904
14 August: The Bishopric repeats its ban on Bérenger Saunière from soliciting for mass-requests from anywhere1905
3 July: Étienne Dujardin-Beaumetz voted for the Law of Separation of Church from State in France
19 September: Alfred Saunière died following complications relating to alcoholism – Bérenger Saunière’s brother played an important role in the Trafficking of Masses activities
9 December: Law of Seperation of Church from State passed by the Chamber of Deputies in France
Article by Elie Tisseyre entitled ‘Excursion on 25 June 1905 to Rennes-le-Château’ published in Bulletin de la Société d’Ètudes Scientifiques de l’Aude (Volume 17, 1906) described a journey by a group to the village in 1905, and how “in a little garden next to the church one of us noticed a crudely sculpted flagstone dating from the fifth century. Unfortunately this was being used as a stepping-stone in a flight of steps and was consequently partially eroded. We also noted in another little garden a stone pedestal supporting a Virgin. The pedestal was very old and beautifully worked but had been restored in order to deepen the relief work and in so doing the workman had robbed it of all artistic merit. A visit to the cemetery lead to the discovery of a large slab in one corner, cracked in the middle, but with a clearly decipherable inscription. It measured 1m30 × 0m65”
Elie Tisseyre’s article provided a diagram of what was claimed to be the tombstone of Marie de Negri d’Ables, Countess Hautpoul-Blanchefort (1713-1781)
1906
Pope Pius X condemned the separation of the Church from State in France in two encyclicals
Bérenger Saunière started collecting Postcards – writing to numerous correspondents who sent him one or more (or even hundreds) at a time
12 March: Inventory of the Church of St Mary Magdalene performed following the split between Church and State with all Religious Buildings becoming the property of The French Republic, that Bérenger Saunière refused to sign – instead signed by Abbé Jean Rivière, the curé of Espéraza on 9 December
September: Saunière’s sister Mathilde with her husband took the curé to Court in Couiza to force him to take responsibility for his mother for three months when she was ill, or either contribute 3 francs per day for that period – a draft of a letter in Marie Dénarnaud’s handwriting exists stating the priest could not afford such a sum – the Court ordered Saunière to pay the sum
1906 election results:
Republicans 441 seats; Right 174 seats (Conservatives 78 seats; Liberals 66 seats; Nationalists 30 seats)1907
Pope Pius X extends the Feast of the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to the whole church
Bérenger Saunière produces a series of Rennes-le-Château Postcards presenting his personal achievements in the village and containing a ‘Historical Notice’: “Rennes-le-Château has its origins in the garrison town of Rhedae, which was home to approximately 30,000 people and which was founded in the 5th century by the Visigoths on the plateau extending south-eastwards which lies at the foot of the present-day village”1908
Article by Antoine Fagès entitled ‘From Campagne-les-Bains to Rennes-le-Château’ published in Bulletin de la Société d’Ètudes Scientifiques de l’Aude (Volume 20, 1909) describing a journey in 1908 to Rennes-le-Château how, “At the foot of the Missionary Cross (The Calvary) we notice a tombstone which was discovered at the time the church was paved. It was found lying flat in front of the high-altar. It is made of a very crumbly type of sandstone, and the carving which constitutes its beauty would have disappeared long ago if it had not been found with the design facing downwards. In this carving we can see two knights with lances in their hands, set in a Gothic design: could this be a reproduction of a tournament? Directly opposite this and to the left of the door of the church, serving as a base for the Virgin of Lourdes, is a pillar which formerly supported the high-altar. According to Abbé Saunière the high-altar was composed of a large flagstone set into the wall on one side and supported in front by two pillars, one of them coarse and the other just referred to, which appeared to us to date from the same period as the tombstone”1909
15 January: Bérenger Saunière received a letter from the Vicar General containing documents informing him that he had been transferred to the village of Coustouge and had to begin his Ministry there on 1 February – Saunière refused the Nomination and resigned his post on 28 January, that Bishop de Beauséjour would only accept if Saunière left Rennes-le-Château. Saunière’s response was to celebrate his future Masses in a Private Chapel (that he called his oratory) situated in the Villa Bethanie serving as prêtre libre – a non-stipendiary Free Priest without a parish – that lasted to his death
6 February: The Mayor of Rennes-le-Château wrote a letter to Monsignor de Beauséjour advising the Bishop that the Presbytery would not be made available to any replacement priest.
2 July: Abbé Henri Marty (1871-1924) priest of Coustaussa appointed Parish Priest of Rennes-le-Château and Charity Steward in charge of the orphans at Espéraza, arriving there on 4 July – “Rennes-le-Château: Last Sunday was installed the new priest, M. l’abbé Marty. The ceremony took place in the afternoon before a large crowd, composed of the parishioners of Rennes and of the faithful coming from neighbouring villages. After the customary ceremony, presided by M. l’Abbé Saglio, M. l’Abbé Marty addressed his new parishioners with a moving short speech, promising them all his affection and devotion. The gifts of farewell presented to him by his previous parishioners at Coustaussa was the best measure of how well he was appreciated there for his zeal” (La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne 9 July 1909). Abbé Marty was to be the Parish Priest of Rennes-le-Château until 15 December 1912 when he was replaced by the curé of Couiza1910
27 May: The Bishop’s Court of Carcassonne began an investigation of Bérenger Sauniere’s activities at Rennes-le-Chateau. The Bill of Indictment referred to:
* Trafficking in Masses
* Disobedience to the Bishop
* Exaggerated and unjustified expenditure to which fees from Masses that have not been said seem to have been devoted
16 July: First Hearing that Bérenger Saunière failed to attend with his Defence Lawyer Maître Mis, and adjourned to 23 July that Saunière also failed to attend. Saunière was Sentenced in his absence, being suspended of his priesthood for one month and “obliged to make restitution of the fees for the Masses that he has not said”
23 August: Second Hearing that Saunière initially failed to attend and was adjourned until 5 November 1910 – and was to be the only Hearing that Saunière attended – with the Prosecution against Saunière outlining:
1) of having trafficked in fees for Masses for many years and especially since 1896; he has requested fees everywhere and has obtained a very large number of them, the discharge of which he is unable to prove;
2) of having availed himself of these fees in whole or in part in order to carry out building work and repairs at Rennes-le-Château;
3) of having disobeyed the Bishop who, in February 1909, had forbidden him to make requests for fees, offering to provide him with such fees himself, a ban that Abbé Bérenger Saunière had promised to observe and which he has disobeyed;
and:
CONSIDERING that Abbé Bérenger Saunière admits to having requested and obtained a considerable number of Masses, without contesting the figures given by the Official Prosecutor;
and:
That nonetheless Monsieur Saunière has, since then, requested fees for Masses outside the Diocese, indirectly perhaps, but so obviously that several of his correspondents have not been deceived thereby, and they felt that they must forward his letters to the diocesan Bishop of Carcassonne;
and Sentencing:
We sentence Abbé Bérenger Saunière to withdraw to a house of priestly retreat or into a monastery of his choice, there to undertake spiritual exercises for a period of ten days, requiring him, within a period of two months, to present to us a certificate confirming that he has carried out these exercises.
Bérenger Saunière carried out his period of penance in the Monastère de Prouille
2 September: Henri Rouzaud visited Rennes-les-Bains, where he witnessed the remains of a putative Roman temple – also mentioning that most of the Roman coins listed in the 1709 Mémoire by Abbé Delmas were taken by Dr Vaysse of Quillan. Rouzaud also referred to Boudet’s collection of coins and to his discovery of Gallo-Roman pottery; also mentioning the square marble C. POMPEIVS QVARTVS plaque (Cahier Nº 2, pp. 22-32).
12 September: Henri Rouzaud visited Rennes-le-Château, where he was informed by “the old maid of Abbé Saunière” that the Dalle des Chevaliers was a tombstone discovered in the church that covered a pile of human bones. Rouzaud also noted how the pillar that supported the statue of Notre Dame de Lourdes resembled a pillar in the museum of Narbonne (Cahier Nº 4, pp. 93-95).
12 September: Abbé Louis Gazel, the curé of Floure, suggests to Saunière “I don’t see what could prevent you from living in Lourdes, as we cannot go to Lourdes this week I am dropping the idea for this year”
15 October: Bérenger Saunière appointed Dr Huguet of the diocese of Agen as his Defence Lawyer, in place of Maître Mis, as advised by the Abbé Eugène Grassaud (1859-1946)
17 December: Bérenger Saunière sent a letter to The Holy Congregation of The Council in Rome to plea for his reinstatement as parish priest of Rennes-le-Château – The Congregation of The Discipline of The Sacraments judged the case obscure, and on 14 February 1911, despite a petition addressed by Saunière to the Sovereign Pontiff, The Congregation returned a ‘lectum recursum’ – which settled absolutely nothing – and also notified the Bishop of Carcassonne of Saunière’s manoeuvres
1910 election results:
Republicans 441 seats; Right 149 seats (Conservatives 129 seats; Liberals 20 seats)
5 December: La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne announced that Bérenger Saunière no longer had the right to say masses1911
Rennes-le-Château appears for the first time in a French Tourist Guide in La Cité de Carcassonne et les pays de l’Aude (Syndicat d’initiative de Carcassonne et de l’Aude, page 71, note 19) – citing «Rennes-le-Château, ses ruines et ses curieuses constructions modernes»
1 February: The Bishop of Carcassonne issued a strong warning against Bérenger Saunière in February, accusing him of selling masses without his consent and forbidding him to administer the Sacraments:La Semaine Religieuse De Carcassonne, 3 February 1911
COMMUNICATION OF THE BISHOPRIC
Relative advice to M. l’Abbé Saunière
Former priest of Rennes-le-Château
Following an account dated 11 December 1910, in the supplement to Nr13 of VEILLEES DES CHAUMIERES, thus: Always as before inform Violette de l’Aisne, that M. l’Abbé Saunière, in retreat at Rennes-le-Château, by Couiza (Aude), France, performs masses at 1 Franc per time and is obliged to receive money for other religious works, literary articles, pamphlets, stamps, etc
The Diocesan authority of Carcassonne deems it right to inform the faithful of this diocese, and so far as is able to inform other dioceses:
1* That M. l’Abbé Saunière, former priest of Rennes-le-Château, is in no way authorised to demand beyond this diocese, or to receive from other dioceses, money for saying masses
2* That he has not been given any assignment or authorisation, to undertake or conduct any works whatever having as their objective the (Catholic) Ritual
Carcassonne, 1 February 1911
This announcement was also published in La Croix dated 9 February 1911, also reprinted in the anticlerical newspapers Le Rappel and Le XIXè Siècle on 11 February 1911, with the additional comment: “So, ‘Let’s run off with the money!’ eh? [Sauvons la caisse was a catchphrase used by street entertainers in 19th century France]. Abbé Saunière is obviously selling his services far too cheaply by offering such a large discount and so, due to the unfair competition he’s offering, he’s being boycotted by the ‘traders’ association’ of the priests of his part of France”
18 February, and 9 March: The Carcassonne Bishopric made a formal command to Saunière to present his accounts to the Bishop of Carcassonne by 2 March at the latest. The Bishop of Carcassonne appointed a Commission of Enquiry under the direction of the Vicar General, Jean Saglio, charged with the detailed examination of Saunière’s accounts
13 March: Bérenger Saunière submitted 61 Invoices to the Bishopric to account for his expenditure, claiming that he had lost the rest, and that in any case he did not possess records for longer than two years
25 March: Saunière submitted an explanation of the source of his finances since arriving at Rennes-le-Château, together with a ‘List of Donors’ producing a figure of 193,150 Francs
8 April: Bérenger Saunière’s letter to the Carcassonne Bishopric protesting “You are aware of Rome’s first decision. Does it refer anywhere to the keeping of accounts? Not at all”
14 July: Saunière submitted a ‘Statement of Expenditure’ claiming the renovation of his church and the building of his Estate had cost 193,050 Francs (alleging the Villa Bethanie cost 90,000 Francs, the Tour Magdala 40,000 Francs)
August: Bérenger Saunière goes on a Pilgrimage to Lourdes
4 October: The Saglio Commission of Enquiry submitted its Report, stating that only 36,000 francs could be accounted for out of the 193,000 francs that Bérenger Saunière claimed to have spent on his various works (his original Defence draft claimed only 71,600 francs), also referring to the discovery of a receipt dated 8 July 1902 of the sum of 412.50 francs for furnishing and the roofing of the Villa Bethanie
21 November: The Third Hearing, Saunière and his Defence Lawyer Dr Huguet did not attend, adjourned until 5 December
27 November: Bérenger Saunière negotiates with the Parisian Banque Petitjean over the sale of his Estate
5 December: The Third Hearing – Saunière and his Defence Lawyer Dr Huguet not attending again – the Sentence of the Court was carried out in their absence:
“We condemn the priest Abbé Bérenger Saunière to a suspension a divinis for a period of three months, effective from the day of the notification of the present sentence, which suspension in any case will continue until he has undertaken the restitution into the hands of the rightful owner and according to canon law of the goods misappropriated by him”
The three month suspension from priestly duties levelled against Bérenger Saunière on 5 December 1911 was to last a lifetime, since the priest was unable to fulfill the obligation of “the restitution into the hands of the rightful owner and according to canon law of the goods misappropriated by him” – an article published in La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne dated July 1915 reminded the local parishioners of his suspension from the priesthood and a letter to Saunière dated 22 January 1917 – the date of his death – from his Defence Lawyer Canon Huguet, referred to an offer made in August 1916 by the Bishop that the suspension would be lifted only if he were to accept the position of priesthood in another parish
At no stage during the entire Trial did Bérenger Saunière ever show his Account Books to the Court of the Bishopric – instead he produced a bogus “List of Donors” that only served as an evasive tactic in order to hide his guilt of the Charge of Trafficking in Masses that was levelled against him.1912
5 February: Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Notre Dame de Marceille decreed a Minor Basilica
14 June: Letter to Bérenger Saunière, who placed his Estate up for sale through the Parisian Banque Petitjean
August: Bérenger Saunière goes on a Pilgrimage to Lourdes1913
The Crédit Foncier de France offered Bérenger Saunière a 6,000 Francs loan, having valued the priest’s Estate at 18,000 Francs, after he had asked it for a loan to clear his debts
August: Bérenger Saunière goes on a Pilgrimage to Lourdes1914
1914 election results:
Republicans 475 seats; Right 120 seats (dont Fédération rép. 37; Action liberté 23; divers droite 15; non inscrits 45)
7 January: Furniture Dealer Gme Noubel presses Bérenger Saunière over his debts: “On checking your account balance I note that you still owe me 6,037 francs, not including interest, for furniture mostly supplied to you in 1908. As we have to come to some sort of conclusion regarding this matter, I am asking you to settle this outstanding balance. Should you not be able to pay me the whole amount I would ask you to agree to me taking out a lien on your property. That would not cause you any inconvenience and I myself would feel much happier about things. On these terms you could then take the time you needed to settle the bill, paying me interest half-yearly at the customary rate of 5%. I look forward to hearing from you”
May: Bérenger Saunière plans to build a summer house – but gave up on the idea at the end of 1915 because the price was too high: 2,500 francs
20 August: Pope Pius X died
3 September: Pope Benedict XV (to 1922)1915
La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne, 3 July 1915
“It is for the Diocesian administration of Carcassonne a great regret, but a great duty to inform the faithful of the district that abbé Saunière, former vicar of Rennes-le-Château, still resident of the same place, was officially divested of his sacerdotal duties on 5 December 1911, that he is no longer entitled to celebrate the Mass or to take part in the Ceremony to which he was once entrusted”
October: Bérenger Saunière goes on a Pilgrimage to Lourdes1915-1917
Bérenger Saunière enjoyed a second period of success at selling masses – although not as successful as during the first period of 1896-1905– France was at War and the priest received requests for masses from neighbouring dioceses, despite his suspension1916
Letter by Canon Huguet to Bérenger Saunière, dated 22 January 1917 (extract):
“In the interview which you had with the ‘potentate’ (Bishop of Carcassonne) in August (1916) he suggested that you leave Rennes-le-Château and that he instead offer you a post nearer the seat of the Diocese; refusal to agree to this would result in you being banned in perpetuity”1917
22 January: Bérenger Saunière died: his suspension only lifted in articulo mortis (“at the moment of death”). The Last Rites were administered by Abbé Jean Rivière (1867-1929), the curé of Espéraza. Saunière was not described as a priest in the Obituary column of Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne dated 27 January. Marie Dénarnaud could not afford to pay for his coffin until 12 June 1917. Claims that Bérenger Saunière was immensely rich in 1917 and had ambitions to undertake another building project were the inventions of Noël Corbu of the 1950s
23 January: Death Certificate of Bérenger Saunière
24 January: Bérenger Saunière buried at 10 o’clock in the morning
25 March: Town Council of Rennes-le-Château approves the rental of the village Presbytery to Marie Dénarnaud from 15 April, in her own name, for the next nine years1918
15 April: Marie Dénarnaud borrows money for the first time – 1,100 francs to pay interest on a loan from the Crédit Foncier de France and to pay off some outstanding bills
10 May: Abbé Eugène Grassaud informs Marie Dénarnaud about the arrival of a potential buyer for Saunière’s Estate. He advises to sell it for 200,000 francs – down if necessary to 190,000 francs
October: The legal succession of Bérenger Saunière is finally settled by a Certificate of Insolvency due to an absence of assets. The Saunière family will therefore inherit nothing1919
Joseph Dalbies, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1919-19241921
Marie Dénarnaud owes 3,638 francs to the person who lent her 1,100 francs in 1918, informing them that she is unable to pay1922
6 February: Pope Pius XI (to 1939)1925
Marie Dénarnaud takes as her lodger the new village schoolteacher, since the commune does not have the financial resources to accommodate her elsewhere. The young schoolteacher, who is in her first teaching post, will remain there until her departure from Rennes-le-Château in 1929. Her successors as the village schoolteacher will be similarly lodged, in return for payment, at the Presbytery, the last of them from 1949 to 1954
The Testimony of René Espeut (1911-1978) from Perpignan:
“…I would like to state that the Abbé Saunière never found any treasure. You see, I was actually born in Espéraza. My family knew the Dénarnaud family. In 1925, when I was 14 years old, I used to go up regularly to Rennes-le-Château. I used to go and see Marie Dénarnaud. She was living in rather pitiable circumstances. I did my harmony lessons on the organs in the salon, which have now disappeared. In the library of the Tour Magdala, I read all the correspondence of the priest with his ecclesiastical lawyer at the time of his trial at the court of Rome. It was by collecting money for saying masses that the Abbé Saunière was able to construct his estate. He published small ads in the Catholic press throughout the world. I was able to read their texts, and I have seen thousands of replies. I would also like to state that, between the ages of 15 and 20, I thoroughly searched the area within a 500-metre radius of the Villa and the Tour Magdala. I never found the slightest evidence of a hidden treasure. I am telling you this out of respect for the truth…” (Midi Libre, 13 February, 1973)
François Pechou, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1925-19351927
Article by Henri Guy entitled ‘Reproduction of a Carolingian Gravestone discovered in Rennes-le-Château’ published in Bulletin de la Société d’Ètudes Scientifiques de l’Aude (Volume 31, page 197) describing the discovery of a Carolingian Gravestone beneath the Altar of the church in Rennes-le-Château in 1884-1885, and how it was situated in a garden before the cemetery, set on a platform as a souvenir monument1930
Emmanuel Coste, Bishop of Carcassonne 1930-1931 (transferred to Aix)1931
Brochure-format of Elie Tisseyre’s 1906 article entitled ‘Excursion on 25 June 1905 to Rennes-le-Château’ deposited in the Bibliothèque Municipale of Carcassonne by “Marty”
1932
Jean-Joseph Pays, Bishop of Carcassonne 1932-19511935
Étienne Delmas Mayor of Rennes-le-Château, 1935-19681936
The Testimony of Dr Jean Girou (1889-1972):
“We are now in the heart of Visigoth country. It remains to us only to visit the capital of the Razès, the former Rédé, known to the Romans as Rhedae. At the exit from Couiza a road rises steeply to the left – that’s the road to Rennes-le-Château. Outlined against the ridge of the plateau is a most unusual sight: ruined houses and a dilapidated feudal castle overhang – and are partly mixed up with – the chalk-cliff. Then we see villas and towers with verandahs, which are new and modern and which form a strange contrast with the ruins. This is the house of a priest who built these sumptuous living-quarters with the money from a discovered treasure – or so the locals say anyway!” (L’itinéraire en Terre d’Aude; Causse, Graille & Castelnau, Montpellier; 1936)1938
Urbain Gibert (1903-1989) recounted a Fairy-Mitouni legend about the shepherd Jean at Rennes-le-Château – without knowing anything about the legend of Ignace Paris that Noël Corbu was later to make popular during the 1950s and 1960s. Urbain Gibert co-Founded ‘Groupe d’études régionalistes et de folklore audois’ and the journal Folklore (Aude).1939
2 March: Pope Pius XII (to 1958)1941
Urbain Gibert reprised the legend of the Devil’s Treasure in 1941 as originally given by Auguste de Labouïsse-Rochefort in his book Voyage à Rennes-les-Bains published in 1832 (“la légende de Blanchefort”, Folklore (Aude) N° 23, juillet 1941, pp 153-155). Later utilised by the Rennes-le-Château mythmakers1946
22 July: Marie Dénarnaud bequeathed Saunière’s Estate by Holographic Will to Noël and Henriette Corbu. Noël Corbu settled Marie Dénarnaud’s debts of 31,529 francs.1948
4 March: Article by Roger Crouquet (1901-1987) entitled Visite à Une Ville Morte: Rennes-le-Château published in the Belgian magazine Le Soir illustré (number 819), is the earliest known press-article about Bérenger Saunière – portrayed as “a rather strange priest who preferred wine and women to practising the priesthood. At the end of the last century he had a rather original idea. He placed in foreign newspapers, especially in the United States, an advertisement announcing that the poor priest of Rennes-le-Château lived among heretics and had only the most meagre of resources”, and “The stoup which decorates the entrance to the chapel is carried by a horned devil with cloven hooves. An old woman remarked to us: ‘It’s the old priest, changed into a devil’” – the inhabitants did not refer to any treasure discovery but to gifts and to trafficking in masses, indicating that the source of Saunière’s wealth was an open secret to the villagers in 1948. Neither Noël Corbu or Marie Dénarnaud were mentioned in this article1949-1954
Jean Bousquet village schoolmaster at Rennes-le-Château, and a lodger with the Corbu family (died 21 June 1989). His testimony:
“As for Mademoiselle Marie, she has, on each and every occasion, evaded the questions that I was able to put to her regarding, in particular, the source of Saunière’s fortune. And yet, for 5 years, we even took our meals together at the table of Monsieur and Madame Corbu (who had been kind enough to offer me lodgings). Since I am mentioning Monsieur and Madame Corbu, let me say that I cannot ever praise their generosity and their kindness highly enough. They looked after Mademoiselle Marie with a great deal of affection, and for me they were the most charming of hosts. I shall always revere their memory” (cited by Gilbert Tappa in Les Cahiers de Rennes-le-Château, tome 9; 1989)1952
Pierre-Marie Joseph Puech, Bishop of Carcassonne 1952-1982 (retired)1953
January 29: Marie Dénarnaud died aged 85. Noël Corbu inherits her archives relating to Bérenger Saunière
1954
October: Noël Corbu temporarily becomes a member of la Société d’Ètudes Scientifiques de l’Aude1955
April: Noël Corbu transforms the Villa Béthanie into a restaurant called Hotel de La Tour1956
12, 13, 14 January: Albert Salamon’s series of articles entitled ‘The Fabulous Discovery of The Millionaire Priest of Rennes-le-Château’ in La Dépêche de Midi. The origin of The Myth of Rennes-le-Château involving Noël Corbu, who claimed for the first time (12 January) that, while the old Church altar was being dismantled “one of the old pillars of the altar providentially revealed a hole, from where slipped some tubes of hollow wood containing parchments written in Latin”. Noël Corbu also claimed (14 January) that Bérenger Saunière had “thanks to the parchments falling into his hands…discovered the famous treasure of Blanche of Castile, a royal treasure equivalent now to a minimum of 50 billion francs, since it comprises in part 18,500,000 francs in gold pieces, which at the very least is worth at the present time, in view of its historic and archaeological value, more than 400 million francs”
12 January: series of articles entitled ‘Trésors cachés de l’Aude’ published in le Midi Libre included: ‘Le fabuleux trésor des Wisigoths a-t-il été découvert par le curé de Rennes-le-Château?’
March: Dr André Malacan (1927-1997) obtains permission from the necessary authorities to conduct the first official archaeological excavation of the church of St Mary Magdalene in Rennes-le-Château. The “excavators” start by “thoroughly examining the subsoil of the church”. Once “the tiling had been properly removed” they come across “a crumbly layer of soil where, at a depth of about one metre, in a layer of lime, there still [lay] some bones”. But, “besides this burial” – the location of which is not specified – they do not discover “anything […] worthy of interest” [Descadeillas, Mythologie du Trésor, 1974]. This was where Malacan found a skull marked with a groove – a “ritual” groove according to its discoverer.
On 31 March a dowser Monsieur d’Esperonnat suggested they dig Saunière’s garden where they exhumed the skeletons of three men, to which scraps of flesh and clothing still adhered. André Malacan was interested in Parapsychology and in 1952 authored La Sorcellerie et les Sorciers dans l’Oeuvre et la Pensée d’Ambroise Paré (Carcassonne, Impr. Bonnafous et Fils)
The ‘La Dalle des Chevaliers’ referred to in articles by Elie Tisseyre (1906), Antoine Fagès (1908) and Henri Guy (1927) was transferred from Rennes-le-Château to the stone-carving depository in the City of Carcassonne, later displayed in the City Museum. Discovered by Pierre Embry, Curator of Classified Material for the department of the Aude1958
Robert Charroux (1909-1978), founder of Club des Chercheurs du Trésors in 1951, with his wife Yvette, unsuccessfully scanned Rennes-le-Château for gold and jewels using a metal-detector; joined by the actress Denise Carvenne (1918-1980). Visitors included the dancer and actress Lycette Darsonval (Alice Andrée Marie Perron, 1912-1996) and artist Jean Raffy Le Persan (1920-2008)
Pendulum enthusiast and hypnotist Rolland Domergue with medium Germaine Goyard also soon appeared on the scene hoping to find evidence of the treasure discovered by Bérenger Saunière. The beginning of the Pilgrimages to Rennes-le-Château by those becoming convinced by the now-quickly escalating post-1956 myths and legends
28 October: Pope John XXIII (to 1963)1959-1963
Jacques Cholet (1911-1985): Chief Engineer for the Parisian transport authority Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (R.A.T.P.), undertook official excavations in the church of Rennes-le-Château, yielding negative results:
“On my own account I excavated both under and behind the altar but found nothing. I also excavated in line with and in front of the altar – again nothing….I was also made to tear up the floor of the church, starting from the pulpit: my sponsor, a pendulum enthusiast, had located the entrance of the underground passageways there – but we found nothing. I persevered as far as the foundations of the church, digging as far as virgin soil. We found the outline of numerous empty vaults. We resumed the same task along the south wall, with approximately the same result, the only difference being that all the human remains, which were missing on the other side, had been placed there higgledy-piggledy. On the advice of a female clairvoyant we were urged to excavate behind the altar – but found nothing” (The Cholet Report, 25 April 1967)
The Cholet Report also serves as testimony to the evolving mythology of the parchments – involving two different alleged discoveries – a single parchment found in a piece of wood that had fallen from the belfry – and of parchments found in a hollow pillar that supported the Main Altar (and introducing Abbé Antoine Bigou, 1719-1794, into this mythology):
“One morning the old bell-ringer, while performing his duties, was almost hit on the head by a piece of wood that had fallen from the belfry. He kicked it inside and continued ringing the Angelus. That evening he came across the piece of wood again and, out of curiosity, picked it up and found it rather light for its size. Looking at it more closely he found that it was hollow and that it contained some ferns. Inside the ferns he found a parchment wrapped around a bone. The text on this parchment was written in Latin”
and:
“One day a lady, who was both pious and quite rich, said that she thought it was unseemly that people were continuing to say Mass (in this beautiful church restored to new condition) on such an old altar. With the agreement of the curé and without any regard for archaeology, she had the old altar, which dated from the Carolingian period, or perhaps even from that of the Visigoths, demolished and had it replaced with the one that is there now. Once again there was a ‘find’: in one of the pillars which held up the heavy altar slab the workmen found three parchments which the non-juring curé of the time [Abbé Antoine Bigou] of the Convention had hidden there. This time the translation was an easier task. It is thanks to the first two parchments that we know what we have written above about the local history of the region. The contents of the third parchment were not divulged, but Curé Saunière’s subsequent conduct is a clear indication of its content. He asked some workmen who were busy building the conservatory at that time to come into the church with their shovels and pickaxes He made them dig behind the altar and soon there appeared the neck of an earthenware jar. He wanted to continue on his own: he had just found the secret hiding-place of the curé who had fled to Spain. It was in this earthenware jar that he found the magnificent ciborium which he offered to the canon of St. Paul de Fenouillet [Abbé Eugène Grassaud] to thank him for having pleaded his cause before the court in Rome”1961
29 April: Marina Grey (1919-2005) directed La Roue Tourne (‘The Wheel Turns’) that was the first television documentary about Bérenger Saunière at Rennes-le-Château – broadcast on the French channel RTF (Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française), with Noël Corbu playing the role of Bérenger Saunière
Rolland Domergue, now also the excavation partner of Jacques Cholet, discovers a forged parchment in a well dated “25 June 1249” and ascribed to Brother Dominic de Mirepoix – a hoax perpetrated by unknown villagers using a page from a 17th century book, with enigmatic words in Chinese ink added, placed in a bottle dating from Saunière’s time1962
14 June: Noël Corbu, Essai Historique sur Rennes-le-Château – five paged manuscript deposited in the ‘Archives de l’Aude’ in Carcassonne – Noël Corbu was given a tape-recorder by a guest to The Hotel de La Tour in 1962 who was unable to pay his bill and the text was recorded onto that – used by Noël Corbu to entertain his guests
April: Robert Charroux, Trésors du Monde enterrées, emmurés, engloutis (Éditions Fayard 1962; J’ai Lu 1968; Revised Edition, Éditions Fayard 1972; Éditions du Trésor 2013)
July: Frances-Inter Radio Programme presented by Robert Arnaut and Robert Charroux, and interviewing Noël Corbu, referred to the gravestone of Marie de Negri d’Ables and to the existence of another “stone” bearing the inscriptions “SAE” and “SIS”, announcing: “It is sincerely hoped that an appeal will be launched on the air-waves to find two triangular stones bearing various key inscriptions. These two stones could be in Paris. One bears the following inscription: ‘P.S. Reddis cellis regis arcis praecum’ and the other: ‘Sae sus in media linea ubi M cecat linea parva P.S. Praecum.’”
1 August: The newspaper La Dépêche du Midi repeated the appeal made on the Frances-Inter Radio Programme1963
21 June: Pope Paul VI (to 1978)1964
Henri Buthion (1924-2002) buys Saunière’s Estate from Noël Corbu1965
28 July: Municipal Council of Rennes-le-Château unanimously voted a local by-law prohibiting excavations in the village
1967
Spring: Gérard de Sède, L’Or de Rennes (René Julliard), later entitled Le Trésor Maudit de Rennes-le-Château in 1968 (J’ai Lu). Revised Edition entitled Signé: Rose+Croix: l’Énigme de Rennes-le-Château in 1977 (Éditions Plon).
* Historical Romance dressed-up as Historical Fact, utilising and amending the earlier claims of Noël Corbu to fit-in with Pierre Plantard’s agenda and related to the Priory of Sion Document Les Dossiers Secrets d’Henri Lobineau (27 April, 1967), this book was criticised as unreliable when first published by Mgr Georges Boyer (“Mise au point et mise en garde”, Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne, 1 June 1967), by Midi-Libre (3 December 1967), by L’Indépendant (29 November & 9 December 1967).
1 June: Georges Boyer, Focus And A Warning (La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne)
9 December: Georges Boyer commented in L’Indépendant: “That the Abbé Saunière could have received the last sacraments two days after his death is absolutely incredible. And that dear old Abbé Rivière, the curé of Espéraza, who died in 1929, and who was the Dean of Coursan (where I got to know him well) never smiled again after the death of the Abbé Saunière, to whom he had administered extreme unction, is another puzzling statement, as I myself saw him roar with laughter”1968
20 May: Noël Corbu killed in a car crash, buried in the cemetery of Rennes-le-Château in a tomb next to his wife Henriette who had died in 1966, that was situated close to the grave of Bérenger Saunière
Bérenger Saunière’s grave dynamited
Henri Lembège, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1968-19871970
Village of Rennes-le-Château obtained the necessary permission to bring back ‘La Dalle de Chevaliers’ from Carcassonne, becoming stored in a glass-cabinet display aimed at tourists to the village1974
René Descadeillas (1909-1986), Mythologie du Trésor de Rennes: Histoire Veritable de L’Abbé Saunière, Curé de Rennes-Le-Château (Mémoires de la Société des Arts et des Sciences de Carcassonne, Années 1971-1972, 4me série, Tome VII, 2me partie; 1974) [Reprinted 1989, Savary, Carcassonne; 1991, Editions Collot, Carcassonne]
Mythologie du Trésor de Rennes was the first reasoned assessment of the story of Bérenger Saunière, providing details of the priest’s activities based upon documented evidence found in the departmental archives, the Carcassonne Bishopric, as well as the Saunière-Dénarnaud archives in the possession of Antoine Captier and Claire Corbu. Mythologie du Trésor de Rennes did contain several mistakes however – notably the mistaken claim that ‘Rome revoked Saunière’s suspension in October 1915’
René Descadeillas accepted that Saunière did make a discovery whilst renovating his church from what he called eye-witnesses: “Shortly after he removed the old altar, something happened the importance of which will rapidly become apparent (and three eye-witness accounts suggest that it did happen). While hollowing out the soil of the church behind the altar, Saunière found a pot, more precisely an ‘oule’ filled with gold coins. ‘But’, adds the eye-witness, ‘it was nothing to get excited about’. We think, indeed, that it was nothing to get excited about. Even so, the amount of money he found on that occasion was certainly large enough to whet Saunière’s appetite for more”
* Mythologie du Trésor de Rennes, awarded 1975 Prix Toutain de l’Académie Française
1976
The ‘Jesu medela vulnerum’ inscription at the bottom of the Main Altar in the church of Rennes-le-Château erased by vandals1978
26 August: Pope John Paul I (deceased 28 September 1978)
16 October: Pope John Paul II (to 2005)1981
2 March: François Mitterrand (1916-1996) visited Saunière’s Estate and the church of St Mary Magdalene in Rennes-le-Château during his Presidential Campaign – accompanied by the Président of the Conseil Générale of the Aude (Robert Capdeville, 1919-2001) and the Mayor of Rennes-le-Château (Henri Lambège). This inspired Pierre Plantard to later falsely claim that Roger-Patrice Pelat (1918-1989) was the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, resulting in his arrest and detainment in 1993 by Judge Thierry Jean-Pierre (1955-2005) when he was investigating the scandal involving French Prime Minister Pierre Bérégovoy (1925-1993), resulting in the Police search of Plantard’s house and Plantard’s retirement from his Priory of Sion activities.1982
Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail (Jonathan Cape) – the book responsible for placing the village of Rennes-le-Château onto Mappa Mundi – although initially successful due to several highly popular documentaries shown on British Television during the 1970s – it later transformed into an essential grimoire cherished by believers in assorted esoterica, followers of alternative history and New Age Romantics
Jacques-Joseph-Marie Despierre, Bishop of Carcassonne 1982-2004 (retired)1983
Jacques Rivière (1945-2006), Le Fabuleux Trésor de Rennes-Le-Château! Le Secret de L’Abbé Saunière (dedicated to Déodat Roché, with Notes Complementaires by Gilbert Tappa listing Saunière’s 61 Invoices; Editions Bélisane, 1983)
First part of Rivière’s book is devoted to Bérenger Saunière’s Ministry and its political background. Second part is devoted to the restoration of Saunière’s church and reproducing the Invoices. Third part is devoted to the construction of Saunière’s Estate. Fourth part is devoted to Saunière’s Ecclesiastical Trial 1910-1911, reproducing Saunière’s correspondence and providing transcripts of the material in the Carcassonne Bishopric. An essential book for anyone interested in Bérenger Saunière and Rennes-le-Château
1984
Bérenger Saunière (1852-1917), Mon Enseignement à Antugnac, 1890 (edited by the Abbé Bruno de Monts, Editions Bélisane)
8 March: Lampe Rosaire in the church of Rennes-le-Château destroyed by vandals1985
Pierre Jarnac, Histoire Du Trésor de Rennes-Le-Château (L’Association pour le développement de la lecture; 1985)
Claire Corbu, Antoine Captier, L’Héritage De L’Abbé Saunière (Editions Bélisane; 1985; 2000; 2012) – although written from the perspective of ‘Saunière discovering a secret’ – the book presents a Treasure Trove of Archive relating to Bérenger Saunière and Marie Dénarnaud – actual reproductions of correspondence, notable photographs, drafts of Wills, as well as the preliminary drafts Saunière prepared for his defence during his 1910-1911 ecclesiastical Trial. The book ends on a poignant note about Saunière: “If the soul of the Abbé, so often invoked by mediums, did return to earth, it would certainly be disturbed by the sulphurous odour of occultism which has attached itself to his memory. At the same time, he would no doubt derive some satisfaction from seeing the long queue of tourists who have come to admire his church, even if they do not visit it for the pious reasons for which he himself might have hoped”
1987
Jean-Michel Thibaux published his novel L’Or du Diable (Paris: Éditions Olivier Orban) that inspired the 6 part Television Mini-Series of the same name shown on FR3 in 1989, Jean-François Balmer playing the role of Bérenger Saunière (directed by Jean-Louis Fournier)
Roger Pujol, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1987-19971987-1988
Pierre Jarnac, Les Archives De Rennes-Le-Château, Tome 1 & 2 (Editions Bélisane; 1987-1988)
1989
January: Émile Saunière, Moi, Bérenger Saunière, Curé de Rennes-le-Château (Two Volumes, Espéraza, 1989; Volume One: “Historique et Illustrations”, Volume Two: “Révélations et message”). Volume Two re-published entitled Moi, Bérenger Saunière: Pensées et réflexions transcendantes de l’abbé Bérenger Saunière (Caussade: S. Pagenelle, 2005).
23 February: Declaration of Les Amis de Bérenger Saunière to the Prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes. An association that was part of Editions Bélisane that also published the journal Les Cahiers de Rennes-le-Château (first issue published in 1984)
10 May: Formation of Association Terre de Rhedae – to perpetuate the memory of Bérenger Saunière and to welcome and inform visitors to the ‘Saunière Museum’ of its wider Mission – the conservation, management, promotion and the development of the commune. The first issue of its journal was published in January 1990
June: Abbé Bruno de Monts (1910-2003), Bérenger Saunière, Curé à Rennes-Le-Château 1885-1909 (Editions Bélisane, Collection Les Amis de Bérenger Sauniére; 1989; 2000)
1990
Jean-Jacques Bedu, Rennes-Le-Château: Autopsie d’un Mythe (Ed. Loubatières; 31120 Portet-sur-Garonne; 1990, 2002)
1992
Formation of Le Reflet de la Fabuleuse Rhedae by Celia Brooke (1944-2012) and Nicole Dawe (President, Christophe Jankowiak) – “an association which aim is to provide a welcome and information centre for visitors to the area interested in its history and legends and is particular for the large English-speaking percentage”, working alongside Association Terre de Rhedae – the Number 1 issue of Le Reflet – Newsletter in English was published in Autumn, 1993
1993
The original ‘Visigothic Pillar’ transferred to the ‘Saunière Museum’ following the renovation and re-opening of the Museum on 1 July, and replaced by a replica manufactured by Alain Féral – as a result of becoming more and more eroded and damaged due to natural weather conditions. The Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was restored and repainted by Alain Féral
It was when the ‘Saunière Museum’ was re-opened on 1 July that confusion arose over the display of a “B.S. Bookplate”
30 December: Henry Buthion sold Saunière’s Estate to Bert Gerards and Robert L. Kroon (1924-2007)1994
Jean-Luc Robin (1949-2008) leases Saunière’s Estate and opens it to the public.
Renovations carried out on the Villa Bethanie and Saunière’s Private Chapel, refurbishments on the Tour Magdala – with the belvedere becoming the site for a second museum in the village that displayed the original relics, documents and Priest’s Vestments – that were transferred from the original ‘Saunière Museum’ situated in the Presbytery run by the Association Terre de Rhedae
26 July: The church of St Mary Magdalene was registered a Historical Monument
1996
Vinciane Denis, Rennes-Le-Château, Le trésor de l’abbé Saunière (Editions Marabout, Collection “les Grands Formats”; 1996)
Les Cahiers de Rennes-le-Château Number 11 (“Le Vrai Trésor” edition) containing essential new information about Bérenger Saunière in articles written by Abbé Bruno de Monts
21 April: The statue of the Devil in the church of Rennes-le-Château vandalised – decapitated with its right hand torn off
June: François Grassaud, Rennes-le-Château: Chroniques du Passé (Axat; also entitled Rennes-le-Château. François Bérenger Saunière prêtre, curé de Rennes-le-Château de 1885 à 1909. Dossier Secret, 1999, 2008; translated into English entitled The Abbé Saunière: From 1885 to 1909, Priest of Rennes-le-Château, 2000)
Guy Matheliè-Guinlet, Rennes-le-Château: Le Mysterieux Trésor de l’Abbé Saunière (Bordeaux: Aubéron, 1997)
Bérenger Saunière, Curé : Cahier de Correspondances 1915-1917 (Avant-propos Pierre Jarnac, 1997)
13 October: Declaration of Club Horizon to the Sub-Prefecture of Limoux. Based in the Villa Béthanie – its aim was to promote the socio-economic and cultural history of Rennes-le-Château
Jean Balaguero, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1997-19981998
Germain Blanc-Delmas, Chronique sur Rennes-le-Château: Marie d’Etienne, Le trésor oublié (éditions Envolée)
Germain Blanc-Delmas is the son of Étienne Delmas, the former Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1935-1968
Jean-François Lhuilier, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 1998-20082000
The Municipality of Rennes-le-Château buys Saunière’s Estate2001
29 June: Declaration of Rennes-le-Château – Le Cercle to the Paris Prefecture of Police. Based in Paris, its aim was to establish contact amongst all similar groups and members for the exchange of information and ideas in the search of knowledge on the theme of “Rennes-le-Château”
1 August: Declaration of Association Internationalle des Chercheurs de Trésors (A.I.C.T.) to the Sub-Prefecture of Limoux. Founded by Jean Francois Crinon, Michel Bellec, Jean-Claude De Brou, Robert Montminy – its aim to conduct historical researches and investigations pertaining to the discovery of treasures, organising debates and conferences about the histories of treasures
2002
12 September: Declaration of L’Association pour la Restauration de la Tombe de Bérenger Saunière to the Paris Prefecture of Police – its aim was to restore the tomb of Bérenger Saunière. Now called L’Association pour les Recherches Thématiques de Bérenger Saunière (ARTBS). President: Yves Lignon. Its Bulletin is entitled Actes du Colloque d’Études et de Recherches sur Rennes-le-Château
Pierre Jarnac, Bibliographie de Rennes-le-Château: Les Cahiers de Rennes-le-Château Number 12 (Editions Bélisane)
2003
Bill Putnam, John Edwin Wood, The Treasure of Rennes-le-Château: A Mystery Solved (Sutton Publishers 2003; Revised Paperback Edition, Sutton Publishers 2005)
Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code (Random House) – The novel responsible for accelerating the most interest in Rennes-le-Château since the publication of The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln in 1982. It has become the biggest-selling novel of all time. Other titles that inspired Dan Brown included The Woman With The Alabaster Jar by Margaret Starbird (1993) and The Templar Revelation by Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince (1997)
12 February: Declaration of Société Perillos to the Sub-Prefecture of Narbonne, its aim to promote the historical value of the abandoned village of Périllos, by Perpignan. President: André Douzet, who has been promoting the existence of a ‘Maquette’, a topographical model of Jerusalem that he claims was commissioned by Bérenger Saunière – as well as unproven links between Saunière and Périllos, Opoul and Lyon (producing spurious receipts that cannot be independently examined), since the publication of Lumières Nouvelles sur Rennes-le-Château, Spécial Numéro 1, CEP d’OR de PYLA in 1995, written by Antoine Bruzeau and “Benoist Rivière” (André Douzet).
20 August: Digging under the Tour Magdala in search of buried treasure headed by the Mayor of Rennes-le-Château yielded negative results – with Professor Robert Eisenman, Professor Andrea Baratollo and Michael Baigent witnessing proceedings as spectators – the archaeological project dating from April 2001 sponsored by The John Merrill Foundation. The event was filmed for a History Channel documentary entitled Investigating History: The Holy Grail that was shown on 19 April 2004. Ground Penetrating Radar Scans of the church at Rennes-le-Château conducted by Professor Harry Jol allegedly revealed the existence of a possible burial crypt beneath the church floor (although not all archaeologists were convinced of this) – permission to physically excavate the church had been refused by the Archaeological Body of France (Directions Régionales des Affaires Culturelles, or DRAC), due to the frail condition of the building, and DRAC later filed a complaint against the Mayor of Rennes-le-Château for illegal excavations after digging under the Tour Magdala. The archaeological project had been inspired by the claims of American citizen Jean-Louis Genibrel, who claimed his grandfather’s uncle was a foreman of Saunière’s works. The story of Bérenger Saunière burying a “wooden box about the size of a baby” under the Tour Magdala was first published in the article “Les Démons du Midi” by Pierre Sourbès in L’Indépendant of 3 December 1967.2004
14 September: Bérenger Saunière’s remains re-interred in a mausoleum situated in the village cemetery, from which time it became closed to the General Public
A Notice on the Cemetery Door read: L’ACCESS DU CIMETIERE EST RESERVE AUX FAMILLES DES DEFUNTS. Les familles extérieuses à la commune ne possédant pas de clé s’adresseront à la “Boutique du Presbytère”. Tous le jours de: 10H à 12H, et de 14H à 16H30.
Marie-France Etchegoin, Frédéric Lenoir, Code Da Vinci: L’Enquête (Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris, 2004) – “The story of Rennes-le-Château functions as a powerful catalyst, attracting all the mysteries, all the speculations – as well as all the deceptions that swarm in the esoteric nebula. We have before us the creation of a contemporary myth”
L’Association Légendes d’Oc founded by Stéphanie Buttegeg, dedicated to promoting the cultural, tourist and historical heritage of the Razès. Its Bulletin is entitled A la Recherche du Secret Perdu
Alain-Emile-Baptiste Planet, Bishop of Carcassonne 2004-2005
19 April: Pope Benedict XVI (to 2013)
April: Bernardo Sanchez da Motta, Do Enigma de Rennes-le-Château ao Priorado de Sião: História de um Mito Moderno (Editora Ésquilo; reprinted in 2019)
15 September: Massimo Introvigne, Gli illuminati e il Priorato di Sion. La verità sulle due società segrete del Codice da Vinci e di Angeli e Demoni (Edizioni Piemme)
30 November: Declaration of Le Cercle du 17 Janvier to the Sub-Prefecture of Limoux. Founded by Asmodé, Blanchefort, Deg, and Rambiel – its aim to hold annual meetings on 17 January for people interested in the subject matter of Rennes-le-Château. Members of this Association have voluntarily restored the grave of Abbé Antoine Gélis (1827-1897) in Coustaussa in 2005, the Delmas Calvary in Rennes-les-Bains on 17 January 2007, the grave of Abbé Jean Vié (1808-1872) in Rennes-les-Bains on 17 January 2009
10 December: Declaration of Association Rennes-le-Château.doc to the Sub-Prefecture of Provins. Created by “Patrick Mensior” – its aim is to collect and to collate all the known documentation relating to Bérenger Saunière and Rennes-le-Château – with updates provided in the Bulletin Parle-moi de Rennes-le-Château
2006
26 April: Declaration of Le Cercle Boudet to the Sub-Prefecture of Limoux – historical research on Abbé Henri Boudet (1837-1915) and the histories of Rennes-le-Château and Rennes-les-Bains. Also called Cercle Boudet 11
2 November: La Dépêche du Midi published an interview with Jean-François Lhuillier, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château, entitled ‘Rennes-le-Château: After Six Years’ Research The Mayor Pours Cold Water On All The Wild Theories That Surround It’
6 November: Declaration of L’Association Pour La Préservation de l’Âme de Rennes-le-Château (APARC) to the Sub-Prefecture of Limoux. Founder and Chairman was Jean-Luc Robin (1949-2008), with Henry Lincoln Honorary President – to promote the heritage of the village, to prevent further vandalism, and to encourage harmony. André Galaup was elected Chairman of APARC on 4 October 2008 following the death of Jean-Luc Robin
2007
March: Renovation work on the Presbytery in Rennes-le-Château began
10 June: Gérard Jean – of the Société d’Études Scientifiques de l’Aude & Académie des Arts et Sciences de Carcassonne – stated at the annual 2007 ARTBS seminar – that the stèle of Marie de Negri d’Ables, Countess Hautpoul-Blanchefort still existed (in private ownership) – that it was taken away by Monsieur Marty to Carcassonne during the excursion led by Elie Tisseyre to Rennes-le-Château in 1905 (Patrick Mensior, Parle-Moi de Rennes-le-Chateau! Number 4, “Quelques mots sur Antoine Fages”, pages 108-109, 2007). Most probably another myth.
30 September – 1 October: The Miraculous Statue in the Minor Basilica of Notre Dame de Marceille vandalised – decapitated with its Mantle torn off2008
17 April: Richard Heygate wrote a letter to the Rennes-le-Château Municipal Council asking it for permission to do Ground Penetrating Scans in the village church, which was approved.
L’ABC de RLC – l’Encyclopédie de Rennes-le-Château, edited by Patrick Berlier, Daniel Dugès, Thierry Garnier, Antoine Captier, Michel Vallet, Franck Daffos, Jean Brunelin, Gil Alonso-Mier, Georges A D Martin, Michel Crozet, Jean-Luc Chaumeil, Alain Caradec, Laurent ‘Octonovo’ Buchholzer, Gabriel D’Atilia, Jean-Pierre Monteils, Jocelyne Bartolini, Paul Saussez, Gino Sandri, André Goudonnet (preface by Michel Vallet; Arqa editions, April 2008; 684 pages)
Claudie Voisenat (Editor), Imaginaires archéologiques (preface by Daniel Fabre and Christian Hottin), Cahier Number 22, Ethnologie de la France, Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l’homme
Pages 61-86: chapter by Christiane Amiel entitled ‘L’abîme au trésor, ou l’or fantôme de Rennes-le-Château’
Alexandre Painco, Mayor of Rennes-le-Château 2008-2009
1 March: Opening of the new ‘Bérenger Saunière Museum’ in Rennes-le-Château. Preliminary plans were drawn-up in August 2008 involving Mariano Tomatis, Antoine Captier, Daniel Dugès, Christian Doumergue and the Municipality of Rennes-le-Château to produce an extensive and comprehensive presentation of all the major data on the subject matter to visitors in four languages – English, Italian, German and Spanish. Mariano Tomatis was awarded the ‘Prix Bérenger Saunière’ on 5 June 2010 by ARTBS (L’Association pour les Recherches Thématiques de Bérenger Saunière) for his innovative efforts in designing the new version of the Museum
4 June: Letter by Henri Marchesi, the Regional Conservator of Archaeology, to Albert Fagioli, responding to his plans to undertake excavations at Rennes-le-Château2010
3 June: Declaration of Association Trésor Cathare to the Sub-Prefecture of Limoux, based in Campagne-sur-Aude. Officially created 10 July 2010 by Yannick Laffont and Gérard Vidal. Activities: Day trips to Celtic megalithic temples near Rennes-le-Château, to the church at Campagne-sur-Aude and picnics. Also visits to Celtic, Gallo-Roman and Knights Templar exhibitions in the village. Its goal is to “safeguard historic treasures buried in the depths of the ground and memories of time”
Restoration work on The Tour Magdala
Germain Blanc-Delmas, Le crâne perce d’un trou de Sainte-Marie Madeleine de Rennes-le-Château (Carcassonne: Impr. Antoli, 2010)
David Rossoni, L’Histoire Rêvée de Rennes-le-Château: Eclairages sur un Récit Collectif Contemporain (Books on Demand Editions)
2011
8 April: Letter by DRAC to Albert Fagioli concerning his request to excavate the church of St Mary Magdalene
May: Restoration work on the Exterior and Interior of the church of St Mary Magdalene completed2012
André Galaup, Rennes-le-Château: En quête de vérité (Messages Imprimerie, 2012)
* Pages 202-210 contain information about René Guilhem, the former headmaster of the school at Rennes-le-Château, who lodged with Marie Dénarnaud and the author maintains that Bérenger Saunière belonged to a circle of priests that supported the restoration of the French monarchy
2013
13 March: Pope Francis
14 April: La Dépêche du Midi, The Dreams of Rennes-le-Château. The article quotes the Mayor as saying: “We’re going to do some researches within the so-called “local built-heritage” (petit patrimoine) framework… if we make some interesting discoveries then, perhaps, under the auspices of DRAC, we will finally excavate at Rennes-le-Château. But they will be proper, official excavations!” Belgian architect Paul Saussez, member of a community of believers in the “treasure”, was also appointed as the official representative of the Rennes-le-Château Municipal Council on 26 August 2011 in an attempt to persuade DRAC, in conjunction with Frédéric Loppe of the “Amicale Laïque de Carcassonne” and the archaeologist Marie-Elise Gardel, into making official excavations into the burial crypt beneath the village church (Paul Saussez, “Point sur le dossier des fouilles concernant l’église de Rennes-le-Château”, pages 73-76, Actes du Colloque d’Études et de Recherches sur Rennes-le-Château 2012, Editions de l’Oeil du Sphinx, 2013). However, the anticipated updates between Paul Saussez and DRAC never materialised and the archaeological excavations of Rennes-le-Château were never undertaken.
1 August: Using a dowsing-rod, Albert Fagioli claimed to have discovered underground cavities and a “cache” beneath the church of Rennes-le-Château. Philippe Hui stated that in the absence of any official excavating by DRAC, a fibre-optic cable would be inserted into the ground (L’Indépendant, 2 August 2013). The same kind of treasure hysteria that dominated the village of Rennes-le-Château during the 1950s with Noël Corbu (1912-1968) and Robert Charroux (1909-1978) continues on into the 21st century – except that most of the local inhabitants have been forced to leave the village because of unwanted and fallacious-based mass tourism
August: Christian Doumergue, President of the Association Terre de Rhedae, holds a controversial exhibition devoted to Pierre Plantard in Rennes-le-Château to coincide with the publication of his book, that drew hostile reactions from other believers in the alleged mystery (published in L’Indépendant, “Une exposition très controversée à Rennes-le-Château”, 9 August, 2013; in La Dépêche du Midi, “Rennes-le-Château. La réhabilitation d’un personnage controversé crée la polémique”, 27 December 2013; and again in La Dépêche du Midi, “Rennes-le-Château: Le passé de Plantard fait polémique”, 9 January 2014)
6 September: Creation of the magazine “Rennes-le-Château Le Mag”, a collaboration of local associations – ARTBS, APARC, Association Rennes-le-Château.doc, l’Oeil du Sphinx, Legende d’Oc and Pégase – in a crucial attempt to produce a legitimate presentation of the flashy “mystery” that they all treat seriously. The inaugural issue is dated June 20142014
22 May: The grandson of Dr André Malacan returned the skull to Rennes-le-Chäteau that was discovered in the church in 1956 – following legal wranglings since April 2013 – the story was covered in L’Indépendant (31 May 2010) and in La Dépêche du Midi (19 May 2010, 4 June 2010, 30 June 2014). The aim is to have it Carbon-14 dated2015
6 June: Commemorative plaque marking the centenary of Henri Boudet’s death was placed in the church porch in Rennes-les-Bains. It was unveiled by the village mayor André Authier in the presence of the deputy mayor Marcelle Delmas.
6 July: Article in La Dépêche du Midi by Jean-Luc Letitre entitled “Light is Shed on the Mystery of the Pierced Skull” stated that tests showed the skull found by André Malacan in 1956 belonged to a male about 50 years of age, with the external loss of bone at the top of the skull showing he had died from a powerful blow of a halberd. Carbon-14 tests gave a date for the pierced skull of between 1281 and 1396. The skull became a display in the “Le Musée Domaine de l’Abbé Saunière” by 7 August 2016.
2016
12 March: The newly refurbished and renovated “Saunière Museum” re-opened in Rennes-le-Château (now called “Le Musée Domaine de l’Abbé Saunière”)
July: Michel Azens, Rennes-le-Château: Le Domaine de l’abbé Saunière. Histoire de sa construction. Informations sur son architecture (Éditions Pégase, 2016).
* Essential reference guide giving source materials about the construction of Saunière’s Estate – contemporary correspondence, plans and photographs.
18 October: The Rennes-le-Château bookshop, “Atelier Empreinte”, first opened in March 1986 by Sonia Moreau and Alain Féral (1942-2013), auctioned.
2017
22 January: Centenary of Bérenger Saunière’s death
3 March: Xavi Bonet, Oscar Fabrega, Enric Sabarich, Compendium Rhedae, 100 Años de Rennes-le-Château (prologue by Mariano F. Urresti, Editorial Círculo Rojo)
7 April: Kris Darquis premiers a film in Rennes-le-Château about Pilate’s apocryphal wife Claudia Procula, marking a Rennes-le-Château tourist attraction linked to Christian Doumergue’s two books, La Tombe Perdue (2008) and Le Secret Dévoilé (2013), linking the “village mystery” to Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene (easily debunkable because the so-called “Apocryphal letter of Claudia Procula” is a story called “La Mort du Juste” by Éveline Ribbecourt first published in 1846).
Christian Doumergue Debunked
Rennes-le-Château, Vindicta Salvatoris, Doumergue
Vindicta Salvatoris “Tomb of Christ” Translation
Tomb of Jesus Christ in Septimania
Saint-Thibéry (Saint Tiberius), Blessed Martyr
23 April: Statue of the Devil in the church of Rennes-le-Château decapitated and vandalised. The story was reported in La Dépêche (24 and 29 April), L’Indépendant (24 and 25 April) and Midi-Libre (24 April, reprinted on Fdesouche). The 30 year-old female who committed the vandalism (under the pretext of it serving as publicity for a book she had written), was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, placed on probation for 24 months, barred from entering the commune of Rennes-le-Château and fined 17,718 Euros, to which she protested: “I refuse to pay even a single symbolic Euro!” (La Dépêche, 24 November; L’Indépendant, 24 November). The statue of the devil had previously been decapitated and vandalised on 21 April 1996.
12 August: Donation of 1,000 Euros by the Prieuré de Sion – Ordre de la Rose Croix Véritas toward the repair of the vandalism committed in the church of Rennes-le-Château. Gino Sandri (Grand Patriarch) and Marco Rigamonti (General Secretary & Grand Master) preserve the lineage of Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair. The order (founded in 1099) is a conflation of Hermetic, Gnostic and Rosicrucian influences, dating back to ancient Babylon and Egypt – involving the revelation of the Holy Grail which is the hereditary DNA of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Bérenger Saunière codified this information into his church (Par ce geste, le Prieuré de Sion «embrasse Rennes-le-Château» L’Indépendant, 6 November, ladepeche, 8 November 2017).
22 August: Documentary-maker Philippe Brunel started the Projet Kisskissbankbank, (“L’abbé, le diable et les chercheurs”, Little Big Films) hoping to attract enough subscribers to plan about 6-7 documentary episodes about the subject matter of Rennes-le-Château (reported in La Dépêche du Midi on 2 September). An online appeal for donations quickly attracted the sum of over 5.000 Euros from 40 people. The unrelenting and voracious appetite about the mystery and treasure of Rennes-le-Château continues unabated in 2017 – despite the existence of evidence showing that Bérenger Saunière amassed over 200,000 francs between 1896-1915 from trafficking in masses – was summoned to a trial in 1910-1911 to explain his actions – was stripped of his priesthood – and planned to move to Lourdes, but was unable to do so because he could not sell his property (through the Banque Petitjean) to finance his plan.
September: Le journal de l’abbé Saunière 1901 à 1905: commenté par Patrick Mensior (Les Éditions de L’Oeil du Sphinx; Les Éditions Rennes-le-Château.doc, 2017)
* Changing hands between Noël Corbu, Henri Buthion and Monsieur Delépine, Saunière’s journal found its way for sale on the internet by “Francis Marchand” in 2011.
* Companion book to the one by Michel Azens, 2016
* Saunière’s journal doesn’t contain any references to a treasure2018
7 July: Claire Corbu & Antoine Captier, Bérenger Saunière – Marie Dénarnaud liés par un secret. RENNES-LE-CHÂTEAU (written in the form of a novel, preface and supplément “Le secret de l’abbbé Saunière: au milieu du tunnel” by Michel Vallet, includes Limited Edition of 250 numbered copies, Éditions Pégase)
25 July: Philippe Brunel shows his first “L’abbé, le diable et les chercheurs” documentary (Little Big Films) in Rennes-les-Bains. First part of a trilogy representing the formulated propaganda of the believers: “There is not one treasure, but several treasures: being part of a complex and enigmatic mystery”2019
January: Bernardo Sanchez da Motta, O Priorado de Sião e a Ordem do Templo (independently published, 2019)
* This book contains an interview with Antoine Captier, who maintains his belief in Bérenger Saunière’s treasure discovery – that the material proof was burnt by Marie Dénarnaud – and that “for obvious reasons” the location of Saunière’s treasure discovery “must be kept secret” (pages 85-95).
22 March: Completion of the restoration of the statue of the Devil in the church of Rennes-le-Château (now protected by glass), that was decapitated and vandalised on 23 April 2017
2020
23 May: Alexandre Painco re-elected Mayor of Rennes-le-Château
2021
21 May: Inauguration of the Abbé Antoine Gélis Museum in Coustaussa (Tourist Attraction for the Mystery Buffs).
* Abbé Antoine Gélis, assassinated in his Coustaussa presbytery on the night of Halloween, 31 October 1897. Mainstream accounts suggest that Abbé Gélis was an Anti-Republican priest murdered in an altercation involving several Pro-Republican ruffians, most probably homeless transients, as given by regional newspapers of the period, with headlines like “Exploits rêpublicaine” (L’Univers, 12 May 1881), thus explaining why no money was stolen (theft was not the motive), and why his dead body was laid out in a parody of the Catholic Ritual
2022
David Rossoni
14 December: La Pseudo-histoire décodée: L’exemple de Rennes-le-Château (Éditeur de la Zététique, Éditions book-e-book, 2022)
Last Updated 4 February 2026
Currently 2,252 Titles
PRIORY OF SION BIBLIOGRAPHY
‘Children of The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail’
English Language Books
Paul Smith
‘The descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene’ has become a serious reality for many people looking for meaning in their lives, either on the historical level or on the mystical religious level; the descendants can either be human beings, reptilians, or extraterrestrials
As for Rennes-le-Château and the life of the Abbé Bérenger Saunière, believers in the “mystery” reject any prosaic explanations that would make the life and activities of the priest banal and ordinary. The claims of a treasure discovery, with the burial crypt beneath the priest’s church acting as the ‘Holy of Holies’, continues to attract people to the subject matter
BIBLIOGRAPHY
AUTHORS’ ALPHABETICAL ORDER
David Aaronovitch
–Voodoo Histories: The Role of The Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History (2009)
* Chapter 6 : Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Holy Shit
Richard Abanes
–The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response To The Bestselling Novel (2004)
The Abbotts (Tony Abbott, Robyn Abbott)
–Mary Magdalena: The Wife of Jesus’ Story (2014)
Raylene Abbott
–A Mystical Journey To The Sacred Sites of France (eBook, 2010; Revised Edition entitled A Mystic’s Journey To The Sacred Sites of France, 2014)
* La Source de la Magdala, Mont Bugarach and Rennes-le-Château
Melvin Leroy Abercrombie
–The Rest of The Da Vinci Code: Avalon (also entitled Fall of The Roman Empire: Rest of The Da Vinci Code, 2021)
Ben Abraham
–The Priory Of Sion: The Truth Behind The Priory Of Sion – The Facts, The Theories, Mysteries and Secrets (2005)
Betty Conrad Adam
–The Magdalene Mystique: Living The Spirituality of Mary Today (2006)
* Chapter 8: Breaking Out of Old Stories – The Re-emergence of Mary Magdalene Today
Jewel Adams
–Mary Magdalene: Beloved of The Bridegroom (Novel, 2021)
Ken Agori
–Defenders of The Holy Grail (Novel, 2000)
* “The Defenders of the Holy Grail are sworn to protect the family of Jesus. Elise learns of them through the psychic bridge of the ancient necklace, and learns their secrets!”
James D. Agresti
–Rational Conclusions (2009)
* Chapter 5: Ancient Manuscripts, Modern Bibles, and The Da Vinci Code
* James D. Agresti is President of Just Facts, dedicated to researching and publishing verifiable facts
Barbara Aho
–The Merovingian Dynasty: Satanic Bloodline of The AntiChrist & False Prophet (eText, 1997)
Jimmy Akin
–Cracking The Da Vinci Code (Catholic Answers, Catholic Truth Society; 2004)
* See also Catholic Truth Society
–Was Jesus Married? The Startling Evidence That Would Surprise Millions (2019)
HRH Prince Michael of Albany, Michael James Alexander Stewart [Michel Roger Lafosse]
–The Forgotten Monarchy of Scotland: The True Story of The Royal House of Stewart and The Hidden Lineage of The Kings and Queens of Scots (1998, 2002)
* Michel Roger Lafosse styled himself Duc d’Aquitaine
* Comte de Blois
* Head of The Sacred Kindred of St Columba
* Knight Grand Commander of The Order of The Temple of Jerusalem
* Patron Grand Officer of The International Society of Commission Officers for The Commonwealth
* Elected, President of The European Council of Princes, 1992
* Diplomat, Federation of Autonomous Priories of The Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta
* Michel Roger Lafosse was born in Watermael-Boitsfort, Brussels, Belgium on 21 April 1958 to Gustave Joseph Clément Fernand Lafosse and Renée Julienne Dée (he claimed his parents were Baron Gustave Joseph Fernand Clément Lafosse and Princess Renée Julienne Stewart, descended from a secret marriage between Charles Edward Stuart and Marguerite O’Dea d’Audibert de Lussan, Comtesse de Massillan)
HRH Prince Michael of Albany, Michael James Alexander Stewart [Michel Roger Lafosse], Walid Amine Salhab
–The Knights Templar of The Middle East: The Hidden History of The Islamic Origins of Freemasonry (2006)
Thiago Alc
–The Da Vinci Code Guide – Walkthrough – Tips – Cheats – And More! (2020)
Jonas E. Alexis
–In the Name of Education: How Weird Ideologies Corrupt our Public Schools, Politics, the Media, Higher Institutions, and History (2007)
* Chapter 5: Slavery, History, and Christianity IV – Orlando Patterson and ‘The Da Vinci Code’
–In the Name of Knowledge and Wisdom: Why Atheists, Skeptics, Agnostics and Intellectuals Deny Christianity (2008)
* Chapter 2: Skeptics, Scoffers, and Pop Christianity
Brian J. Allan
-“The Rosslyn Cypher” (photographs by Gordon Rutter, Fortean Times, Number 212, pp.40-43, 2006)
–Rosslyn: Between Two Worlds (2007)
–The Rosslyn Frequency: Uncovering The Hidden World of The Knights Templar (Audiobook, 2009)
–Rosslyn Chapel: Occult Secrets and Esoteric Treasures Revealed (Book and Bonus Audio CD; edited by Timothy Green Beckley, illustrations by Tim Swartz; 2009)
–Paranormal Rosslyn Chapel: Haunted Portal of Spirits and Ghosts (Audiobook, 2014)
* See also Timothy Green Beckley, Sean Casteel, Brian J. Allan, René Barnett, Hercules Invictus, Ambrose Nobel
F. J. Allen (Frank James Allen), 1854-1942
– The Ruined Mill, or Round Church of The Norsemen, At Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Compared with The Round Church at Cambridge and Others In Europe (booklet, 1921, 2011; offprint from the “Cambridge Antiquarian Society’s Communications”, Volume XXII)
* See also Carl Christian Rafn, 1795-1864
* See also Charles T. Brooks, 1813-1883
* See also F. H. Shelton
* See also Phillip Ainsworth Means, 1892-1944
* See also William S. Godfrey, Jr
Judd F. Allen
–The Royal Seed: Why The Genealogy of Jesus Is Important To You Today (2015)
* The genealogy before Jesus Christ
Marcus Allgood
–What Da Vinci Really Didn’t Want You To Know: The Jesus Conspiracy (foreword by Baron Bell [Timothy Bell, 1941-2019], 2009)
Philip C. Almond
–Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History (2022; New Edition, 2023)
Léopold Álvaro
–The Atlantean Identifier (edited by Michele Doucette, 2016)
* Spiritual commentary presented as speculative fiction
* Chapter 7: The St Clair Link
Gloria Amendola (Gloria Jean Amendola), 1956-2021
–The Tower And The Dream: Awakening To The Call (The Tower Series, Book One) (Novel, 2012)
–The Tower And The Land: Awakening To The Light (The Tower Series, Book Two) (Novel, 2012)
–Mary Magdalene: Revelations From A First Century Avatar (2013)
–Mary Magdalene: Revelations From A First Century Avatar, Volume II (2014; Second Edition, 2020)
–Mary Magdalene: Revelations From A First Century Avatar, Volume III (2014)
–…Magdalene’s Mind…(An Original Play) (2020)
* Gloria Amendola was an intuitive who channelled the spirits of Bérenger Saunière and Marie Dénarnaud and believed the Louis Lawrence tomb at Les Pontils was linked to Atlantis
Joanne Amorosi
–Come Walk With Me: The Remembrances of Mary Magdalene (2017)
* “This story is one that has been remembered and revealed over a period of fifteen years. It is a story that my daughter first began to tell me when she was six years old, and now I can finish myself”
Tori Amos (Myra Ellen Amos), Ann Powers
–Tori Amos: Piece by Piece: A Portrait of The Artist, Her Thoughts, Her Conversations (2006)
* Chapter Two: Mary Magdalene – The Erotic Muse
Onyekwelu Paulinus Anaedu
–The Da Vinci Myth of The Sacred Feminine: An Intercultural-Critical Appraisal (2008)
L. Shannon Andersen
–The Magdalene Awakening (2006; Second Edition entitled The Magdalene Awakening: Symbols & Synchronicity Heralding The Re-Emergence of The Divine Feminine, 2008)
* “…the full message of Jesus must include the female energy of Mary Magdalene”
Earl R. Anderson
–Postmodern Artistry In Medievalist Fiction: An International Study (2018)
* Chapter 4: Intertextuality
Bryan Andrews
–Centre of The Universe: An Imagined History of The Mystery of Rennes-le-Château (Novel, 2019; 2021)
Richard Andrews, Paul Schellenberger
–The Tomb of God: The Body of Jesus and The Solution To A 2,000-Year-Old Mystery (1996; also entitled The Tomb of God: Unlocking The Code To A 2000-Year-Old Mystery, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002)
* Later editions of Tomb of God contained a Leaflet responding to the BBC2 Timewatch documentary “The History of a Mystery” that was shown on 17 September 1996, that discredited the book
* See also Lynne Truss
Jack Angelo
–The Healing Wisdom of Mary Magdalene: Esoteric Secrets of The Fourth Gospel (2015)
Mario Annibaldi
–The Second Tomb: The Buried Truth at Rennes-le-Château (Novel, 2025; published in Italian entitled La Seconda Tomba: La Verità Sepolta a Rennes-le-Château, 2025)
Anonymous
–Biblical Mysteries (edited by CrossReach Publications, 2015)
* The Family of Jesus
Antrustions; Order of Antrustions
–Dagobert II: True Origin of The Royal House of Lorraine. (Merovingian Lineage 1) (2020)
–History of King Dagobert: Son of Saint Sigisbert (2020)
–Legends, Stories and Cities of Lorraine: Discover The Ancient Legends, and Cities of Lorraine and Their Connection To The Merovingian Times (2020)
–Antrustions: The Bodyguard of Merovingian Kings (2020)
–Sigisbert III: Son of Dagobert I Father of Dagobert II (2020)
–Merovingian Crypte of Jouarre: History of The Abbey of Jouarre (2020)
–Knight Templars – The Merovingian Connection: A Sacred Bloodline (2021)
–From Pharamund To Clovis: History of A Sacred Bloodline (2021)
–Et In Arcadia Ego: A Sacred Bloodline (2021)
–Mystery of The Black Madonna: Tools of Creation (2021)
–The Beloved One: The Story of Mary Magdalene & Jesus (2021)
Diana Archer, Dan Brown
–The Da Vinci Code (Connect Bible Studies) (booklet, 2005)
Susan Aronstein (Susan Lynn Aronstein)
* See Nickolas Haydock, E. L. Risden; Editors
* See Kevin J. Harty; Editor
“Arthur”
–The Hotel Hoax and the Wholly Fooled (Jumbled Thoughts of a Fake Geek Boy website, 26 October 2019)
–The Messianic Muddle of Plantard the Pretender (Jumbled Thoughts of a Fake Geek Boy website, 16 June 2021)
Artineraries Tours
–In The Footsteps of Da Vinci – Da Vinci Code Tour (edited by Lisa R. Tucci, MP3 Audio Tour, 2 CD Set, 2007)
Trudy J. Ashplant
–Mary Magdalene: Meditation Script (eBook, 2014)
Gail Ashton; Editor
–Medieval Afterlives In Contemporary Culture (2015)
* Chapter 21: Cory James Rushton, “Twenty-First-Century Templar”
Jim Atkins
–Battle Cry! A Journey Through The “Valley of Shadows” (2005)
* Chapter 10: The Entry Way
Atlantis Rising Magazine (1994-2019)
* See J. Douglas Kenyon, Editor
* See John Chambers
* See Philip Coppens, 1971-2012
* See Ralph Ellis
* See Laurence Gardner, 1943-2010
* See William Henry
* See Cynthia Logan with Margaret Starbird
* See Jeff Nisbet
* See Mark Amaru Pinkham
Lionel Aubrey
–Rennes-le-Château, The Menorah and Acts, The Final Chapter (1990)
James David Audlin
–THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. The Original Version Restored & Translated with Commentaries. Volume One: The Text and an Early History of the Text (2014)
* Page 206: Audlin repeats the Rennes-le-Château contemporary mythological nonsense by Val Wineyard that Sejanus was the father of Pontius Pilate’s wife, Claudia Procula, who “owned an estate near Narbonne”; also citing André Douzet who theorized that “Pilate advized Jesus to flee to this estate and restore his health in the healing waters at Rennes-les-Bains”. Also citing the use of the apocryphal letter attributed to Claudia Procula, that referred to the “land of the Rhedons”, by French authors Louis Pape and Christain Doumergue, who concluded the Celtic tribe of the Rhedons gave the name to Rennes. Audlin also takes Christian Doumergue’s interpretations of the Vindicta Salvatoris seriously that “Tiberius Caesar ordered the construction of the tomb to hold the remains of Jesus” by the village of Thibery.
* Page 207: Audlin also gives credence to nonsensical claims about the Cathars: “Adding considerable gravity to scraps of history and old legends of Jesus, Mary and family to Occitania is the solid historical fact of the Cathars”
–As Love as Fierce as Death: Textual Analyses Suggest That Mary Was Also Placed In The Tomb of Jesus (Put together from several portions of The Gospel of John Restored and Translated, Volume III) (free online PDF, 2018)
Ingrid Auer
–The Symbols of Mary Magdalene and Her Companions. 21 Energized Symbol Cards (circa 2014)
Fiona Avery (Fiona Kai Avery)
–The Crown Rose (Novel, 2005)
* “The Knights Templar, the fate of Mary Magdalene, holy relics of the early church and the Temple of Jerusalem all figure in a lively, credible story”
Adel Awadalla
–The Mystifying “Codes of The Holy Quran”, The Prophecy and The Warnings Shines Through…The Prophecy of World War III (2004)
* Chapter 9: The Conspiracy of The Numbers (“…3+1+8+1 = 13 This is the completion of the sacred geometry of the Priory of Sion…”)
Tracey Ayre
–The Spirit of Mary Magdalene (The Full Script) (Novel, 2005, 2014)
* “The spirit of Mary Magdalene guides a young woman to her secret treasure in the effort of revealing the truth about her life with Jesuss”
Joseph M. Azzarelli, John B. Goods, Timothy M. Swager
-“Study of Two Papyrus Fragments with Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy” (Harvard Theological Review, Volume 107, Issue 2, April 2014, PDF)
Paolo Azzone
–Freud and The Da Vinci Code: Homosexuality, Mourning and The Family In A Blockbuster Novel (2021)
B.C.
-“Bugarach, seul rescapé de la fin du monde!” (L’Indépendant, 30 November, 2010)
Suzzan Babcock
* See “Paul Magdalene”
Jone Bachtell
–Saint Mary Magdalene: The History, Life, And Legacy Of Jesus’s Wife (2021)
Brad Back
–The Secret of Berengur Sauniere and Marie Denarnaud (David Williams Mystery 1921) (2019)
Dr Paul G. Bahn (Paul Gerard Bahn, FSA)
-“The Ruins of A Mystery” (Times Literary Supplement, Number 4591, 29 March, 1991)
* See also Henry Lincoln, 1930-2022
Michael Baigent (Michael Barry Meehan), 1948-2013
–The Jesus Papers: Exposing The Greatest Cover-Up In History (2006)
* Chapter Two: The Priest’s Treasure
* See also Philip Jenkins
* See also Kevin McClure
Michael Baigent (Michael Barry Meehan), 1948-2013, Richard Leigh (Richard Harris Leigh), 1943-2007
-“The Goddess Behind The Mask” (The Unexplained: Mysteries of Mind, Space & Time, Number 6, pages 114-117, 1980)
* The authors claimed on page 117: “..the Black Madonnas represent the Magdalene as much as they do the Virgin – indeed in some ways more so… it might be argued that all Black Madonnas – at least in Christian times – were once deemed to represent Jesus’ companion, rather than his mother”
–The Temple and The Lodge (1989, 1998; foreword by Mitch Horowitz, 2020)
* Chapter 8: Rosslyn
* See also Angela Neustatter
Michael Baigent (Michael Barry Meehan), 1948-2013; Richard Leigh (Richard Harris Leigh), 1943-2007; Henry Lincoln (Henry Soskin), 1930-2022
–The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail (1982; Corgi Paperback, 1983; new introduction, new updates, 1996; additional new updates, 2006; audiobook narrated by Simon Prebble, 2006; Public Domain PDF, 2011; eBook, 2013)
* 1983 US version entitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail
* 1983 French version entitled L’Énigme Sacrée
–The Messianic Legacy (1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2006)
–The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail, Illustrated Edition with Exclusive New Material (2005; also entitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Illustrated Edition: The Secret History of Jesus, The Shocking Legacy of The Grail, 2005)
–The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail Leather Bound Edition (2019)
* Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on Round Spine
* See also Liz Greene
* See also Henry Lincoln
* See also Dan Brown
* See also Hugh Davies
* See also Fortean Times
* See also BookRags
* See also Professor Kenneth Onapolis
* See also Thomas Miller
* See also Jacquetta Bonson
* See also Terry Pesantes
* See also Emily Carter
* See also Ryan Dilling
* See also Elizabeth Holland
* Henry Lincoln wrote and presented three television documentaries on the myth of Rennes-le-Château prior to writing The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail having been inspired by Gérard de Sède’s paperback Le Trésor Maudit de Rennes-le-Château, they were entitled The Lost Treasure of Jerusalem…? (Chronicle, BBC 2, 31 March 1972; a Good Friday; directed by Andrew Maxwell-Hyslop. Originally shown on 12 February 1972, but transmission blacked-out due to a National Strike), The Priest, The Painter And The Devil (Chronicle, BBC 2, 30 October 1974; repeated on 20 November 1979; produced by Roy Davies), and The Shadow Of The Templars (Chronicle, BBC 2, 27 November 1979; produced by Roy Davies)
* The first publication to make use of the “Jesus Christ Bloodline” theory as found in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail was The Dreamer of the Vine: A Novel About Nostradamus by Liz Greene in 1980 (sister of the late Richard Leigh). The first thing Henry Lincoln ever had published about Rennes-le-Château was his essay “The Lost Treasure of Jerusalem…?” published in Chronicle: Essays From Ten Years of Television Archaeology edited by Ray Sutcliffe (1978) – being a potted version of Gérard de Sède’s book, Le Trésor Maudit de Rennes-le-Château that was first published in 1967
Derek Bair
–Discovering Da Vinci’s Daughter (eBook, 2007)
* Looking for hidden meanings in Leonardo’s paintings leads the author to discover the Mona Lisa was the artist’s daughter
Robert Bruce Baird
–Berenguer Sauniere (2005)
–Oak Island: Templars In America (2005)
–Merovingians: Past and Present Masters (2008)
Andrew Baker
–The Shepherdess’ Secret (unpublished MS, 1983)
–Thomas Anson of Shugborough and His World (revised, updated and extended edition, 2025)
B. B. Balthis
–The Priests’ Code (Novel, eBook, 2018)
* “Parchments relating to the time of Christ, and entries written in an old diary…and the hilltop village of Rennes-le-Château, once home to the infamous Abbé Bérenger Saunière and the messages he left behind…”
Richard W. Barber (Richard William Barber)
–The Holy Grail: A Study In Imagination And Belief (2004; also entitled The Holy Grail: The History of a Legend, 2005)
* Part Three, New Grail For Old: Chapter Nineteen – The Grail As Mirror: The Conspiracy Theory of History and The Grail, pages 310-312: “It would take a book as long as the original to refute and dissect ‘The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail’ point by point: it is essentially a text which proceeds by innuendo, not by refutable scholarly debate.”
Dr Angela Barnett
–Mary Magdalene’s Cosmic Bible (2018)
Alden Barr
–The Da Vinci Code: Mysteries Decoded (2024)
David V. Barrett (David Vickers Barrett)
-“City of Secrets” (Fortean Times, Number 226, pp.46-52, August 2007)
-“David V. Barrett replies” (Fortean Times, Number 229, page 73, November 2007; replying to the letter from Andreas Trottmann, Switzerland – it was stated that Patrice Chaplin did not see the dubious letter on pages 135-136 in City of Secrets until 2006; suggesting it was the product of an editor who rewrote the text)
–The Atlas of Secret Societies: The Truth Behind The Templars, Freemasons and Other Mysterious Sects (2008)
* Chapter 10: Opus Dei and The Priory of Sion
-“Rennes-le-Château Hoax” (Fortean Times, Special Creatures of The Night Issue, Number 288, page 24, April 2012)
David V. Barrett (David Vickers Barrett); Editor
–Tales From The Vatican Vaults: 28 Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories Based on An Extraordinary Alternate History (anthology of fiction, introduction by Professor Francis Atterbury, OBE, FRS, dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul, 1978-2010; 2015)
* Published to commemorate the Fifth Anniversary of the Death of Pope John Paul in 2010
* “Saunière’s Secret” by Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe
* “The Mountain Wind” by Patrice Chaplin
Dr Judy Barrett
–A Christian Study Guide For The Da Vinci Code (2013)
Martin Barrett
–The Heretics’ Revenge: The Final Search For The Holy Grail (Novel, 2020)
Valerie Barrow
–Two Soulmates… Walking Through Time & History (introduction by John Barrow, eBook, 2013)
* Chapter 21: Rennes-le-Château and the Valley of God
Robert Barry (Robert Edward Barry)
–The Truth: The Biggest Cover-Up In History (2018)
Jan Barstad
–The Newport Tower Project: An Archaeological Investigation Into The Tower’s Past (free online PDF article, 21 September, 2007)
Sally Bartolameolli
–Blessings From Mary: Daily Sacred Feminine Meditations That Awaken One To Their Divine Purpose Inspired By Mary Magdalene (2010)
Sophie Bashford
–You Are A Goddess: Working With The Sacred Feminine To Awaken, Heal and Transform (2018)
Gary Bate
–Becoming A Christ: A Journey of Self Discovery (illustrations by Karen Pritchard; 2003)
–Inspirational Articles of Wisdom (2009)
* Page 44: Princess Diana – The Real Royalty
Sondra Bateman
–Commit Thy Work (Novel, 2018)
Richard Bauckham (Richard J. Bauckham, FBA, FRSE)
–Assessing The Lost Gospel (Seven-part online PDF critique, 2014)
* See also Simcha Jacobovici, Barrie Wilson
Alain Bauer
–Isaac Newton’s Freemasonry: The Alchemy of Science and Mysticism (preface by Michel Barat, afterword by Roger Dachez, 2007; originally published in France entitled Aux Origines de la Franc-Maçonnerie, Newton et les Newtoniens, 2003)
* Alain Bauer, former Grand Master of the Grand Orient de France 2000-2003, connects Rosslyn Chapel, Henry Sinclair, and the Invisible College to Newton and his role in 17th-century Freemasonry
Conrad Bauer (aka “Terry Pesantes”)
–The Priory of Sion: Hoax, Conspiracy, or Secret Society? (2016; Audiobook narrated by Charles D. Baker, 2016)
* See also “Terry Pesantes”
James BeauSeigneur
–In His Image (Christ Clone Trilogy 1) (Novel, 2003)
* “Cloned from live cells of Jesus Christ found on the Shroud of Turin, Christopher Goodman was born into the most turbulent time in human history”
–Birth of An Age (Christ Clone Trilogy 2) (Novel, 2003)
–Acts of God (Christ Clone Trilogy 3) (Novel, 2004)
Mary Ann Beavis
-“The Cathar Mary Magdalene and The Sacred Feminine: Pop Culture Legend vs. Medieval Doctrine” (Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, Volume 24, Number 3, pp.419-431, Fall 2012)
James Becker
–The First Apostle (Chris Bronson 1) (Novel, 2008)
* “…an ancient inscription on a slab of stone above a fireplace that translates ‘Here Lie the Liars’, clues that go back to the shadowy beginnings of Christianity; to an ancient code inscribed upon a stone; to a chalice decorated with mysterious symbols. And to a deadly conspiracy which will rock the foundations of our modern world if revealed”
–The Moses Stone (Chris Bronson 2) (Novel, 2009)
* “…trail of clues that lead to the deserted caves of Qumran; a mystery rooted in biblical times. For the stone is older and far more dangerous than ever could be imagined”
–The Messiah Secret (Chris Bronson 3) (Novel, 2010)
* “Assessing the contents of a lavish English estate, museum conservator Angela Lewis discovers a crate full of sealed pottery jars – one of which holds a parchment inscribed in Hebrew describing the final resting place of the Messiah”
–The Lost Testament: A Bronson Novel (Chris Bronson 6) (Novel, 2013)
* “What secret does the parchment contain? Is the stolen parchment the one said to contain secrets about the Immaculate Conception?”
–The Lost Treasure of The Templars (Novel, 2015)
* “In a quiet English seaside town, antiquarian bookseller Robin Jessop has acquired an odd medieval volume. What appears to be a book isn’t a book at all, but a cleverly disguised safe, in which she finds a single rolled parchment, written in code”
–The Templar Archive (A Lost Treasure of The Templars Novel) (2016)
* “While trying to decipher what few clues they have managed to recover about the Templar’s secrets, Jessop and Mallory discover that the legendary ‘treasure’ they have been searching for may not be what they thought. Rather than gold or precious jewels, their long-sought prize may, in fact, be something far more valuable….
–The Templar Brotherhood (A Lost Treasure of The Templars Novel) (2017)
* “Robin Jessop and David Mallory crisscross Europe, seeking to unlock the truth behind a conspiracy unresolved for seven hundred years—the mystery of what has given the enigmatic Templars their unwavering power”
–The Last Secret of The Ark (Novel, 2020)
* Chapter 38: Rennes-le-Château, Aude, France
Timothy Green Beckley, 1947-2021; Sean Casteel, Brian J. Allan, René Barnett, Hercules Invictus, Ambrose Nobel
–Hidden Treasures of The Knights Templar: Secrets of Rennes-Les-Chateau, Rosslyn Chapel, Oak Island and The Masonic Order (2017)
* See also Brian J. Allen
* See also Bruce Burgess, René Barnett, Robert Howells
Melvin E. Becraft
–Epilogues II-XXIII: Picasso’s Guernica – Images Within Images (Second Edition 2001; First Edition entitled Picasso’s Guernica: Images Within Images, 1981, 1986)
* Epilogue XI (addendum) dated 17 February 1997
John Bedford
–The Holy Grail of Holy Grail Theories (2014)
* Chapter 17: Shugborough Hall
Ean Begg (Ean Cochrane MacInnes Begg), 1929-2018
–The Cult of The Black Virgin (1985; Updated Edition, 1989; Revised & Enlarged Edition, 1996; New Edition, 2006, 2015; eBook, 2011)
* The Black Madonna as Mary Magdalene
* See also Elinor W. Gadon, 1925-2018
* See also Gert Muller
* See also Toni G. Boehm
Ean Begg (Ean Cochrane MacInnes Begg), 1929-2018; Deike Begg (née Deike Rich)
–In Search of The Holy Grail and The Precious Blood: A Traveller’s Guide (foreword by Michael Baigent [Michael Barry Meehan, 1948-2013], includes photographs by Jennifer Begg, 1995, New Edition 2008)
* Page 72: Rennes-le-Château (“The symbolic decoration of the church, unique and bizarre…”)
Richard Belfield
–The Six Unsolved Ciphers: Inside The Mysterious Codes That Have Confounded The World’s Greatest Cryptographers (2007)
* Chapter Four: Shugborough – The Shepherd’s Monument
Shirley Bell
–The Da Vinci Code: The Background Explained (2008)
Jeff Bellanger
–Weird Massachusetts: Your Travel Guide To Massachusetts’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (foreword by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, 2008)
* Pages 40-41: The Westford Knight
Lesa Bellevie
–The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Mary Magdalene (2005)
* Chapter 19: The Holy Grail – The Bloodline Theory
C. T. Benedict (Dr Canute Thavaseelan Benedict)
–One God In One Man: A Book To Dispel The Speculations and Blasphemies Featured In Dan Brown’s The “Da Vinci Code” (2007)
Mark Bennett
-“The Da Vinci Code” (Fortean Times, Number 176, page 60, Special Conspiracy Issue, December 2003)
Nicholas Bennett (Dr Nicholas Bennett); Editor
–The Da Vinci Code at Lincoln: Engaging With The Issues (Honywood Papers 6) (lectures given in the Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral, May-July 2006; Lincoln Cathedral Library, 2006)
* See also Dan Green
Joseph Bérenger (canon of Marseille et d’Ajaccio)
–Did Mary Magdalene Visit Provence? An Examination of The Literary and Archaeological Evidence For St Mary Magdalene’s Presence In South-Eastern France (2015; originally published in France entitled Sainte Marie-Madeleine en Provence, 1925)
Shannon Van Den Berg, et al
–Magdalene Codes: Divine Feminine Frequency Keepers Who Liberate and Disrupt (Ten authors altogether, 2022)
Robert F. Berkhofer III, Alan Cooper, Adam J. Kosto (Editors)
–The Experience of Power In Medieval Europe, 950-1350 (2005)
* Chapter Eight: “Inheritance of Power In The House of Guifred The Hairy – Contemporary Perspectives On The Formation of A Dynasty” by Nathaniel L. Taylor (Nathaniel Lane Taylor)
Charles Berlitz (Charles Frambach Berlitz), 1913-2003
–Charles Berlitz’s World of Strange Phenomena (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995)
* A Cathar Priest
Pierre Berloquin
–Hidden Codes & Grand Designs: Secret Languages From Ancient Times To Modern Day (2008)
* Chapter 6: Homophones and Vigenère (The Priory of Sion)
Álvaro Bermejo (Álvaro Bermejo Marcos)
–Legends of The Temple: The Black Virgins, The Baphomet, The Treasure of The Templars and The Enigma of The Priory of Sion (eBook, 2013; originally published in Spanish entitled Leyendas del Temple, 2011)
Andrew Bernhard
-“How The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife Might Have Been Forged: A Tentative Proposal” (online text, academia.edu, preliminary draft, 11 October, 2012)
-“The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife: Textual Evidence of Modern Forgery” (New Testament Studies, Volume 61, Issue 3, pp. 335-355, July 2015)
* See also Karen L. King
* See also Ariel Sabar
* See also Simon Gathercole
* See also Christopher Jones
* See also Myriam Krutzsch, Ira Rabin
* See also Jerry Pattengale
* See also Gesine Schenke Robinson
* See also Francis Watson
Francine Bernier (with collaboration from Éric Caire and John Koopmans)
–The Templars’ Legacy In Montreal, The New Jerusalem (2002)
Itamar Bernstein
–The Bone Box (Novel, 2006)
* Novel premised on the Talpiot Tomb
* See also Simcha Jacobovici, Charles Pellegrino
* See also Kathy Reichs
* See also Irving Wallace, 1916-1990
* See also Guy Thorne, 1875-1923
* See also D. H. Lawrence, 1885-1930
* See also Richard Ben Sapir, 1936-1987
* See also Piers Paul Read
* See also Paul L. Maier
* See also Kevin Bowen
* See also James H. Charlesworth, Editor
Peter W. Bernstein, Annalyn Swan; Editors
–Secrets Of The Da Vinci Code: The Unauthorised Guide To The Bestselling Novel, Collector’s Edition (US News & World Report, 2004)
–Secrets of The Da Vinci Code: The Unauthorised Guide To The Bestselling Novel. Special Movie Edition (US News & World Report, 2006)
Judith Bernstock (Judith Eleanor Bernstock)
–Poussin and French Dynastic Ideology (2000)
* “Goya, Burial of the Sardine, 1816”
* Judith Bernstock was Associate Professor of Art History at Cornell University
Steve Berry (Stephen L. Berry)
–The Templar Legacy: A Novel (Cotton Malone Novel 1) (maps by David Lindroth, 2006; Abridged Audiobook narrated by Brian Corrigan, 2007)
* “Cotton Malone stumbles upon a fervid subculture searching for the Great Devise, an ancient Templar archive that supposedly disproves the Resurrection and demolishes traditional Christian dogma”
–The Alexandria Link: A Novel (Cotton Malone Novel 2) (2007; Audiobook narrated by Scott Brick, 2007)
–The Jefferson Key: A Novel (Cotton Malone Novel) (includes bonus short story “The Devil’s Gold”, 2011; Audiobook narrated by Scott Brick, 2011)
Jos Bertaulet (Joseph Thijs), died 1996
–De verloren koning en de bronnen van de graallegende: speurtocht in Notre-Dame-de-Marceille, een geheim oord in de geschiedenis van Frankrijk (“The Lost King and The Sources of The Grail Legend, Treasure Hunt in Notre-Dame-de-Marceille, Secret Place in The History of France”) (Dutch Novel, 1991)
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone)
* See Robert Mickens
* See Stephen J. Mexal
Azra Bertrand, Seren Bertrand
–Womb Awakening: Initiatory Wisdom From The Creatrix of All Life (foreword by Linda Star Wolf, 2017)
* Chapter 8:a.i. “Awakening The Magdalene Womb”
* See also Seren Bertrand, Azra Bertrand
Seren Bertrand
–Spirit Weaver: Wisdom Teachings From The Feminine Path of Magic (2022)
Seren Bertrand, Azra Bertrand
–Magdalene Mysteries: The Left-Hand Path of The Feminine Christ (2020, 2023)
* See also Azra Bertrand, Seren Bertrand
James A. Beverley
–Counterfeit Code: Answering The Da Vinci Code Heresies (2005)
Connie Bickman
–The Touchstone Diary, Book One: “The Red Thread” (Novel, 2012)
* “Miyah Sinclair is of the bloodline of Joshua and Maryum; sharing secrets contained in an ancient diary”
–The Touchstone Diary, Book Two: “Bloodlines and Promises” (Novel, 2012)
* “Miyah Sinclair imparts the contents of the diary to her daughter Morgan, who travels back in time to meet her ancestors”
–The Touchstone Diary: Book I and Book II in one volume (2013)
Bettina Bildhauer (Bettina M. Bildhauer)
–Filming The Middle Ages (2011)
* Chapter 6: Detecting The Middle Ages – The Da Vinci Code, A Canterbury Tale, The Name of The Rose
Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Editor
–She Is Everywhere! An Anthology of Writing in Womanist/Feminist Spirituality (2005)
* Pages 252-259: ‘The Black Madonna: Primordial Ancestress’ by Deborah Rose
* Pages 260-271: “The Black Madonnas In My Life” by Necia Harkless
* Pages 378-389: “Magdalene Mass” by Mari Pat Ziolkowski
Arthur H. Bishop
–Jesus and Mary Magdalene and Their Journey Together (2016)
John Bizzack
–Discovering Freemasonry In Context: The Laboratory of Modern Science (2012)
* Chapter 15: The Knights Templar – When Facts Get In The Way of A Good Story
Black Madonna
* See William Sharp, 1855-1905
* See Michael Baigent, 1948-2013, Richard Leigh, 1943-2007
* See Ean Begg, 1929-2018
* See Toni G. Boehm
* See Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Editor
* See Janet Brennan
* See Elinor W. Gadon, 1925-2018
* See Gert Muller
* See Paula Gott
Evan Blackmoor
–The Da Vinci Legacy (Novel, 2025)
* The only connection with the subject-matter lies in its title
–The Spiral Codex: A Thriller of Rennes-le-Château (Novel, 2025)
Annie Sipp Blackwell
–Beyond Intimacy With Yahushua, Jesus Christ: Full Disclosure of My Fiery Trials To Be His Wife. My True Testimony (2017)
* “Records the supernatural experiences that the author went through from February 2013 to September 2013”
–The Holy Spirit Is A Woman: The Son and Daughter of God (2020)
–Dreams and Visions About The Bride of Christ: The Bride’s Personal Encounters with The Bridegroom (2020)
–Jesus’s Intimate Encounters with His Bride: Dreams and Visions From The Bridegroom To His Bride (2020)
–The Bride of Christ Is God: The Nature of God and The Nature of Man (2020)
–The Revelation 12: Woman Is The Holy Spirit: Pregnant with Jesus’s Son (2020)
–The Many Faces of The Holy Spirit: God The Father Has A Son and A Daughter (2020)
* Author attended Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore, Maryland, and received a double master in Technical Project Management
“Adam Blake” (possibly Mark Billingham)
–The Dead Sea Deception (Novel, 2011)
* “Hidden in The Dead Sea Scrolls: The secret of how Christ really died”
Peter Blake, Paul S. Blezard
–The Arcadian Cipher: The Quest To Crack The Code of Christianity’s Greatest Secret (2001)
* Epilogue: “What I had discovered however was a place which was not meant to exist. A place that the centuries were meant to have covered up”
Benjamin Blech, Roy Doliner
–The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages In The Heart of The Vatican (foreword by Enrico Bruschini; 2008; also entitled The Sistine Secrets: Unlocking The Codes In Michelangelo’s Defiant Masterpiece, 2008)
Renée Blodgett, Anthony Compagnone
–Magdalene’s Journey: The Untold Story of Mary Magdalene’s Life & Teachings (2025)
James J. Bloom
–The Imaginary Sea Voyage: Sailing Away in Literature, Legend and Lore (2013)
* Chapter Six: From Leif to Christopher – Apocryphal Voyages From The Norse Discoveries To Columbus
“Blueflame”
–Mary Magdalene: Her Story (2018)
* “Blueflame received Mary Magdalene’s story in a series of dreams while healing from a car accident”
Christopher James Blythe
–Was Jesus Married? (2022; originally published in BYU Studies 60, Number 3, pages 75-84, 2021)
Kenneth Boa, John Alan Turner
–The Gospel According To The Da Vinci Code: The Truth Behind The Writings of Dan Brown (2006)
Darrell L. Bock (Darrell Lane Bock)
–Breaking The Da Vinci Code: Answering The Questions Everybody’s Asking (foreword by Professor Francis J. Moloney; 2004)
Darrell L. Bock, Daniel B. Wallace (Daniel Baird Wallace)
–Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture’s Quest To Unseat The Biblical Christ (2007)
* CLAIM SIX: Jesus’ Tomb has been Found, and His Resurrection and Ascension Did Not Involve A Physical Departure
Markus Bockmuehl (Markus Nikolaus Andreas Bockmuehl)
–Ancient Apocryphal Gospels (INTERPRETATION Resources For The Use of Scripture In The Church) (2017)
* Chapter 1: Gospels of The Original Jesus, Suppressed by an Authoritarian Church?
Toni G. Boehm
–Luminous Darkness: The Gateway To Understanding Opposites as Complements (2004)
* Chapter Two: Mary Magdalene and the Black Madonna
Esther De Boer (Esther Adelheid De Boer), 1959-2010
–Mary Magdalene: Beyond The Myth (1997; originally published in Dutch entitled Maria Magdalena: de mythe voorbij, op zoek naar wie zij werkelijk is, 1996)
–The Gospel of Mary: Beyond A Gnostic And A Biblical Mary Magdalene (2004; also entitled The Gospel of Mary: Listening To The Beloved Disciple, 2005)
–The Mary Magdalene Cover-Up: The Sources Behind The Myth (2007; slightly Revised Edition of the original Dutch Edition, De geliefde discipel: Vroegchristelijke teksten over Maria Magdalena, 2006)
* See also Marvin Meyer, 1948-2012; with Esther De Boer
Erma Boevers
–Saint Mary Magdalene: The History, Life, And Legacy Of Jesus’s Wife (2021)
Gideon Bohak
–Joseph and Aseneth and The Jewish Temple In Heliopolis (Early Judaism & Its Literature 10) (1996, 2009)
* See also Simcha Jacobovici, Barrie Wilson
Charles Michael Boland, 1931-2012
–They All Discovered America (1961, 1963)
* Chapter 18: Prince Henry Sinclair and The Brothers Zeno
Lorina Bolig
–Ancestors Of “Elvis Aaron Presley” – 50 Generations – The Unofficial Genealogy (2007)
* “…Frimutel of Septimania (Duke of Provence) DESPOSYNI Grail-King/Fisher-King Line and Unknown, was born 370…”
Jacquetta Bonson
–The Secret Of Sion: Jesus’s Stargate (2022)
Milica Z. Bookman (Milika Zarkovic Bookman)
–Economics in Film and Fiction (2008)
* Part II: Microeconomic Topics – Chapter 11: Costs – ‘The Da Vinci Code’
BookRags
–Lesson Plan: Holy Blood, Holy Grail (English Edition) (2012)
–The Da Vinci Code Study Guide (downloadable file, 2017)
* See also SparkNotes
Kerry Ross Boren, Lisa Lee Boren
–Following The Ark of The Covenant: The Story of The Most Sought-After Artifact In The World – Revealing Its Possible Final Resting Place (2000)
* Chapter 5: The Knights Templar;
* Chapter 6: The Rosslyn Sinclairs;
* Chapter 9: The Westford Knight
Emery Borka
–Steve Santa And The Secret Of The Last Parfait (Novel, 2011)
* “Steve and Ping leave immediately for Paris, Rennes-le-Château, Carcassonne and finally to Toulouse where they find the sky view on the wall of the Saint Sernin Basilica. They follow the clues one by one in the south of France until the treasure is found”
Joan Borysenko
–A Woman’s Journey To God (2001)
* Chapter Seven: Voices of Our Ancestors, Reclaiming Women’s Religious Stories – Jesus and Mary Magdalene, A Heretical Love Story; Jesus and Mary: Partners in the Hieros Gamos
Henri Boudet (Abbé Jean-Jacques Henri Boudet), 1837-1915
–The True Celtic Language and The Stone Circle of Rennes-les-Bains (map in the book is signed Edmond Boudet [1840-1907]; introduction by Gérard de Sède [1921-2004], 2008; originally published in France entitled La Vraie Langue Celtique et le Cromleck de Rennes-les-Bains, 1886)
* Pointless translation of Boudet’s book: another “primordial language” book
Claude Boumendil, died 1 August 2025; Gilbert Tappa, 1927-2016
–Rennes-le-Château: The Church (sold together with the French version entitled «Tu le vaincras…», 1983)
Cynthia Bourgeault (Reverend Cynthia Bourgeault)
–The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering The Woman at The Heart of Christianity (2010)
* Chapter 2: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar; Chapter 16: Why France?
“Sam Bourne” (Jonathan Freedland, journalist, The Guardian newspaper)
–The Righteous Men (Novel, 2006; Audiobook narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, 2006)
* “The killing of 36 ‘Righteous Men’ by The Church of The Reborn Jesus will bring about The Second Coming”
–The Last Testament (Novel, 2007; Audiobook narrated by Aoife McMahon, 2007)
* “Maggie Costello leads the quest for and meaning of an old stone tablet that may or may not reveal the solution to the clash of civilisations”
Kevin Bowen
–Wil’s Bones (Novel, 2000; abridged audiocassette narrated by Mike Kellogg, 2002)
–Wil’s Bones and Wil’s Bones Discussion Guide: A Tool For Christian Reading Groups (Two Volumes, 2003)
* “Archaeologist Wil Wilson turns the world upside down when he discovers the bones of Jesus”
* See also Itamar Bernstein
* See also Simcha Jacobovici, Charles Pellegrino
* See also Kathy Reichs
* See also Guy Thorne, 1875-1923
* See also Richard Ben Sapir, 1936-1987
* See also James H. Charlesworth, Editor
* See also Paul L. Maier
Pamella Bowen
–Magdalena’s Demons: A Mystical Romance (2021)
Bradley Bowers, Editor
–The Da Vinci Code In The Academy (2007)
Collin Robert Bowling
–A New Order of The Ages: A Metaphysical Blueprint of Reality and an Exposé on Powerful Reptilian/Aryan Bloodlines. Volume 1 (2011)
–A New Order of The Ages: A Metaphysical Blueprint of Reality and an Exposé on Powerful Reptilian/Aryan Bloodlines. Volume 2 (2011)
* Page 117: “In 2,200 B.C.E. when Marduk confiscated Nibiru, the Royal Court of the Dragon was founded by the priests of Mendes, and this cortege continues today existing as the Imperial and Royal Court of the Dragon Sovereignty. Courts like these were used as way stations for bloodline members to operate through”
Michael Vincent Boyer, 1957-2013
–The Hollywood Culture War: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You! (2008)
* Chapter 22: Decoding Da Vinci’s Fiction
Wencke Johanne Braathen
–Rituals In Sacred Stone: Mary Magdalene’s Message of Self Empowerment (Novel, 2013)
–Secrets In Sacred Stone (in preparation, sequel to Rituals In Sacred Stone)
Michael Anderson Bradley (pen name: Michael de Sackville), 1944-2017
–The Columbus Conspiracy: An Investigation Into The Secret History of Christopher Columbus (introduction by John Henrik Clarke [1915-1998]; 1992, 2011)
–Grail Knights of North America: On The Trail of The Grail Legacy In Canada and The United States (Holy Grail Trilogy 2) (1998)
–The Secret Societies Handbook – The Truth Behind the World’s Most Sinister Secret Brotherhoods Including: Illuminati, Priory of Sion, Opus Dei (2005)
–The Magdalene Mandala: A Novel (2006)
–The Secrets of The Freemasons (2008)
Michael Anderson Bradley (pen name: Michael de Sackville), 1944-2017; Joëlle Lauriol (Joëlle L’Auriol)
–Swords at Sunset: The Last Stand of The Grail Knights of North America, 1450-1587 (Holy Grail Trilogy 3) (foreword by John Robert Colombo, afterword by publisher Michael B. Davie, 2004)
Michael Anderson Bradley (pen name: Michael de Sackville), 1944-2017; Ted Streuli
–Guide To The World’s Greatest Treasures (2008)
Michael Anderson Bradley (pen name: Michael de Sackville), 1944-2017; Deanna Theilmann-Bean
–Holy Grail Across The Atlantic: The Secret History of Canadian Discovery and Exploration (Holy Grail Trilogy 1) (foreword by John Robert Colombo; 1988)
William Bramley
–Jesus Goes To Hollywood: The Alternative Theories About Christ (2005)
* Chapter 16: Husband and Father – Options
B. Lynn Brant
–Newport Tower: Unsettled History (eBook, 2013)
–Far To The West of Vinland (eBook, 2013)
–Kensington: The Story and The Stone (eBook, 2014)
L. A. Braun
–Rebus In The Rosslyn Chapel: Da Vinci’s REAL Hidden Secrets (2015)
Kristina Brazil
–Why Jesus Is The Only Way To God (2009)
* Chapter 5: How Satan Has Been Successful
Cynthia Breeding
–My Noble Knight (Zebra Historical Romance) (Novel, 2007)
* “Daughter of a high priestess of the bloodline of Mary Magdalene, Deidre of the Languedoc sets out in search of the Philosopher’s Stone which an old magician stole from its shrine, leaving in its place a book about some place called Camelot.”
Janet Brennan
-“The Mysterious Black Madonnas” (in Jean Marie Stine [editor], The Fate Book of Strange True Encounters & Unearthly Experiences, 2017)
Thomas Brezina (Thomas Conrad Brezina)
–Who Can Crack The Leonardo Da Vinci Code? The Museum of Adventure (Children’s book, illustrated by Laurence Sartin, 2005)
Simon Brighton
–In Search of The Knights Templar: A Guide To The Sites In Britain (2006)
* Uncritically accepts that Henry Sinclair (Rosslyn) “travelled to America”.
Simon Brighton, Terry Welbourn
–Echoes of The Goddess: A Quest For The Sacred Feminine In The British Landscape (2010)
* Chapter 10: The Christianised Goddess
* See also Terry Welbourn
Frances Brignardello
–Mary of Magdala: The Wife of Jesus? (eBook, 2014)
Mike Briley
–The Well (Novel, 2008)
* “Some people think that Jesus is buried in the Pyrenees at a place called Rennes-le-Château”
Jean Brittain
–Hugh Kennedy of Ardstinchar: Joan of Arc’s Scottish Captain (foreword by James Brown, 2012)
Ann Graham Brock
–Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle: The Struggle For Authority (Harvard Theological Studies 51) (2003)
Malcolm Brocklehurst (Malcolm Biggles Brocklehurst; also known as “Majinka”)
–The Secret History of Christianity: How The Church Exploited The Myth of Christ (2008; eBook, 2013)
James F. Broderick, Darren W. Miller
–Web Of Conspiracy: A Guide To Conspiracy Theory Sites On The Internet (2008)
* Chapter 7: The Jesus Controversy
David S. Brody
–Cabal of The Westford Knight: Templars At The Newport Tower (Templars In America 1) (Novel, 2009)
* This Novel inspired the 2013 film The American Templars, directed by Michael Carr (American Templars Productions LLC)
–Thief on The Cross: Templar Secrets In America (Templars In America 2) (Novel, 2012)
–Powdered Gold: Templars and The American Ark of The Covenant (Templars In America 3) (Novel, 2013)
–The Oath of Nimrod: Giants, MK-Ultra and The Smithsonian Coverup (Templars In America 4) (Novel, 2014)
–The Isaac Question: Templars and The Secret of The Old Testament (Templars In America 5) (Novel, 2015)
–Echoes of Atlantis: Crones, Templars and The Lost Continent (Templars In America 6) (Novel, 2016)
–The Cult of Venus: Templars and The Ancient Goddess (Templars In America 7) (Novel, 2017)
–The Swagger Sword: Templars, Columbus and The Vatican Cover-Up (Templars In America 8) (Novel, In Memory of Zena Halpern [1930-2018], 2018)
–Treasure Templari: Templars, Nazis and The Holy Grail (Templars In America 9) (Novel, 2019)
–Watchtower of Turtle Island: Templars and The Antichrist (Templars In America 10) (Novel, 2020)
–Romerica: A Novel. Roman Artifacts In America (Templars In America 11) (Novel, 2020)
–The Pillars of Enoch: Templars and The Melungeon Legacy (Templars In America 12) (Novel, 2021)
–Sheba’s Revenge: Oak Island and The Templar Treasure (Templars In America 13) (Novel, 2021)
–The Serpent Oracle: Templars, Mormons and The Lilith Legacy (Templars In America 14) (Novel, 2022)
–The Solomon Sigil: Templars and The Shamir (Templars In America 15) (Novel, 2022)
* David S. Brody is the chairman of The Westford Knight Committee
* See also Anne Stine Ingstad, 1918-1997
David S. Brody, Kimberly A. Scott
–One Nation Under John: Templars and John The Baptist (Templars In America 16) (Novel, 2023)
–The Rosy Cross: Templar Quest For Immortality (Templars In America 17) (Novel, 2023)
–The Ossuary: Kabbalah and The Templar Legacy (Templars In America 18) (Novel, 2024)
–The Essex Junta: Newburyport and The 3 World Wars (Templars In America 19) (Novel, 2024)
–Templar Lies: AI and The Lost Treasure (Templars In America 20) (Novel, 2025)
“Charles Brokaw” (pseudonym)
–The Lucifer Code (Thomas Lourds #2) (Novel, 2010)
–The Temple Mount Code (Thomas Lourds #3) (Novel, 2011)
Charles T. Brooks (Reverend Charles Timothy Brooks), 1813-1883
– The Old Stone Mill at Newport, R. I. (booklet. 1851)
* Appendix has a transcript of the 1677 Will of Benedict Arnold [1741-1801, first colonial governor of Rhode Island], who mentioned “my stone built Wind Mill”
* See also Carl Christian Rafn, 1795-1864
* See also F. J. Allen, 1854-1942
* See also F. H. Shelton
* See also Phillip Ainsworth Means, 1892-1944
* See also William S. Godfrey, Jr
“Brother Davos”
–Ethics and Justice In The Priory of Sion (introduction and conclusion by Marco Rigamonti, 2022; originally published in Italian entitled Il Priorato di Sion presenta: L’Etica E La Giustizia Nel Priorato Di Sion, 2021)
Guillaume Brouillard
–Discovering The Keystone, Solving The Riddle of The Red Serpent After 40 Years (2009)
Cedric Brown
–The Mystery of The 4th Century Papyrus Unravelled and De-Mystified: The Marital Status of Jesus Christ (2014)
* See also Karen L. King
Dan Brown (Daniel Gerhard “Dan” Brown)
–The Da Vinci Code: A Novel (2003; Audiobook narrated by Paul Michael, 2003; Tenth Anniversary Edition 2013; Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition 2013; Abridged Edition, 2016)
* “The body of Mary Magdalene, wife of Jesus Christ, lies beneath the pyramid of The Louvre; Sophie Neveu is a descendant of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene”
–The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition (2006)
–The Da Vinci Code (The Young Adult Adaptation) (2016; also available as Audio CD – Audiobook, read by Paul Michael, 2016)
* See also Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
* See also Michael Baigent, 1948-2013; Richard Leigh, 1943-2007; Henry Lincoln, 1930-2022
* See also Robert Mickens
* See also Daniel Schorn
* See also Lewis Perdue
* See also Hugh Davies
* See also BookRags
* See also SparkNotes
* See also Stefano Calabrese, Roberto Ros
* The Da Vinci Code Novel stayed at Number One in the UK Bestsellers List for 46 weeks and was adapted into a Film starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, released on 19 May 2006 (Columbia Pictures/Imagine Entertainment). It slipped out of the Top Fifty books in the UK on August 2006
* Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code was republished as a paperback in the UK in May 2006 upon the Film’s release with a different cover and temporarily billed as the original uncut version available until 4 June.
* The Da Vinci Code DVD Complete Box Set with Metal Cryptex was released on 16 October 2006.
* Named WH Smith Book of the Year at the 16th annual British Book Awards on 20 April 2005
* Lewis Perdue, author of the Novel The Da Vinci Legacy (1983) unsuccessfully sued Dan Brown over Plagiarism – on 4 August 2005 U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels ruled that The Da Vinci Code was “simply a different story”
* Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh co-authors of The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail (1982) unsuccessfully sued Dan Brown over Plagiarism in 2006, also losing their Appeal in 2007
* See also Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
* See also Michael Baigent, 1948-2013; Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln
* See also Robert Mickens
* See also Daniel Schorn
Dan Brown (attributed to)
–The Da Vinci Code Travel Journal: Based on The Novel by Dan Brown (2006)
Dan Brown Biographies
* See D. M. Brown
* See Jeff Dunn, Craig Bubeck
* See John Helfers, Editor
* See Lisa Rogak
* See Graham A. Thomas
D. M. Brown
–Dan Brown’s Road To Success: An Unauthorized Biography of The Creator of The Da Vinci Code (2005)
Dan Nathaniel Brown, Editor
–Beyond Da Vinci Code: Toward The Social Rejuvenation of Humankind, Understanding The Prevailing Capitalism As A Cult of Anti-Christianity, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (2006)
–Beyond Da Vinci Code: Global Warming, The War on Terrorism and The Disciples of The Anti-Christ: Part 4 (2006)
Gary Brown
–The Ultimate Conspiracy Guide: Ever Get The Feeling You’ve Been Cheated? (edited by Jez Gayden, foreword by Adrian Gilbert, 2011; 2016)
* Pages 217-223: 17th January, The Priory of Sion and St Sulpice;
* Page 234: ‘PS’ Princess Sophie, Pistis Sophie, Priory of Sion
Geo W. Brown, M. D. (George Washington Brown), 1820-1915
–The Teachings of Jesus: Not Adapted To Modern Civilization; With The True Character of Mary Magdalene (booklet, 1891; Revised & Enlarged Second Edition, 1892; Third Revised & Enlarged Edition, 1902; CD-Rom, 2015; Facsimile Revised & Enlarged 1892 Edition, 2017)
Hazel Brown
–Prince Henry St Clair, Earl of Orkney (children’s book, illustrated by Hazel Brown & Kent Hesselbein, 2012)
Ian Brown (Reverend Ian Brown)
–The Da Vince Code Errata: Exposing The Errors (2006)
Jerry B. Brown, Julie M. Brown
–The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens In Christianity (2016)
* Chapter 1: “Green Man of Rosslyn Chapel”
* Chapter 9: “Down The Rabbit Hole: Rennes-le-Château – 1891”
Mark Brown
–David Shrigley Turns 6,000 The Da Vinci Code Novels Into Nineteen Eighty-Four (The Guardian, 26 October 2023)
* “A total of 1,250 editions of Nineteen Eighty-Four have been made from the unwanted copies of The Da Vinci Code. In Swansea they will cost £495 for the first 250 customers. The remaining thousand will be sold for £795 on Shrigley’s website”
P. Brown
–The Da Vinci Code Summarized For Busy People (2014)
Stephen Brown
–The Marketing Code (Spoof Novel of The Da Vinci Code, 2006, 2008)
* Quote from Chapter One: “The Da Vinci Code, with its arcane amalgam of esoteric symbology and cranky conspiracy theory, attractively wrapped up in a thrill-a-minute detective story, pressed all the right buttons. Better yet was Brown’s post-publication withdrawal from public life. His refusal to give interviews, save in exceptional circumstances, and his ‘strictly no comment’ stance served only to ramp up interest in the increasingly intriguing author. As J. D. Salinger, Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo remind us, there’s nothing more newsworthy than a newswary celebrity.”
* Other Stephen Brown spoofs of Dan Brown’s Novels include Agents and Dealers (2008) and The Lost Logo (2009)
Stephen Brown; Editor
–Consuming Books: The Marketing and Consumption of Literature (Routledge Interpretive Marketing Research) (2004, 2006)
* Chapter Five: “Culture Club: Marketing and Consuming The Da Vinci Code” by Kent Drummond
Ian Browne
–The Da Vinci Mole: A Philosophical Parody (2006)
Sylvia Browne (Sylvia Celeste Shoemaker), 1936-2013
–Secrets & Mysteries of The World (2005)
–The Mystical Life of Jesus: An Uncommon Perspective on The Life of Christ (2006)
–The Two Marys: The Hidden History of The Mother and Wife of Jesus (2007)
–Secret Societies…and How They Affect Our Lives Today (2007)
* Chapter 9: The Priory of Sion
Duncan A. Bruce
–The Mark of The Scots: Their Astonishing Contributions To History, Science, Democracy, Literature (foreword by Lord Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine, KT; 1996, 1998, 2000)
* Chapter Two: The Exploring Scots
–The Scottish 100: Portraits of History’s Most Influential Scots (2000, 2002)
* Exploration: Henry Sinclair
Petra M. Brussen, Anna Vanickovn; Scribed by Katherine Newburgh
–Mary Magdalene’s Great Passage: Journey Into The New Earth (2021)
Robert Brydon, 1930-2014
–Rosslyn: A History of The Guilds, The Masons and The Rosy Cross (Rosslyn Chapel Trust) (booklet, 1994)
–Rosslyn and The Western Mystery Tradition. Series 1 (booklet, 2003)
Joshua Buckley, Michael Moynihan, Editors
–TYR Myth-Culture-Tradition Volume 3 (2006)
* Chapter Eight: Code of Blood – Counterfeits of Tradition from ‘The Spear of Destiny’ to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ by Stephen Edred Flowers
Lorenzo Fernandez Bueno, Mariano Fernandez Urresti
–Keys To The Da Vinci Code: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus and Other Mysteries (2006, 2010, 2014; published in Spanish entitled Las Claves del Código Da Vinci: La Estirpe Secreta de Jesús y Otros Misterios, 2006)
Vicky Buffery
-“French Village Seen At Threat From Apocalypse Sects” (Paris, Reuters, 15 June 2011)
Bugarach 2012 Apocalypse
* The Mayan Prophecy of 2012 (b’ak’tun 13) was first popularised by mainstream academic archaelogists (Robert J. Sharer 1940-2012, Michael D. Coe, 1929-2019), before being developed into New Age Apocalypse (by authors José Argüelles, 1939-2011, Terence McKenna, 1946-2000, John Major Jenkins, 1964-2017)
* Bugarach became the site of the refuge from the “Mayan Apocalypse” by 2010 – New Age groups settling there included the Ramtha movement and Raelians (the idea having been inspired by the title of Elizabeth Van Buren’s book about Rennes-le-Château, Refuge of The Apocalypse).
* The announcement concerning “Le «millésime 2012» d’une fin du monde” at Bugarach was reported in the MIVILUDES Annual Report 2010, pages 95-96; 260.
* When the Apocalypse did not happen in 2012, its date was later revised to 2027 (L’Indépendant, 4 July 2019)
* See Arnaud Esquerre
* See Véronique Campion-Vincent
* See Thomas Gottin
* See Vicky Buffery
* See Anqelique Chrisafis
* See Cyril Hofstein
* See Henry Samuel
* See B.C.
* See Jérôme Schrepf
Bruno Antonio Buike
-“Rennes-le-Chateau: These Rehabilitation Abbé Saunière” (online article, Humanities Commons, 2017)
Duncan Jolyon Burden
–Maranatha: Et In Arcadia Ego (The Maranatha Treasure Hunt) (2005)
–Maranatha: Et In Arcadia Ego (The Maranatha Treasure Hunt) (Second Edition 2009 credited to ‘Time Monk’)
* Alleged Treasure Hunt challenge offering a Prize of One Million Dollars – those behind the project seriously thought marketing it would arouse enough interest to generate net profits of 5 million in the first 10 months
* The “treasure” was a fabrication partly incorporating the long-discredited myths of Rennes-le-Château and the Priory of Sion – the initial 2005 “puzzle-without-a-solution” was later rebooted in 2009 under the name of ‘Time Monk’
-“Exploring A Masonic Solution To The Mystery of Rennes-le-Château” (The Heretic Magazine #5, April 2014)
* See also Jenny Kile
Duncan Jolyon Burden, Editor
–Maranatha: Et In Arcadia Ego – The Companion (Maranatha Treasure Hunt Series) (2006)
Anthony Burgess (John Anthony Burgess Wilson, FRSL), 1917-1993
-“A Mystic Drop Too Much” (The Observer, 17 January 1982)
Bruce Burgess, René Barnett, Robert Howells (Robert Earle Howells); Compilers
–The Priory of Sion Dossiers (foreword by Nicolas Haywood, 2008)
* Doctored version of Les Dossiers Secrets d’Henri Lobineau compiled by Philippe Toscan du Plantier (1967), also includes 114-page collection of email correspondence and documents from Nicolas Haywood
* Bruce Burgess and René Barnett were behind the uncritical cinema-released documentary Bloodline (1244 Films/Cinema Libre Studio, 2008), featuring individuals that promoted unscrupulous claims and spurious allegations about Bérenger Saunière and the Priory of Sion.
* Two Disc DVD “Bloodline”, containing extra material, 2008
* See also Robert Howells
* See also “Ben Hammott”
* See also Timothy Green Beckley, 1947-2021; Sean Casteel, Brian J. Allan, René Barnett, Hercules Invictus, Ambrose Nobel
* See also “Gus Stiver”; Editor
* See also Andrew Gough
* See also Ian D. Withers
Jochen Burgtorf, Paul F. Crawford, Helen J. Nicholson; Editors
–The Debate on The Trial of The Templars (1307-1314) (introduction by Malcolm Barber, 2013)
* Chapter 28: ‘The Templars Are Everywhere’ – An Examination of The Myths Behind Templar Survival After 1307 by John Walker
* See also Peter W. Edbury; Editor
* See also John Walker
David Burke
–Writers In Paris: Literary Lives In The City of Light (2008)
* Chapter Three: The Heart of the Right Bank (St Sulpice)
Tony Burke; Editor
–Fakes, Forgeries, and Fictions: Writing Ancient and Modern Christian Apocrypha. Proceedings From The 2015 York Christian Apocrypha Symposium (foreword by Andrew Gregory, 2017)
* Chapter 17: “Jesus’ Wife, the Media, and The Da Vinci Code” by Mark Goodacre
* Chapter 18: “Responses to Mark Goodacre, James McGrath, and Caroline Schroeder on the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” by Janet E. Spittler
Delbert Burkett, Editor
–The Blackwell Companion To Jesus (2010)
* Part III, Chapter 28: Modern Mystifications of Jesus by Per Beskow (1926-2016)
Aubrey Burl (Harry Aubrey Woodruff Burl), 1926-2020
–God’s Heretics: The Albigensian Crusade (2002, 2005)
* Introduction: Rennes-le-Château
John T. Burnett
–The Hand of Paul (Novel; 2007)
* “Did the Apostle Paul write a letter at the very end of his life in which he recanted his belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah? And did the mysterious Order of the Knights Templar find this ancient manuscript and hide it from the Pope as leverage against the brutal suppression of the Order by the Church?”
Thom Burnett
–Conspiracy Encyclopedia: The Encyclopedia of Conspiracy Theories (2005)
* Page 9: Pierre Plantard; Pages 246-247: Priory of Sion
M. P. Burns (Michael Paul Burns)
–Jesus and Mary Magdalene: A Love Story (2008)
* “Jesus Christ must have been a fully integrated sexual being, with his sexuality playing a decisive part in his psychology.”
Paul C. Burns, Editor
–Jesus In Twentieth Century Literature, Art, and Movies (Ubc Studies in Religion) (2007)
* Chapter 10: Treatments of Christ in two recent Movies – Christology In The Dark: ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘The Passion of The Christ’ – What They Tell Us About American Religion Today by Alan F. Segal (1945-2011)
Dillon Burroughs
–The Use Of The Bible In The Da Vinci Code (Amazon Short; 2006)
–The Jesus Family Tomb Controversy: How The Evidence Falls Short (2007)
Dillon Burroughs, Michael J. Easley, John Ankerberg
–The Da Vinci Code Controversy: 10 Facts You Should Know (2006)
Dan Burstein (Daniel L. Burstein), Editor
–Secrets Of The Code: The Unauthorized Guide To The Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code (2004, Revised and Updated Edition 2006; Abridged Audiobook narrated by Jeff Harding & Sian Thomas, 2006)
* DVD “Secrets of The Code” (narrated by Susan Sarandon, directed by Jonathan Stack, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006)
Dan Burstein (Daniel L. Burstein), Arne J. De Keijzer, Editors
–Secrets of Mary Magdalene: The Untold Story of History’s Most Misunderstood Woman (introduction by Elaine Pagels; 2006)
* DVD “Secrets of Mary Magdalene” (narrated by Marisa Berenson, directed by Rob Fruchtman, Koch Vision, 2006)
Dan Burstein, Bart D. Ehrman, Linda Ruf, Phyllis Tickle (Narrator)
–Audiobook: The Da Vinci Code: Facts and Fallacies at The 92nd Street Y (2006)
* “Never has this topic been more relevant than when a book like The Da Vinci Code is treated as fact rather than fiction” [This event took place on 27 February, 2005]
* See also Bart D. Ehrman
Tony Bushby
–The Bible Fraud: An Untold Story of Jesus Christ (2001)
* “the truth about Rabbi Jesus and his twin brother, Judas Khrestus, their birth, marriages and deaths, as well as the bloodlines that have resulted from events of that time“
Maurizio Buscarini
–The Da Vinci Reminiscences. The Awakening. (Novel, 2024; originally published in Italian entitled Geni proibiti: il Risveglio, 2024)
John Beverley Butcher, 1936-2011
–Sacred Partnership: Jesus and Mary Magdalene (foreword by Marvin Meyer [1948-2012], 2011; eBook, 2013)
* Cameo Essay 4: Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene Married?
Alan Butler
–The Goddess, The Grail and The Lodge: The Real Da Vinci Code and The Origins of Religion (foreword by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince; 2004)
* Chapter 5: Mary Magdalene and the True Story of Jesus
Alan Butler, Stephen Dafoe
–Saunière Society Symposium Lecture Notes (1999)
Alan Butler, John Ritchie, 1947-2014
–Rosslyn Revealed: A Library In Stone (2006)
* DVD: “Rosslyn Revealed: A Library In Stone” (2006)
–Rosslyn Chapel Decoded: New Interpretations of A Gothic Enigma (dedicated to Niven Sinclair [1924-2017], 2013)
* “Rosslyn Chapel once sheltered the skull of St Matthew”
Stéphanie Buttegeg
–Bugarach Peak and The Sals Springs. An Unusual Journey… In Search of The Lost Secret. “Bérenger Saunière Award” (Légendes d’Oc) (2014; originally published in French entitled A La Recherche du Secret Perdu N°5, Dossier Spécial: Du Pic de Bugarach aux Sources de la Sals, February 2006)
–The Secrets of St Mary Magdalene’s Church: The Mysterious Life of Abbé Saunière… And The Mary Magdalene Cave. In Search of Lost Secret. “Bérenger Saunière Award” (2015; published in French entitled Rennes-le-Château Secrets d’Église: Ou La Fabuleuse Destinée de l’Abbé Saunière. A La Recherche du Secret Perdu. “Prix Bérenger Saunière”, 2015)
* Stéphanie Buttegeg is the Légendes d’Oc Tourist Guide
* Recipient: Prix Bérenger Saunière, 2014
Jeffrey J. Bütz (Reverend Jeffrey J. Bütz)
–The Brother of Jesus and The Lost Teachings of Christianity (2005)
–The Secret Legacy of Jesus: The Judaic Teachings That Passed from James The Just To The Founding Fathers (foreword by James D. Tabor, 2009)
Nigel Buxton, 1924-2015
-“Mysteries and the Inner Man” (The Sunday Telegraph, 25 November 1979)
Patrick Byrne
–The Long Lost Secrets of Freemasonry and Rennes-le-Château (PDF, 1997)
–Templar Gold: Discovering The Ark of The Covenant (2001; Second Edition entitled In The Beginning: Templar Gold Revisited, eBook, 2012)
Patrick Byrne, Enrique Bozzo, Ray Hudson
–The Jesus Gene: A Messianic Bloodline, The Jews and Freemasonry (2006)
Michael Byrnes (Michael J. Byrnes)
–The Sacred Bones (Novel, 2008)
* “…shocking theft of ancient artifacts hidden for many centuries in a secret vault beneath Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. American forensic scientist Charlotte Hennesey must expose the astonishing secrets locked in the ancient bones resting in a newly unearthed burial box – the skeleton of a man who lived and died in the first century; a man who was scourged and stabbed – and crucified”
–The Sacred Blood (Novel, 2008; sequel to The Sacred Bones)
* “…the DNA Charlotte Hennesey extracted from the sacred bones and injected into her own body has eliminated every trace of the cancer that was devouring her from within. And it has given her the power to perform medical miracles.”
CBS News, ‘60 Minutes’
* See Daniel Schorn
Robert Ellis Cahill, 1934-2005
–New England’s Ancient Mysteries (1993)
Christopher Lee Cain, Melissa Anne Cain
–God’s Final Grail & Biblical Testament Declaration: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ & Mary Magdalene (2020)
Peter Caine
–The Definitive Guide To The Da Vinci Code: Paris Walks (2006; American Edition entitled Walking The Da Vinci Code In Paris: Decoding The City and The Book, 2006; originally published in France entitled Sur Les Pas du Code Da Vinci: Le Guide, 2005)
Peter Caine, Oriel Caine
–Frommer’s 24 Great Walks in Paris (2008; Second Edition, 2010)
* Chapter 19: Following the Rose Line
Stefano Calabrese, Roberto Rossi
-“Dan Brown: Narrative Tourism and ‘Time Packaging’” (International Journal of Language & Linguistics, Volume 2, Number 2, pages 30-38, June 2015)
-“Dan Brown: Morphology of A Bestsellersaurus” (Enthymema, Number XII, pages 426-439, 2015)
Alex Caldon
–The Quest For Truth …on finding The Grail (2007; eBook, 2011)
* Chapter 94: Truth and The Holy Grail (Pages 310-313: The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail, The Da Vinci Code, Mary Magdalene)
Archie Cameron
–The Merica Portal: Did The Knights Templars Reach America? (Novel, eBook 2011)
* “An old Mason working to finish a Memorial to Prince Henry St Clair, and who is the last remaining survivor of those who accompanied the Earl to America, decides to write an account of how the great adventure began and all that befell him and his colleagues”
Gordon Campbell
–Norse America: The Story of A Founding Myth (2021)
* Chapter 9: The Kensington Runestone
Ian Campbell (Ian Wallace Campbell)
–That Will Do Nicely (Novel, 2010; Second Edition, 2013; written in 1984)
–Pentagon Five (Novel, sequel to That Will Do Nicely, 2010; Second Edition, 2014)
* See also David Wood, 1929-2012; Ian Campbell
* See also Jeanne D’Août
John Campbell
–The Dream Key (2009)
* “Knights Templar & Rosslyn Chapel”: pages 12-14
* “The Symbols of Knights Templar – Rosslyn Chapel 1400”: pages 171-200
Véronique Campion-Vincent
-“The 2012 Phenomenon In South-West France” (online article, Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, April 2018)
* “Cabled TV, such as History Channel or Discovery Channel, started, already in 2006, to create on a large scale pseudo-documentaries, “mockumentaries” being a more exact designation, with enticing titles and scary pictures (Page 10) ….[Rennes-le-Château sceptical] books do not affect the collective dreamers. Any critical contribution is immediately rejected because every demystifying statement closes at least one of the possible extensions of the game, thus threatening its very purpose which is to continue indefinitely” (page 14)
Campus Crusade for Christ
–The Da Vinci Code: A Companion Guide to The Movie (2006)
Mark S. Cane
–The Shugborough Inscription of D.M. and Nostradamus (Nostradamus Magnified Book 2) (2017)
* Nostradamus Magnified, 2013
Mark Canter
–The Bastard: A Secret Never Told (Novel, 2012)
* “The love between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is central to this tale of awakening and redemption through the terrible path of hardship and bloodshed”
Antoine Captier, Marcel Captier, 1948-2018; Michel Marrot
–Rennes-le-Château: The Secret of Father Saunière (translated by Korah Ait-Ouaret, 2005; originally published in France entitled Rennes-le-Château: Le Secret De L’Abbé Saunière, 1985)
* Rennes-le-Château: The Secret of Bérenger Saunière (Collection Serpent Rouge 21), a New and Revised Expanded Edition, 2010, translated by Nicole Dawe and Célia Brooke Captier [1944-2012], published in France entitled Le Secret De L’Abbé Saunière, 2010; New Look French Edition, 2017)
* Antoine Captier, Recipient: Prix Bérenger Saunière, 2013
Antoine Captier, Christian Doumergue, Mariano Tomatis
–Welcome To The Bérenger Saunière Museum: A Tour Through Rennes-le-Château’s History (English Translation by Karen McDermott, 2012, PDF Format, 2012)
* Claims that Bérenger Saunière’s discovery of documents when removing his old altar in 1887 “is a well-established fact” (this claim is traced back to Noël Corbu’s stories of the mid 1950s, set in 1892) – also failing to clarify the fact that Saunière’s “List of Donors” presented during his ecclesiastical trial in 1910-1911 was false and was produced to divert attention away from his records of trafficking in masses activities (as pointed out by Abbé Bruno de Monts in 1996)
* Mariano Tomatis, Recipient: Prix Bérenger Saunière, 2010
* Christian Doumergue, Recipient: Prix Bérenger Saunière, 2011
Gabriel Carlin
–The Truth About The Da Vinci Code (preface by George Mather, 2006)
Flora Carr
–The Real Reason Why Mary Magdalene Is Such A Controversial Figure (Time Magazine, 30 March 2018)
Michael Carr
–The Viking Pawn (Novel, 2012)
* “The Viking Pawn tells the story of one man’s journey to uncover the significance of mysterious Viking inscriptions and Templar landmarks throughout New England. In a race against time, he must piece together clues that could lead to one of the most significant treasures yet recorded.”
Philip Carr-Gomm
–Sacred Places: Sites of Spiritual Pilgrimage From Stonehenge To Santiago De Compostela (2008)
* Pages 102-107: Rennes-le-Château
Martin Carriere
–Carrying The Chalice Forward and Other Secret Stories of North America (edited by Stanley J. St Clair, 2010)
Emily Carter
–100 Statements About “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” That Almost Killed My Hamster (on-demand eBook, undated)
* See also Michael Baigent, 1948-2013; Richard Leigh, 1943-2007; Henry Lincoln, 1930-2022
* See also Ryan Dilling
L. Caruana (Laurence Caruana)
–The Hidden Passion: A Novel of The Gnostic Christ Based on The Nag Hammadi Texts (Novel, 2007)
Jack Cary
–American Sorcerer (2009)
* Chapter Three: The Shepherds of Arcadia
–The Enoch Code: Decoding The Secret Tomb of The Watchers, The Lost Secrets of The Anunnaki, and The Next Global Cataclysm (2022)
Miguel Angel Vila Casals
–Leonardo, Guardian of The Egyptian Secret of Jesus (2019; originally published in Spanish entitled Leonardo, Guardián del Secreto Egipcio de Jesús, 2012)
“John Case” (Jim and Carolyn Hougan)
–The Genesis Code (Novel, 1998)
* “A priest in a small village in Italy practically has a stroke in hearing an old doctor’s confession (a boy was cloned from Jesus’ DNA)”
* See also Jim Hougan
Jeri Castronova
–Return of The Goddess: The Hidden History of Nefertiti – Akhenaten – Mary Magdalene – Scota (2015)
Gerard Catherin, Jennifer Sinclair
–38 Specks: The Proposition. Can an Aussie prospector solve the mystery of Rennes-le-Château? (2021)
* “Just how Father Saunière became rich is still a mystery today”
Bruce Cathie (Captain Bruce L. Cathie), 1930-2013
–The Harmonic Conquest of Space (1995)
* Chapter 11: The Harmonics of Rennes-le-Château
Catholic Truth Society
–The Truth About Jesus: Not ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (2006)
* See also Jimmy Akin
Charles M. Cavarra
–The Priest and The Devil, based on true events (Novel, 2009)
* “Many attempts were made to uncover the esoteric secrets of this mystic Village, right down to the last known attempt, which took place during the Third Reich, under the direct order of Adolf Hitler, which failed”
Jan Cercone, Nicky Heins
–Magdalene Church In Renne Le Chateau (Album, 2011)
D. A. Chadwick
–Rennes Le Chateau: The Point of Origin (Novel, 2009; also entitled Rennes le Chateau: The Road To Sion, 2011; 2023)
* “Sarah Cabot’s lifelong questions about the Rennes-le-Château mystery and the Davidic bloodline are answered and she discovers why the priest of the tiny hilltop village was so flippant to his superiors”
Elizabeth Chadwick
–Daughters of The Grail (Novel, 1993, 1995, 2007; Audiobook narrated by Nicolette McKenzie, 2011)
* “Bridget is a thirteenth-century descendant of Mary Magdalene living in Southern France, seeking refuge with the Cathars and Knights Templar. She worships the pagan Goddess. Choosing Raoul de Montvallant, she bears a daughter, Magda, who continues the bloodline”
Sneh Chakraburtty
–In The Beginning (2013)
* Chapter 12: Secret Activities and Clandestine Societies
David Chalcraft, Fanon Howell, Hector Vera, Marisol Menendez, Editors
–Max Weber Matters: Interweaving Past and Present (Rethinking Classical Sociology) (2008, 2016)
* Part 5, Chapter 15: Studies in the Sociology of Legitimacy – ‘The Da Vinci Code’: Ecclesial Governance and Max Weber’s Ideal Types of Authority by James H. Mahon (Associate Professor of Sociology, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey).
Eric Chaline
–History’s Greatest Deceptions: And The People Who Planned Them (2010)
* Chapter 27: The Real Life Da Vinci Code – The Dossiers Secrets
–History’s Lost Treasures: And The Secrets Behind Them (2014)
* “Holy Confusion: Holy Grail”
Jean de Châlons
–Testimony at The Papal Inquiry into The Templars at Poitiers (online translation by Jason Colavito, 2016; original document in Vatican Secret Archive, Registra Avenionensia 48, f450r, June 1308; published by Heinrich Finke [1855-1938] (editor), Papsttum und Untergang des Templerordens, Volume Two, Band: Quellen (Vorreformationsgeschichtlighe Forschungen, number 5) (Münster: Aschendorff, pages 337-339, 1907)
* Conspiracy theorists use this testimony as proof that the Knights Templar fled to Scotland/America after their arrests with a “Templar treasure” and/or transmission of “Templar secrets”
John Chambers
-“Da Vinci, Newton, & Hugo. Priory of Sion? Or Brotherhood of the Remnant?” (Atlantis Rising #48, pages 44-45, November/December 2004)
* See also Victor Hugo, 1802-1885
René Chandelle
–Beyond The Da Vinci Code: The Book That Solves The Mystery (2006; published in French entitled Au Delà du Code Da Vinci: Le livre qui résout le mystère, 2006)
Nancy Chandler, Kasey Hill
–June Dyad Moon: Mary Magdalene (2015)
* “Trinitarian Wicca esbat ritual for the June Dyad Moon honoring Mary Magdalene”
Jennifer Chapin
–A Song of Songs: Mary Magdalene Awakes (Novel, 2008)
* Chapter 7: Languedoc
* “This is a novel about the return of Mary Magdalene at the end of time”
Lea Chapin
–Divine Union: The Love Story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (edited by Angela Valentine, 2017)
–The Path To Enlightenment: Mary Magdalene’s Sacred Wisdom Teachings (2018)
* “These sacred messages are excerpts taken from transmissions I received as a divine channel for the Holy Family from Yeshua and Mary Magdalene between 2015 and 2018”
–Sacred Wisdom: Teachings of Sarah, Goddess of Peace (2022)
Patrice Chaplin (née Patricia Johns), 1940-
–Happy Hour: The Secrets of Castel (1999, 2016)
* About Mount Canigou and finding paradise in Castel (Casteil, Vernet-les-Bains). Chapter 17 recounts the mythical story of Bérenger Saunière at Rennes-le-Château; Chapter 22 contains what was to follow in City of Secrets
–City of Secrets: One Woman’s True-Life Journey To The Heart Of The Grail Legend (written in the form of a novel, 2007; 2009; 2020)
* Referring to the apparent factual activities of Bérenger Saunière, claiming he was linked to the Spanish city of Girona, also reproducing alleged ‘genuine’ correspondence, City of Secrets has been largely dismissed by the French as being spurious; also considered to be a work of fiction by Enric Mirambell i Belloc (1922-2020), the official historian of Girona. Josep Tarrés I Fontán (1929-2021) is presented as the “grandson of Bérenger Saunière”
–The Portal: An Initiate’s Journey Into The Secret Of Rennes-le-Château (2010)
* “The initiate’s journey on the Venus Magic Square, following the constellation of the Great Bear” and Mount Canigou, halfway point between Girona and Rennes-le-Château, is a portal where initiates are transported into another dimension and experience the Grail
–Mr Lazarus: Based on A True Story That Couldn’t Be Told (Novel, eBook; 2012)
* “Bérenger Saunière was nicknamed Lazarus”
-“The Altarpiece” (The Heretic Magazine #1, August 2012)
-“Unveiling The Stone Cradle” (The Heretic Magazine #5, April 2014)
–The Stone Cradle: One Woman’s Search For The Truth Beyond Everyday Reality (2017)
* “…a secret chapel in an isolated place: the domain of the Stone Cradle… a place of multidimensional reality… a portal to the unknown”
–Lucifer by Moonlight: A Modern Fable (Novel, illustrated by Melissa Scott-Miller, 2017)
* “the fallen archangel appeared in an earthly body thousands of years ago. As the Child of Light, a woman from the East rocked him on a mysterious stone cradle”
–The Unknown Pursuit: Three Grandmothers In Search of Ihe Grail. A True Story (2019)
* Documentary: “Mystical Legends” (produced, directed and edited by Carrie Kirkpatrick, Divine Productions, 2009)
* Forthcoming Documentary: “Girona: The Immortal” (distributed by AMG Corp)
* There is nothing about Rennes-le-Château or Bérenger Saunière in Patrice Chaplin’s two autobiographies: Albany Park: An Autobiography (1986) and Another City: A Memoir (1987).
* See also David V. Barrett; Editor
James H. Charlesworth (James Hamilton Charlesworth); Editor
–The Tomb of Jesus and His Family? Exploring Ancient Jewish Tombs Near Jerusalem’s Walls (2013)
* Part IV: Talpiot, A Jesus Family, and Mary Magdalene
* See also Simcha Jacobovici, Charles Pellegrino
* See also Paul L. Maier
P. Charlier, P. Froesch, N. Benmoussa, A. Augias, Y. Ubelmann, et al.
-“Computer Aided Facial Reconstruction of Mary-Magdalene Relics Following Hair and Skull Analyses” (Clinical Medicine Insights: Ear, Nose and Throat, SAGE Publications, 12, Pages 1-7; 2019)
Robert Charroux (Robert Grugeau), 1909-1978
–Treasures Of The World (1967, originally published in France entitled Trésors du Monde enterrées, emmurés, engloutis, 1962)
* This translation of the book by Robert Charroux was the first reference in the English Language to the modern legend of Rennes-le-Château
Jean-Luc Chaumeil
–The Priory of Sion: Shedding Light on The Treasure and Legacy of Rennes-le-Château and The Priory of Sion (2010; first published in France entitled Rennes-le-Château – Gisors – Le Testament du Prieuré de Sion. Le Crépuscule d’Une Ténébreuse Affaire, 2006)
* First part of the English Edition also contains a translation of Le Charivari Number 18, ‘Les Archives du Prieuré de Sion’ (foreword by Claude Jacquemart [1936-2016], October-December 1973)
* Jean-Luc Chaumeil, Grand Master: Grande Loge Indépendante et Régulière de Memphis-Misraim, Versailles, 2009
Clive Cheesman, Jonathan Williams
–Rebels, Pretenders & Imposters (2000)
* Pages 132-135: Michel Lafosse, ‘Prince Michael of Albany’ (Chapter Four: Dreamers and Hoaxers)
Philippe de Chèrisey (Philippe Louis Henri Marie, Marquis de Chèrisey), 1923-1985
–Circuit (privately published, translated by Jacqueline Beecham, introduction by Vi Marriott [1920-2017]; 2013; Bibliothèque Nationale version written in French in 1971, putative original composition date 1968)
* Previously unpublished French manuscript that exists in different versions, being a prime example of Philippe de Chèrisey’s mindset that routinely produced incoherent figments of surreal and esoteric impressions – largely inspired by alcoholism. The translation is full of references and footnotes, but fails to mention the fact that Abbé Antoine Bigou (1719-1794) did not die in Sabadell, Spain – like Philippe de Chèrisey claimed and many people still believe today (translation, pages 56, 67)
–Anacharsis at The Exposition (translated by Jacqueline Beecham, 2015; originally published in French entitled Anacharsis à l’Exposition: Textes d’Amédée, présentés par Philippe Dasnoy, Two Volumes, 1958)
Kittredge Cherry
–Jesus In Love: A Novel (2006)
* “A novel that re-imagines Christ’s legendary life as an erotic, mystical adventure in first-century Palestine”
–Jesus In Love: At The Cross (Novel, 2008)
David Hatcher Childress
–Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe & The Mediterranean (1996)
* Chapter 9, France: Atlantis & The Priory of Zion
Malcolm Choat
-“The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife: A Preliminary Paleographical Assessment” (Harvard Theological Review, Volume 107, Issue 2, April 2014; PDF)
Angelique Chrisafis
-“Bugarach: The French Village Destined To Survive The Mayan Apocalypse” (The Guardian, 19 November 2012)
-“Mayan Apocalypse: Songs and A Shrug at French Village In Media Glare” (The Guardian, 21 December 2012)
Linda Lee Christenberry
–The Return of Mary Magdalene (Novel, 2006)
Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN.Com)
–Beyond The Code: A Biblical Response To “The Da Vinci Code” – A Compilation (booklet, 2006)
Stuart Christie, 1946-2020
-“The Fraudster, The Fantasist and the Fiction Writer: The DA VINCI CON or the Abbé Saunière’s ‘Treasure’” (The Hastings Trawler, pp.14-26, April 2006)
–The Da Vinci Con: The Code War or Jiggery-Pokery in Rennes-le-Château (2014)
Nicole Christine (Linda Lou Shereck), 1940-2008
–Under Her Wings: The Making of a Magdalene (2005)
* “Mary Magdalene, protectress of sexual wisdom and of sacred union between man and woman, Goddess and God”
“Paul Christopher” (pseudonym)
–The Templar Throne (Templars #3) (Novel, 2010)
* “In the 14th century, Templar knight Jean de St Clair was tasked with piloting the order’s treasure-laden fleets off the coast of France”. Retired Army Ranger Lt Col John “Doc” Holliday investigates
–Lost City of The Templars (Templars #8) (Novel, 2013)
* “Retired Army Ranger John Holliday has thwarted the plots of Rex Deus, the twenty-first-century incarnation of the Templars, all over the world. Holliday and his crew uncover a five-hundred-year-old society hidden in the cauldron of the Amazon. Descendants of the Templar Knights, they exist for one reason: to hide and protect the holy artifact taken from the original Temple of Jerusalem by the first Templars: the legendary Ark of the Covenant”
J. R. Church (Jerry Rolan Church Senior), 1938-2011
–Guardians Of The Grail: And The Men Who Plan To Rule The World! (editorial and research by Ralph G. Griffin & G. G. Stearman, 1989; Revised Edition, 1991)
* “Guardians of The Grail tells of secret political combines, intrigues, and wars preparing mankind for the Antichrist”
Tobias Churton
–The Missing Family of Jesus. An Inconvenient Truth: How The Church Erased Jesus’s Brothers and Sisters From History (2010)
* “The real ‘bloodline’ is spiritual knowledge” (Chapter 10)
Kim Cintio
–The Untold True Story of Mary Magdalen In Her Own Words. Featuring Interview With Mary Magdalene (2021)
Domizio Cipriani
–Templar Order: The Templar’s Path, A Path Towards Wisdom (2018; published in France entitled Templar Order. Le Chemin des Templiers la Voie de la Sagesse, 2016)
* Pages 65-66: “The Priory of Sion”
Joseph A. Citro, Diane E. Foulds
–Curious New England: The Unconventional Traveler’s Guide To Eccentric Destinations (2004)
* Chapter 3: Massachusetts (Westford Knight)
Stephen Clark
–The Da Vinci Code on Trial: Filtering Fact From Fiction (2005)
C. P. Clarke
–Life In Shadows (Novel, 2010; Revised Edition, 2013)
* Appendix 3: Domaine de l’Abbé B. Saunière
* “A search for faith, treasure, and an escape from the demons of a man’s soul”
Greg Clarke
–Is It Worth Believing? The Spiritual Challenge of The Da Vinci Code (2004)
Toby Clements
–The Asti Spumante Code: A Parody (2005)
Catherine Ann Clemett
–Are You A Magdalene? Discovering Your Divine Feminine Heritage and Purpose (2018; 2021)
* Introduces the “Mary Magdalene Order of Consciousness”
* See also Clare Heartsong, Catherine Ann Clemett
Annette Cloutiér
–Præy To God: A Tasteful Trip Through Faith. Volume I (2010)
Barbara Hand Clow
–Revelations of The Aquarian Age (Novel, 2018; sequel to the Novel, Revelations of The Ruby Crystal, 2015)
* “…the Knights Templar collected the bones of the Jesus family from the Talpiot tomb in Jerusalem and eventually placed them in reliquaries throughout the world”
–Revelations From The Source (Novel, 2021)
Jason Colavito
–Unearthing The Truth: An Unauthorized Commentary on America Unearthed Season One (2013)
* Chapter 12: America’s Oldest Secret;
* Chapter 13: Hunt For The Holy Grail
–The Templars, The Holy Grail & Henry Sinclair (online e-text, 2015)
* See also Jean de Châlons, flourished early 1300s
* See also Louis-Sophrone Fugairon, 1846-193?
* See also Louis Martin, died 1900
* See also Fred W. Lucas, 1842-1932
* See also Scott F. Wolter
* See also Rosslyn Chapel
Andrew Collins
–Twenty-First Century Grail: The Quest For A Legend (dedicated to Graham Phillips, 2004)
* Chapter 4: The French Connection;
* Chapter 7: The Two Johns;
* Chapter 9: The Call of Arcadia;
* Chapter 14: Puzzles In Stone
Miguel Conner; Editor
–Voices of Gnosticism (foreword by Andrew Phillip Smith, introduction by Miguel Conner, 2011)
* Part III: I “Karen King on The Gospel of Mary and The Cult of The Magdalene”
* Part III: 2 “Jane Schaberg on The Orthodox, Gnostic and Legendary Mary Magdalene”
–Other Voices of Gnosticism (foreword by Andrew Phillip Smith, introduction by Miguel Conner, 2016)
* Part II: 3 “Sean Martin on The Cathars, Beyond Romanticism and The Da Vinci Code”
* See also Karen L. King
* See also Jane Schaberg, 1938-2012
* See also Sean Martin
Monte Cook
–The Skeptic’s Guide To Conspiracies: From The Knights Templar To The JFK Assassination – Uncovering The Truth Behind The World’s Most Covered-Up Conspiracy Theories (2009)
* Chapter 2: The Puppet Masters
Cookbooks
* See James Robert Deal
* See Dave DeWitt
* See Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy Krupp
* See Denise Linn, Meadow Linn
* See Angela Murrills
Diana Cooper, Kathy Crosswell
–Ascension Through Orbs (2009)
* Chapter 30: Ray 6 – Mary Magdalene (“Her retreat is in the etheric above Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland, which represents the crown chakra on this sacred journey…”)
L. E. Cooper, Editor
–The Jesus Presidents: Holy Grail Holy Presidents Holy Nation – Presidents of The USA Descended From Jesus and Others (2004)
–The Bush Family House of Bush House of God (2004)
Milton William Cooper (Milton William “Bill” Cooper), 1943-2001
–Behold A Pale Horse (foreword by Barbara Ann, 1991; 2001)
* Chapter 2: Secret Societies and The New World Order
Robert L. D. Cooper
–The Rosslyn Hoax. Viewing Rosslyn Chapel From A New Perspective (2006; paperback edition containing corrections and revisions, 2007)
–Cracking The Freemason’s Code: The Truth About Solomon’s Key and The Brotherhood (2006)
* Pages 144-145: Rosslyn Chapel
* Robert L. D. Cooper is the Curator of The Grand Lodge of Scotland Museum and Library in Edinburgh, Scotland
Robert L. D. Cooper, Editor
–Dr Robert Forbes’ Account of the Chapel of Roslin – 1778 (2000; First published in 1774)
* Dr Robert Forbes (1708-1775) was Bishop of Caithness.
–Father Richard Augustin Hay’s Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn (2002; Latin translations by John S. Wade. Second edition of James Maidment’s 1835 publication of Father Hay’s manuscripts)
* Father Richard Augustin Hay (1661-c1736) was Chaplain to the St Clair family of Rosslyn
–Reverend John Thompson’s The Illustrated Guide to Rosslyn Chapel, Hawthornden &c. (2003; first published in 1892)
–Richard Henry Major, The Voyages of the Venetian Brothers Nicolo & Antonion Zeno to the Northern Seas in the XIVth Century – The Northmen in America before Columbus; with fold out copy of Zeno’s original map (facsimile reprint 2004, originally published in 1873 by the Hakluyt Society)
Philip Coppens, 1971-2012
–The Stone Puzzle of Rosslyn Chapel: The Truth Behind Its Templar and Masonic Secrets (2002; Second Completely Revised Edition 2004)
–Servants of The Grail: The Real-Life Characters of The Grail Legend Identified (2009)
–The Cryptogram of Rennes-le-Chateau: A Guide To An Enigmatic Village (eBook, 2012; also entitled Rennes-le-Château and The Tree of Life. Did Bérenger Saunière Turn His Estate Into A Giant Cryptogram? published in “Atlantis Rising” Number 96, November/December 2012)
* Philip Coppens married Kathleen McGowan on 22 September 2011, special ceremony celebrated in the church of Rennes-le-Château on 22 July, 2012
* See also André Douzet; Philip Coppens
Michael Coren
–Heresy: Ten Lies They Spread About Christianity (2013)
* Chapter III: The Da Vinci Code
Richard Corliss (Richard Nelson Corliss), 1944-2015; Mary Corliss (Mary Elizabeth Yushak)
-“The Da Vinci Code Mystery Revealed!” (Cannes Film Festival Report) (Time Magazine, Volume 167, Number 20, 15 May, 2006)
Gretchen Cornwall (Gretchen Schroeder Cornwall)
–The Secret Dossier of A Knight Templar of The Sangreal (2015; Expanded Edition, 2016; Revised Edition, 2018)
–The Stars of The Magdalene: Extended Chapter From The Secret Dossier of A Knight Templar of The Sangreal. The Revised Edition (foreword by the Comte de Mattinat de Medici, new engravings and revelations, new epilogue, 2018)
–The Templar Quest To North America: A Photo Journal (2019)
–Oak Island’s Mysteries of The Map, House of Rochefoucauld: The Templar Statue and Royston Cave (2022, 2024)
Fr. Regino O. Cortes, O. P., S. S. L., 1942-2006
–The Da Vinci Code: An Exegetical Review (2006)
* “Focusing on three perspectives: literary, historical and theological”
* President and rector of Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Manila, Philippines, 1980-1986
Catherine de Courcy
–Montségur: A Novel (2017)
* “…a deeper understanding of the community’s [Montségur’s] connection to the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene”
Ashley Cowie (Ashley Lambie Cowie)
–The Rosslyn Matrix (2006; Second Updated and Signed Limited Edition, 2009; Third Updated Edition entitled Viking Latitudes: The Discovery of A Norse Sea Chart Beneath Rosslyn Chapel, 2016)
–The Rosslyn Templar (2009)
* Ashley Cowie co-presented the reality adventure series “Legend Quest” (Syfy; formerly the Sci-Fi Channel, 2011)
Simon Cox
–Cracking The Da Vinci Code: An A to Z Guide To The Facts Behind The Fiction (2004)
–The Dan Brown Companion: The Truth Behind The Fiction: With A Gazetteer To The People And Places Featured In The Robert Langdon Novels (with material by Ed Davies, Susan Davies, Mark Foster, Andy Gough, 2006)
* DVD “Cracking The Da Vinci Code” (produced by Geof Petch, Peter Sahagen, Simon Cox, UFO Global Media, 2004)
* Collector’s Edition 2 Disc DVD (containing additional material about Leonardo Da Vinci, Odeon Entertainment, 2006)
* Simon Cox was involved with the DVD “Inside The Da Vinci Code” (DUAT Magazine & UFO Global Media LLC, 2004)
Pamela Coy
–Priestess of An: The Sacred Isle. A Historical Celtic Fantasy (Novel, 2015)
* “Priestess of An… Again fleeing violence, she stumbles upon an ancient secret refuge of followers of Rabbi Jesus and his companion Mary of Magdala”
John Crace
–The Digested Read (2006)
* Bonus Feature: ‘The Da Vinci Code’
Glen Craney
–The Fire and The Light: A Novel of The Cathars and The Lost Teachings of Christ (Novel, 2008)
* “The Cathars venerate Esclarmonde as their high priestess in the ancient tradition of Mary Magdalene. [] Convinced that she is the guardian of The Holy Grail”
Theresa Crater
–Under The Stone Paw (Novel, 2006)
* “Under The Stone Paw is a thrill ride from the upper crust of New York society to the forbidden tunnels underneath the Sphinx, from a time before Jesus and Mary Magdalene sought to free humanity to our own time when a shadowy consortium of powerful individuals threaten to control it”
S. Michael Craven
–Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity (2009)
* Chapter 9: New Age Spirituality – Filling The Spiritual Vacuum
Ann Crawford
–Mary’s Message: The Story of Mary Magdalene and Yeshua ben Yosef (Novel, 2013)
William S. Crooker, 1934-2005
–Tracking Treasure: In Search of East Coast Bounty (1998)
* With Fred Nolan, discovered a megalithic “Templar” cross in 1981, in New Ross, Nova Scotia, that he claimed was “Henry Sinclair’s castle”
Robert Parson Crosby
–Get Unstuck From Fundamentalism: A Spiritual Journey (2006)
* Chapter Twelve: A Few Turns in the Spiritual Road
Lesley Crossingham
–Rosslyn Chapel Ancient Mysteries Revealed (eBook, 2011)
–The Templar Code: Mary Magdalene’s Tomb (Ancient Mysteries 2) (2011)
–The Magdalene Codes: The Keys To Goddess Empowerment (2014, 2015)
–Amma’ na’ Tha: The Forgotten Wisdom of Mary Magdalene (2014, 2015)
–StarSeed (Book 1 & 2): The Magdalene Papers and The Holy Grail. Awakening The Goddess Power of The Kundalini (2018)
–The Tree of Life: The Celestial Speed-Up (2020)
–The Goddess Codes: Living The Divine Life. Awakening The Divine Goddess (2020)
* Chapter 8: Walking With Mary
* “Lesley channels information and insights from her own life, and also information from Jesus and from Mary Magdalene”
Yvonne Crowe
–The Magdalene Conspiracy (Nicolina Fabiani 1) (Novel, 2012; Revised Second Edition entitled The Magdalene Conspiracy: The Apostle Jesus Loved, 2016)
* “In the history of the world there has been no more controversial figure than Mary Magdalene, the Apostle that Jesus Christ loved”
–The Eternal Madonna and The Garden of Eden (Nicolina Fabiani 2) (Novel, Second Revised Edition, 2014)
–St Mary’s Secret: The Mother of A Zealot (Nicolina Fabiani 6) (Novel, Third Edition 2016)
Jon C. Crusoe
-“Rennes-le-Château: The Priest and the Puzzles” (FATE Magazine #568, July 1997)
Henry S. C. (“Pete”) Cummings, 1928-1999
–Sinclair’s Exploration of America (600th Anniversary Celebration, The Prince Henry Project Committee, 1998)
–Genealogy of St. Clair and Sinclair Families (self-published, 1998)
–Sinclair Symposium Narratives (The Prince Henry Project Committee, 1998)
–Sinclair’s Voyage To America (self-published, 1998)
–Genealogy of Prince Henry Sinclair (1998)
–Wee Sinclair Legends (self-published, 1998)
Joseph Cunneen (Joseph E. Cunneen), 1923-2012
-“Deciphering The Da Vinci Code” (National Catholic Reporter, 2 June 2006)
Elizabeth Cunningham
–Daughter Of The Shining Isles (Volume 1, The Magdalen Trilogy) (Novel, 2000; also entitled Magdalen Rising: The Beginning, 2007, becoming part of The Maeve Chronicles)
* “A Celtic-style Mary Magdalene, called Maeve, meets Esus (Jesus) when studying at a Druidic University”
–The Passion Of Mary Magdalen: A Novel (The Maeve Chronicles) (Novel, 2007; Audiobook narrated by Heather O’Neill, 2015)
* “That’s right, my pubic hair had grown in as bright as the hair on my head. I can only be thankful they did not know the story of Moses and the Burning Bush or I never would have heard the end of it”
–Bright Dark Madonna: A Novel (The Maeve Chronicles) (Novel, 2009; Audiobook narrated by Heather O’Neill, 2015)
–Magdalen Rising: The Beginning (The Maeve Chronicles) (Novel, 2010; prequel to The Passion of Mary Magdalen; Audiobook narrated by Heather O’Neill, 2015)
–Red-Robed Priestess: A Novel (The Maeve Chronicles) (2011; Audiobook narrated by Heather O’Neill, 2015)
* Also wrote The Wild Mother: A Novel (1992, 1995); The Return of The Goddess: A Divine Comedy (1993); How To Spin Gold: A Woman’s Tale (1997, 2009)
Bob Curran (Dr Robert Curran)
–Walking With The Green Man: Father of The Forest, Spirit of Nature (illustrations by Ian Daniels; 2007)
* Pages 130-131: Rennes-le-Château
Beatrix Czeizel, Anikó Greskó
–Calling You (2016)
* “We would like to tell you that in the birthing of this book, it felt as if the Christ Soul and the members of the Holy Family returned from the stars to entrust us with a long-forgotten Gospel. From these parchments we lifted the joy of this heavenly codex into our heart and our soul as we read and unraveled so many missing or misconstrued segments of the Holy Family’s story”
The Da Vinci Code Movie
* See Bettina Bildhauer
* See Milica Z. Bookman
* See Michael Vincent Boyer, 1957-2013
* See William Bramley
* See Paul C. Burns, Editor
* See Campus Crusade for Christ
* See Barna William Donovan
* See Akiva Goldsman
* See Lois H. Gresh; Robert Weinberg, 1946-2016
* See Mike Gunn, Greg Wright, Jenn Wright
* See Kevin J. Harty; Editor
* See Nickolas Haydock
* See Nickolas Haydock, E. L. Risden; Editors
* See Rus D. Jeffrey, Sandra L. Jeffrey
* See Hans Zimmer
The Da Vinci Code Parodies
* See Stephen Brown
* See Ian Browne
* See Toby Clements
* See Mad magazine
* See Robert Rankin
* See A.R.R.R. Roberts, writing as Don Brine
* See Kaye A. Thomas
* See Paul Wylie
* See Curt Fletemier
* See E. R. Escober
* See Judith P. Shoaf
The Da Vinci Code Video Game (The Collective, Inc/2K Games, 2006)
* Writers: David Kristofer Fried, Paul Robinson, Joseph Norris
* Artist: David R. Donatucci
* Programmer: David Mark Byttow
* Designer: Lisa Hoffman
* PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows
Da Vinci Vox
–The Hidden Message (Audio Cassette, Single Disc CD, 15 Tracks [includes bonus video], 2006)
* See also Various Artists
Dagobert’s Revenge (1996-2004)
* See Tracy R. Twyman, EGM OLE, 1978-2019
Germano Dalcielo
–Jesus: A Hell of A Secret (Novel, eBook, 2013)
* “Catholic believers and Christ followers should read this with caution”
Mary Rose D’Angelo
-“Reconstructing ‘Real’ Women In Gospel Literature: The Case of Mary Magdalene” (in Ross Shepard Kraemer, Mary Rose D’Angelo [editors], Women & Christian Origins, chapter 5, pages 105-128, 1999)
* See also Ross Shephard Kraemer
Kristi Daniel
–Jesus and Mary Magdalene: The Rumour That Won’t Go Away (2020)
Neil Daniels
–Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page & The Solo Years (2008)
* Pages 223-236: Priory of Brion (“the band’s name was an amalgam of the ‘Priory of Sion’ and ‘The Life of Brian’, the Monty Python film”)
Steven L. Danver, Editor
–Popular Controversies In World History: Investigating History’s Intriguing Questions – 2000 B.C.E. To 1000 C.E. (Four Volumes, 2009)
* Volume Two: The Ancient World To The Middle Ages. Chapter 7: “A Staffordshire Inscription points to the Location of The Holy Grail; It may be in Wales” (Pro: John Lee, Con: Juliette Wood)
Jeanne D’Août (Anneke Koremans; Margaretha Johanna Koremans, 1966-2022)
–White Lie (Novel, 2011; Third Edition re-written and edited by Jeanne D’Août, co-edited by Ian Campbell entitled White Lie: The Quest For The Holiest Relic, 2015; also entitled White Lie: The Quest For The Forbidden Relic, 2016)
* “Without realising the consequences of their adventure, Dr Danielle Parker and Dr Gabby Standford are sent back to the first century, where they discover the amazing story of Oshu, the real Jesus”
–The Eye of Ra: The Quest For The Lost Urim & Thummim (Novel, 2015; sequel to White Lie)
–The Ringing Rocks of Atlantis: The Quest For The Lost Knowledge of Our Ancestors (Novel, 2020)
* Appeared in the documentary, “Himmler and the Holy Grail” (Myth Hunters, S1 E7, 7 December 2012)
* Anneke Koremans set up “Barinca Travel & Tourism” with her husband Peter van Deursen in 1996
Jonathan Darman
–The Mystery of Mary Magdalene, “An Inconvenient Woman” (Newsweek, Volume CXLVII, Number 22, pp. 42-51, 29 May, 2006)
Rajendra Kumar Dash
–Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code: An Alchemical Reading. A Literary Research Monograph (2015)
Hugh Davies
-“Da Vinci Code is fantasy, says Holy Grail author” (The Daily Telegraph, 7 April 2006)
* Quoting Henry Lincoln’s words on BBC Radio 4 “[The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail] reflected ideas that were in circulation, which ‘I neither believe nor disbelieve’. ”
–The Da Vinci Code on Trial (2006)
* Behind-the-scenes at the Dan Brown trial
* Hugh Davies was Entertainment Correspondent for the UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph
* See also Michael Baigent, 1948-2013; Richard Leigh, 1943-2007; Henry Lincoln, 1930-2022
* See also Dan Brown
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