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Rennes-le-Château

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Rennes-le-Château is a medieval castle village in the Aude département, in the Languedoc area in southern France, an area known for its towering mountains, deep gorges, forests, caves, wild remote plateaus and access to the Mediterranean.

History of the Village

This predominately rural area has a very rich history as evidenced by its castles, cathedrals, vineyards and museums. Mountains frame both ends of the region - the Cevennes in the northeast and the Pyrenees in the south. Jagged ridges, deep river canyons and rocky limestone plateaus with vast caves beneath make it one of the most scenic spots on earth.

Over the centuries religious and political conflicts have caused much havoc. The ruined castles which cling precariously to hilltops played a leading role in the struggles between the Catholic church and the Cathars at the beginning of the 13th century. Others guarded the volatile border with Spain. Whole communities were wiped out during the merciless campaigns of the Catholic authorities to rid the area of the Cathar 'heretics', and later when Protestants fought for religious freedom.

Modern fame

The modern reputation of Rennes-le-Château rises from rumours concerning the local priest in the late nineteenth century, Bérenger Saunière, who was alleged to have mysteriously acquired and spent large sums of money. He was even said to have visited several heads of state, though there is no evidence for this whatsoever. These rumours were probably started by Noel Corbu, a local restaurant owner, to increase his business. They moved from local to national importance when they were incorporated by Pierre Plantard into his mythology of the Priory of Sion, who passed them to the authors of the popular 1982 book Holy Blood, Holy Grail.

From this point on Rennes-le-Château has become the centre of conspiracy theories claiming that Saunière uncovered hidden treasure and/or secrets about the history of the Church that threatened the foundations of Catholicism. Since the mid-1950s, the area has become the focus of sensational claims involving the Knights Templar, the Priory of Sion, the Rex Deus, the Holy Grail, the treasures of the Temple of Solomon, the Ark of the Covenant, ley lines, geometric alignments, and others. Elements of these ideas were later incorporated into Umberto Eco's 1989 novel Foucault's Pendulum, Dan Brown's bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, and computer game Gabriel Knight III.

The village now attracts visitors who look for hidden treasures and evidence of conspiracy, much to the displeasure of the locals.

Skeptical views

Almost all historians reject these conspiracies as nothing more than fantasy. According to writers such as Paul Smith (see link below), Monsignor George Boyer in 1967 (Vicar General of the parish of Carcassonne), Rene Descadeillas, Jacques Riviere, Jean-Luc Chaumeil, Jean-Jacques Bedu, Vincianne Denis, Bill Putnam, John Edwin Wood, and Marie Francine Etchegoin - the stories of Saunière's "mysteries" were based on nothing more than a minor scandal involving the sale of masses, which eventually led to the disgrace of both Saunière and his bishop. His 'wealth' was short-lived and he died poor. Other aspects of the Rennes-le-Château mythology derive from forgeries created by Plantard.

Bibliography

  • René Descadeillas, 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, Annees 1971-1972, 4me série, Tome VII, 2me partie; 1974). [Reprinted in 1991 by Editions Collot, Carcassonne.]
  • Jean-Jacques Bedu, Rennes-Le-Château: Autopsie d'un mythe (Ed. Loubatières; 31120 Portet-sur-Garonne; 1990 - recently reprinted in 2003.)
  • Bill Putnam, John Edwin Wood The Treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau, A Mystery Solved (Sutton Publishing Limited, Gloucestershire GL5 2BU, England, 2003.)
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