The Wisgoth pillar in which Saunière found the parchments is now sitting outside the church. A statue of the Virgin Mary from Lourdes is resting on it and one notices a cross obviously from the Carolingian period as well as the Alpha and Omega sign. The pillar is upside down and as a result the cross is also upside down. Moreover Saunière had the following sentence engraved on the pillar; “Penitence! Penitence!”. These words are not linked to the Virgin from Lourdes but are attributed by another apparition of the Virgin to two shepherds in La Salette near Grenoble in 1846. In the church of Bezu the right hand of the statue of Saint John the Baptist has been cut and replaced upside down too. These are not distraction. The mistakes have been made on purpose. It must also be noted that the Virgin of la Salette was specially revered by the Integrists even if it has been proved without doubt that it was a mystification. The fact that a statue of this Virgin was chosen by Saunière to be put on the Visigoth pillar was not casual. It must also be noted that Hoffet whom Saunière met in Paris received from his uncle the priest Biel, Director of Saint-Sulpice, the Merovingian genealogy. Hoffet was a friend of Lobineau but also of Pierre Plantard. He had close relations with the publishers of the review “Revue Internationale des Sociétés Secrètes”. It is difficult to believe in so many coincidences. Hoffet, the good catholic, anti-mason was also in relation with Georges Monti another well-known mason and secret activist. We must also ask ourselves why all this happened in Rennes-le-Chateau and in the Razès. Was it pure chance or the influence of a past marked by the presence of the Cathars and the Templars? To leave it to chance seems too simple. The importance of Rhedae as a town in the past has perhaps been exaggerated. But if it was important -in number of people or as a fortress- then it could very well be that it was the depository place of all sort of secrets. Nothing allows us to accept this point of view. Rennes-le-Chateau has been populated for a long time. Many Roman remains have been found here but very few from the Visigoths. Even the pillar where Saunière found his papers is from Carolingian origin! In conclusion Rhedae has been an important place for a long time but it seems that it reached its maximum importance in the 9th century when it became the seat of the bishop of Razès. The decline followed very soon and Rhedae became a city of secondary importance. Even the Albigean crusades against the Cathars failed to renew the importance of Rennes. In conclusion we can say that Rennes-le-Chateau, ex Rhedae, has never had the importance of Carcassonnes, Alet, Peyrepertuse or even Puivert. The traces known to day from the Visigoth and Carolingian periods are too small to allow us to say the opposite. (o)
We can assume that two types of discoveries were made at the same time in Rennes-le-Chateau. One was a material treasure and the other of a more spiritual nature. For the material treasure many legends exist in the region. Their authenticity is shaky to say the least and if only for this reason we will not mention them here. The only believable explanation of why Rennes-le-Chateau was the place where such a mystery could happen can only be found in the Cathar and Templar stories. During the Albigean crusades, the Razès was invaded and many atrocities took place. Arques, for instance, has been completely destroyed and the local inhabitants had to hide in the mountains. This breads stories of sorcery. The Templars had also many commanderies in the Razès region. The best known were in Mas-Dieu and in Bézu. The Templar order was created in Jerusalem in 1118 and already in 1132 they were implanted in Languedoc where they tried to create an independent state. On Friday the 13 October 1307 Philip the Fair, King of France, ordered the arrest of all the Templars. Those of Bézu being foreigners were told to leave. In 1317 the properties of the Roussillion Templars were given to the Hospitaller Order and the Templars received a small pension. Some escaped to the Razès. Nothing allows us to say that they hid their treasure before they were expelled by Philip the Fair but it is possible that they did it. In this case those who escaped to Razès could have taken the treasure with them. The truth is that nobody knows. If it is nearly certain that the Jerusalem treasure is not hidden somewhere in the Razès it is, on the other hand, probable that a metallic treasure is hidden somewhere there. The local oral tradition and folklore are quite precise on this point. It is also probable that the priest Boudet was looking for gold when he found the “spiritual” treasure whatever it is. As a compensation he let Saunière takes some gold. The traditionalist Catholics can be reassured that there is no chance to see a Merovingian from Jewish origin and heretic to climb on the French throne. Moreover the Prieuré de Sion is not a dangerous secret society. But if the traditionalists have been led to see everywhere the danger of a judeo-masonic conspiracy it is probably to distract their attention from something else. There is probably a subversive organisation that tries to reach the high level of power through mystification in order to hide its weakness. Putting the Jews and the masons in the light is a way to hide oneself in their shadow. Rennes-le-Chateau and Saunière -knowingly or not- participated in this action. (o)
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