A Rennes-le-Chateau research website by Ben Hammott investigating the Mystery of Bérenger Saunière. Ben Hammott © 2000 - 2011. All rights reserved.

counter free hit unique web

Now Available - Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Hire and Services - Hammott's E-book Sale Here

Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar

by Ben Hammott

Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar by Ben Hammott

"Great book, buy it!" (Shadowfox)      "Fantastic book, well done Ben." (T.P)

100 years ago a French priest embedded clues in his church leading to a secret location. Those clues have been solved.
That location has been found. The SECRET is revealed!

Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar Book Information & Images

Read advance NEW chapter here + Beginnings Chapter 

Available to ORDER here - Over 660 Pages and over 300 Images

Amazon Kindle version of Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar ONLY £6.95

Amazon Kindle      

Purchase a RARE Limited signed and numbered 1st Edition copy HERE

 

Recommended Accommodation while you explore Rennes-le-Chateau - Gite + B&B + Swimming Pool

LA MAISON du CHAPELIER

Details Here

Available for Digital Download

Also available for Digital Download

View 33 Rennes-le-Chateau Postcard Album E-Book Page Samples (Samples Optimised for Web viewing)

RESEARCH & DISCOVERIES MENU     -     STORE     -     RENNES-LE-CHATEAU TIMELINE     -     CONTACT

Secrets of Rennes-le-Chateau

Secrets of Rennes-le-Chateau

Welcome to my Rennes-le-Chateau Research Website

This site is dedicated to researching the Mystery created by Berenger Saunière, the priest of the small hilltop village of Rennes-le-Chateau in France.

Researching the facts of this Mystery is no easy task. Due to the amount of conflicting information it is difficult to find any real facts. I soon realized that I would have no choice but to go back to the beginning of the story if I was going to make any progress in solving the mystery. I ignored anything that could not be verified as genuine, this included the 2 parchments associated with the mystery and anything they mentioned, the paintings for example. Instead I concentrated on what physical evidence Saunière had left us in the decorations of his small church, dedicated to Mary Magdalene, and his domain.

Over the following years and after many visits to to Saunière's church and the surrounding landscape, I discovered a tomb near to Rennes-le-Chateau and also certain artifacts. All of my discoveries are revealed in full in my book Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar which is now available to purchase.

Illustrated Guide to Rennes-le-Chateau No1 Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar Beginnings by Ben Hammott Amazon Adventure - Colonel Percy Fawcett
Illustrated Guide to Rennes le Chateau No1 Also Available for Digital Download Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar - Printed and eBook versions Beginnings by Ben Hammott Order 1st Edition AMAZON KINDLE VERSION Order Kindle version

AMAZON ADVENTURE by Ben Hammott - Read Sample Chapters

A brief outline of the Rennes-le-Château Mystery

Abbé François Bérenger Saunière

Abbé François Bérenger Saunière 1852 to 1917

      In 1885 Abbé Bérenger Saunière is appointed parish priest of the tiny hilltop village of Rennes-le-Château.
     He was an ambitious young cleric, and probably unimpressed by the dilapidated condition of the ninth century church and the uninhabitable presbytery he found on his arrival. In October of that year Saunière he campaigned against the ruling Republican Party and was sent from the region for a short time as punishment.

     After his return he managed to find enough funds to start the much needed restoration work to his church. He first repaired the holes in the roof and then started on the altar. It is said, that after he removed the heavy stone altar slab, he found some old parchments hidden in one of the two ancient pillars on which it had rested.

      Popular consensus now is that the parchment/s was found in the wooden baluster and not the stone pillar.

(See my Rennes le Chateau TIMELINE for more info.)

After the discovery of any parchments, Saunière immediately began digging up the church floor and was later discovered digging in the graveyard in the middle of the night. His housekeeper, Marie Denarnaud, was helping him.

    Saunière recorded in his personal diary on 21st September 1891, “...Found a tomb.” Whatever was found in the tomb is unknown, but it seemed to have been something he could profit from as it was only after this year of discovery when he began to spend lots of money. (Read about a Tomb I discovered by deciphering Saunière's church clues here)
Now he had the funds he could decorate the church just how he wanted.
He ordered the finest religious statuary from the Giscard factory in Toulouse Although most of the stuff he ordered were off the shelf items, he did add a few unique details, the Demon holding the Holy Water Stoup being one of them. He has also added local landmarks to the paintings either side of the Fleury Tableau and the view from the Altar grotto depicting Mary Magdalene. An inscription Saunière added above the front door reads - “Terribilis est locus iste” (This place is terrible).  The church took five years to complete.

Next he built an elaborate estate, which included the Villa Bethania, the Tour Magdala and the glass Orangey at the other end of the Belvedere that joined them. His landscaped gardens were full of exotic flora and fauna.

He entertained his invited guests with lavish dinner parties where only the best food, wine and lacquers were served. On 17th January 1917 Saunière had a serious seizure, and shortly before his death summoned the Abbé Jean Rivière to his deathbed to administer the last right and to hear his confession. The priest who heard the confession was so shocked he is said to have rushed from the room. Saunière died on the 22nd January 1917.

But the secret of his wealth did not die with him; Marie Denarnaud also knew the secret. Some years later in 1946, unable to cope with the upkeep and demands of the large estate, Marie sold the domain to Noel Corbu, someone she had become friends with., with the proviso she would be able to live in the presbytery rent free until she died. In return, before she died she would reveal the secret to him. Unfortunately she suffered a debilitating stroke that left her unable to talk or write. She took the secret to the grave with her when she died in 1953. However, previously Marie had hinted to Noel at some aspects of the secret and its great value, with phrases like, “Do not worry Noel, you will be a rich man when I die.”  And “The villagers are walking on enough gold to last 100 years without diminishing it.”

It seems Noel Corbu may have learnt something from her before her death, but it wasn't’t the secret’s location, because he started excavating various parts of the domain. He found nothing and gave up. He opened the villa Bethania as a hotel and called it La Tour. He entertained his guests with the story of the Mysterious Abbé Saunière. To gain publicity for his hotel he contacted a newspaper and they ran a story about the Rennes-le-Château Mystery. It soon reached a wider audience and slowly the village became a popular tourist destination. Many factors pointing to the truth behind Saunière’s wealth are still available for study. But despite the best efforts of countless experts, these mysteries remain hidden. Did Saunière find a legendary religious artefact, a horde of ancient treasure, or some terrible Christian secret? The answers may one day be revealed, but for now, Saunière and the source of his wealth remain a mystery.

Ben Hammott's Illustrated Guide to Rennes-le-Chateau No2

Saunière's Domain -The Tourist Trail - Chateaux - Places of Interest

Information and Book Images HERE

Ben Hammott's Illustrated Guide to Rennes-le-Chateau No2

Also available for Digital Download

Contains high quality full colour images that include:

The Tour Magdala, The Villa Bethania, Saunière's Mary Magdalene Church, The Church Garden, Saunière's Grotto, The Devil's Armchair, Local Churches, Pontils Tomb, Chateaux, the Ignace Paris hole, Boudet's final Cross, and lots more.

Many locations shown how they looked in the early 1900s compared with how they look today - Size is A4

Ben Hammott's Page Samples

Directions are included to the harder to find locations

Order your printed copy here or Digital Download

Available to purchase now

The complete set of Bérenger Saunière's 33 Rennes-le-Château Postcards 
complete set of Bérenger Saunière's 33 Rennes-le-Château Postcards 

These are the highest quality examples available

33 Cartes Postale l’Abbé Saunière

33 Cartes Postale l’Abbé Saunière Cover                       

The size of the book is A5 with one high quality postcard reproduced on each page.

"Hi Ben, just received your postcard book. Fantastic! Thank you for publishing these postcards, I have been wanting to see the complete set for sometime now. I have brought all of your books so far and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. The pics in your guide book were great, a lot better than the ones I took in the Rennes-le-Château church. Well done Ben. What's next?" (Diane -UK)

"Another excellent publication Ben. I found the old photographs of the Saunière estate especially interesting as they show how it looked when Saunière was alive." (CB - UK)

BEN HAMMOTTS DISCOVERIES ALBUM

     Collectors Limited 1st Edition Discoveries Album  Collectors Limited 1st Edition Discoveries Album

Gerard Thom Rennes-le-Chateau Bloodline parchments

A4 Printed and PDF eBook versions

Order your 1st Editon copy - The new book by Ben Hammott BEGINNINGS - Book 1 of the TOMB, the TEMPLE, the TREASURE (fiction)

Limited Time E-book Sale

Payment Methods available to purchase items from my store are:
Limited Time E-book Sale