In August 1999 we spent our holidays in the Rennes-le-Château region. The surroundings were beautiful and we went for many lovely walks. The walk from Rennes-les-Bains to Château Blanchefort is especially rewarding. Of course we visisted all the places we had been reading about for so many years, such as "Fontaine des Amours". At many locations there was a story to be told.
 Blanchefort |
 Peyrolles and Bl'fort |
 Fontaine des Amours |
We returned to the village itself more than once, also on the day of the eclipse. What struck me in the local museum was the amateurish way in which objects had been exhibited (fortunately, this was greatly improved later). It is a pity that many buildings are falling into disrepair, as is the case with the home of the Denarnaud family and the castle. Yet a visit to the village is always a wonderful experience.
 Chasuble Saunière |
 House Denarnaud family |
 Castle of Rennes-le-Château |
Much time was spent in the local bookshop. One of the things I bought was the book "Clef de Royaume des Morts" by a certain Alain Feral. On paying, the bookseller turned out to be the author himself. In the book he repeatedly refers to the alpha and omega. Omega is like the small letter "w", which is the letter "m" upside down: like the mirrored "N", the "AM-sign" is a symbol of the Mystery.
 Book Alain Feral |
 "AM" in the church of Arques |
But my search drove me on. My first plan was to visit all the churches which play a role in my story.
Churches.
Most of the churches appear to have been built in the 12th century. They are all similar in form. In most of them there is a round apse at the end. Nowadays these churches are hardly ever used for worship so it is as if time has stood still in them. Many objects have been left untouched for a long time.
 Church of Peyrolles |
 Church of Serres |
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In the church at Cassaignes you can find the same painting of Mary as in the church at Peyrolles. The only difference is that here a skull has also been painted. This skull reminds me again of the depictions in the church at Rennes-le-Château.
 Peyrolles |
 Serres |
 RLC |
 Rennes-le-Château |
On the tabernacle in the church at Serres an equilateral triangle has been depicted with in Hebrew the letters "JHWH", meaning "Jahweh", or "Jehova". Triangles are very popular in the region and can be found everywhere. I have been unable to discover the meaning of the cross with a circle as depicted on the tabernacle in the church at Peyrolles.
 Tabernacle Serres |
 Idem, detail |
 Tabernacle Peyrolles |
Castles.
After the churches the castles were next on the list. The castles of Blanchefort and Arques were destroyed by Simon de Montfort during the Albigensian Crusade in 1209. His vassal Pierre de Voisins took up the reconstruction later. Château Blanchefort must have been deserted from very early on. Arques on the other hand was lived in by the family for a long time. Their coat of arms can still be seen in the castle. In 1280 Gilles I, Pierre de Voisins’ son, started building the "donjon".
With this information it becomes clear that the De Voisins family is responsible for the construction of the pattern.
 Citerne Blanchefort |
 Castle of Arques |
 Coat of arms De Voisins |
The De Voisins family also ordered the castle of Serres to be built later on as the presence of Guillaume de Voisins’ coat of arms shows. My research, done at home, showed that the castle of Montferrand just missed the line Cassaignes-Blanchefort. But when there, at the castle itself, I discovered a Calvary which was exactly on that same line, pointing in the direction of Blanchefort, so proving yet again that the line really does exist.
 Castle of Serres |
 Castle of Montferrand |
 Calvaire Montferrand |
 Cardou |
 Roque Nègre |
As regards the Secret Place, I found out that it is essential to stand on the intersection of two lines: the one going from Blanchefort across the small bridge crossing the river Sals, the other one running between the big rock on the Cardou and the Roque Nègre. Unfortunately I found nothing spectacluar. One year later I would be able to ascertain the position much more precisely so that I would actually find something of interest. |
Now I knew who had composed the pattern and when, yet I felt that there was still more to discover. I suspected that the similar forms of the churches within the pattern might also play a role. However, the only thing I could do was to define their positions on the compass. This proved to be a lucky move...