Order and chaos

Around the time of the French Revolution, the local village priest Bigou was forced to leave his parish of Rennes-le-Château. When he left for Spain, he left behind a secret knowledge on how to access the secret of the Hautpouls. Bigou was an intelligent person, who knew that he would not return to the Razès, let alone France. At the same time, it is known that the French Revolution did not happen without a warning. Even in Rennes-le-Château, hundreds of miles from the corridors of power in Paris, people must have been aware of what was about to happen and precautions could and no doubt were taken by those who felt prudence was of the essence.
So, with the last Lady of Hautpoul dead and Bigou about to quit the region – the country – he could leave this secret knowledge behind… coded. If he were to create such a code, it would have to be one that would neither be too easily cracked… but which at the same time should be able to be decoded… and it would have to be an “anomaly” that would seem “normal” to the untrained eye, but would seem “odd” if not a “clue” to a person with the proper knowledge and understanding.

Knowledge transfer

Bigou knew, without probably wanting to, a formidable secret about which he had to remain silent, bound as he was by the oath of the secret of confession. But this does not necessarily mean he had to take the secret with him to his grave. Perhaps he was in fact meant to preserve it? Hand it over to someone else? His successor? But who would that be in these perilous times?
First, it is clear that Bigou had to wrap the enigma in such a way that it would be accessible for a colleague priest… and would be readable only by a priest. How did he go about this? We know that Bigou possessed a personal diary, in which he wrote about the state of his soul, his hopes, his fears, and finally notes of a more general nature. The document is in three small volumes and never left his side, taking it with him all the way into exile in Spain. These documents have been, for more than thirty years, in the possession of a small fraternity that is of a religious nature, and which is located in the Spanish Catalan region. The organisation decided to publish the final volume, in very small quantities, against draconian prices… more than 2000 Euros! This sale was, at the time, seen by some “researchers” as a stunt by none other than yours truly, who – of course – had fabricated everything! It is a great – too great – honour to be seen as someone who would be able to recover a non-used notebook from that era (two hundred years ago), then write down, in Bigou’s handwriting, dozens of pages, including certain passages in Latin… whereby the reader needs to be aware that I only possess the most basic knowledge of that language. Furthermore, as all copies were sold in less than a month, I must have found myself extremely wealthy… Anyone who knows me, knows that money and I don’t get along… I do not know why… it just doesn’t seem to like me… even when it is by law to come and visit me, it sometimes still doesn’t!
In short, these “tenors” of the mystery of Rennes-le-Château, rather than play public relations against me, should better have coughed up the money (which they possess) to buy such a copy, for the notes of a dying man could prove to be intriguing. Indeed, one person who had acquired a copy eventually told us what the notebooks contained… and the somewhat theoretical scenario that we present here is partially based on this… and another source, which we will introduce later on.

Remembering the death of a Lady

But let us return to a period in Bigou’s life when he and the rest of France were in turmoil, aware that major changes were about to happen. Changes that could easily result in large scale destruction of church properties… as well as items belonging to the nobility.
It is in January of 1781 that Marie de Negri d’Able, the Lady of Hautpoul, dies. At that moment in time, the French Revolution is not yet a certainty… for its first violent outbreaks, we need to wait until 1789.
Since the creation of the mystery of Rennes-le-Château, it is her tombstone that has been at the centre of much controversy, with the various inscriptions and texts allegedly found on her tomb having become the subject of endless speculation. A short chronology may be of help:
1781. Death of Lady of Hautpoul
1789. French Revolution
1792. Bigou flees for Spain, via Durban and Perillos
1793. Bigou dies in exile
1885. Saunière arrives in Rennes-le-Château

Tombraiders

Let us note certain details that few have identified as important, but which nevertheless are just that.
Observation number one: the Lady of Hautpoul is not buried in the crypts of the Lords, which is underneath the village church of Rennes-le-Château, which was originally the old chapel of the castle. According to the ancient customs, her tomb is with the other Ladies, as well as other important family members that did not become Lords. That tomb is located in the ancient cemetery. Let us immediately note that the tombstone that is now worldfamously said to be hers is, in our opinion, not necessarily hers. The famous stone, the so-called “stele”, could have been part of a mausoleum, in which case it means that she is not buried there. If that were to be the case for Marie d’Hautpoul, then it is very important to ask this question: if not this, where is her tomb? Is it located elsewhere in the cemetery… or elsewhere altogether?
Observation number two: we need to underline that this is a tomb for noble people, reserved for the partners (wives) of the local Lords. Such a monument would be something worthy of that name and the rank and file of these women. Furthermore, the tomb needs to be equipped to deal with more than just one or a few coffins. Such a construction is not just some basic tomb, but a carefully crafted, often underground, construction which, even if destroyed, leaves visible traces. Let us note that despite the extensive “work” that has been carried out in the cemetery, such a giant construction has never been discovered there. Of course, perhaps its existence has not been made public. So? We’ll address this later.

An inscription

Speaking about this tomb, there are only a certain amount of elements about which we dispose that are known to be genuine. In fact, there is only one source: an account, by Elie Tisseyre in 1905, written in the pages of the Société d’Etudes Scientifiques de l’Aude, which appeared in bulletin number 17 in 1906. The tomb is described as “a large slab, broken in the middle, where one can read an engraved inscription, very roughly done”. It is therefore clear that this tombstone is very basic. This is very surprising and not at all what one would expect to find for a tombstone of a local noble. Was it because there was a lack of financial means to execute something more grandiose, as some researchers have suggested? Or did the Lady desire to be discrete? And if discrete, was it out of humility, or did she not want to draw attention to this tomb?

Bigou plays his card

Such questions could be answered by stating that Bigou had but little time to execute the tomb before he had to go into exile in Spain and that he therefore had to do his best with the materials he had. He quickly writes down a text and gives this to a local workman, who executes it as best as he can, but with several errors, even rendering “catin” (whore) as part of the epitaph. Such logic could stand up for the shoddy workmanship of the inscription. As to the “stele”, perhaps Bigou traced out, quickly if not vaguely, some type of design. One hypothesis even argues that Bigou used a stele that had been found in Serres in 1789. But it seems difficult to accept that a priest would wait seven years before starting to work on this funerary monument, and is then caught up in the frenzy of the French Revolution, which forces him to act in a hurry.
Still, it is said, and it seems logical, that Bigou was indeed involved with writing the mortuary text (whatever it was), in the choice of the stele and finally in a third element of the burial that too many have neglected, and which is, in our opinion, the most important of all: the choice of location of the tomb.
In short, Bigou had plenty of time: the Lady died in 1781 and the French Revolution did not begin until 1789. The “rush” with which some claim Bigou had to carry out the work, seems extremely unlikely. He had a decade, from 1781 to 1792, to make sure that the tomb looked as it should and if any inscriptions were erroneous, he had plenty of time to have these replaced. So, what really happened?

Hide and seek

It is possible that Bigou learned about an important secret during confession and decided to pass this on to a future priest, but at the same time making sure that this knowledge would remain impenetrable from the eyes of the non-clergy. Is it possible that this priest orchestrated certain “camouflages” in the cemetery of his church?
It is clear that he knew the entrance to the vaults in which the ladies of the Hautpoul family were entered… for he was the one who placed Marie de Negri d’Ables inside it. He also knows that the nobility game in France has been played and failed and that this will therefore bring about massive changes in the Razès in the years to come. It is to be expected that properties, belonging both to the Church and state, will suffer… and may not survive.
So, to protect what needs protecting, he has to create a stele that appears “basic”, which has an inscription that will draw little or no attention to the person inside. Something grandiose will stand out and will attract the attention of the masses, whom may decide to tear it down and/or rob it.
But Bigou does more. With the consent, or perhaps upon the desire, of one branch of the family, it is decided that the real crypt of the Ladies needs to be protected. A “fake” tomb for Marie de Negri d’Ables is therefore created by Bigou in the cemetery. It is likely that this fake tomb is built in the lead-up to the French Revolution, when Bigou is fearful of things to come. He knows that he may have to flee Rennes-le-Château, which means that there is no-one to guard over whatever it is that is inside the crypt of the Ladies. The creation of this fake tomb is thus part of a plan to make sure that the crypt is secured in case of emergency, but can nevertheless be rediscovered by a someone – a priest – in the future. Bigou is there to oversee that this tomb looks normal, and that the location of the real tomb does not become apparent. He plays with the epitaph in such a way that it incorporates references so that someone can actually decode where the real vault of the Ladies of Hautpoul is located. His work has been accomplished… all that remains is a simple tombstone, with a bizarre inscription, lost in the middle of several other tombstones. Bigou’s mission is complete, but it seems that he hides, in his church, certain precious relics that were given to him by rich royalists when they fled. These stashes are there to make sure that if someone finds the clue, that person will have enough money to execute the necessary work, in order to discover the location of the real vault.

Bérenger Saunière studies Bigou

Saunière arrived in Rennes-le-Château in 1885, but initially, he did not stay for long: his preaching from the pulpit against the Republic means that he is penalised and spends several months in Narbonne. Upon his return, he has money in his bag from the Countess de Chambord, money which he uses to do the most essential repair works. What specific “essential repair works” were carried out, is never clearly defined. It is however known that at that time, he already takes a particular interest in the cemetery. Perhaps he already knows what he is looking for and what he is doing? And it seems that he is the one who has figured out Bigou’s message. Saunière immediately goes to where Bigou is leading him: the discovery of the real tomb of the Lady of Hautpoul. It is this secret that he uncovers… and no doubt, it is here that he finds objects of great value. But it is equally clear that he cannot be discovered as a person who has violated and desecrated the vaults of the Hautpoul family. Furthemore, he needs to make sure that the cipher left by Bigou is wiped out. He therefore removes most of the inscriptions, until it looks as if the tombstone was done “very basically”, which is how Tisseyre reports it in 1905, at a time when Saunière is still resident in the village. But this in itself does not suffice. He also has to displace the false tomb, as it is clear that by leaving it where it is, that in itself is a visual clue. He does all of this under the pretext of “having to make more room” in the cemetery, so that the dead of the village have a place to be buried.

Saunière in the kingdom of the dead

Saunière is at the same time working on his presbytery, a site which we know has an underground dimension that may have led him into or towards the crypt of the Lords, which sits underneath the attached church. As to the cemetery, he installs a solid iron gate in front of the cemetery (the gate itself was made by the father of Marie Dénarnaud) and pays for the erection of a wall, that sits on top of the ancient rampart. No-one seems to have been too inquisitive or worried as to why Saunière spent so much money on the cemetery. Saunière is best remembered for his Villa, the excesses of the church, but we should not forget that lots of money was spent on “fencing off” the cemetery. We know that he installs his reading room right next to the entrance of the cemetery, which means that he sees everyone who goes in or comes out. We also know that he frequently enters the cemetery with Marie Denarnaud, specifically at night. Was it to render homage to forgotten souls? Some of his parishioners think it must be that, while others think that he is a necrophile… or even a necromancer. But soon, these opinions are overturned into one whereby the locals begin to realise that Saunière is interfering with the tombs of their ancestors – violating them. They are not happy and lodge a complaint. The complaint, however, arrives too late in time to have any effect, for Saunière has already found what he was looking for. All that he was doing at the time when the villagers see his desecration of various tombs, was wiping out any traces and clues of what he had done and found… wiping out the clues left behind by Bigou.

Strolls in the cemetery of Rennes-le-Château

After Saunière’s exploits, the cemetery became once again the tranquil environment that it was meant to be. But it was not to last. When Gérard de Sède wrote his book on the mystery of our village priest, the cemetery becomes a primary obsession for the treasure seekers – as well as those “just” wanting to see the tombs of the priest and his lifelong maid, buried next to him. By a stroke of fate, their own tombs are in danger of being desecrated, which resulted in 2004 in Saunière’s tomb being removed from the cemetery, to the gardens of the Villa Bethania. Still, Saunière’s tomb is just one of several that comes to the attention of treasure hunters: like Saunière, they attack most of the cemetery, in search of secret entrances to whatever they believe may be hidden underneath. Nothing seems to stop the treasure seekers; respect for the dead, respect for the law, respect for the villagers… nothing. Let us note that none of them have uncovered the true whereabouts of the Ladies’ Crypt, where Marie de Negri d’Ables continues to rest in peace. Or is she?
Some have come closer than others. Pierrot Alquier worked for the municipality and, while preparing a grave for an imminent burial, he came very close to unlocking the key of the mystery. In the cemetery of Rennes-le-Château, he “stumbles” upon a vault, where “three men on horseback can stand up in”. Discrete as he is, he does not say anything whatsoever and continues to work for a further three weeks, at the end of which he resigns from his position and buys a bar-restaurant not too close to Rennes-le-Château. The purchase is made with what he has found and taken out of the vault (he has, as he says, “filled his pockets and his beret” with what he has found in pieces of gold). Is this testimony credible? Probably, for indeed, this man was able to buy a bar-restaurant, whereas just before, he was poor. People who have come to meetings of the French Société Perillos have inadvertently seen him and may have dined or drunk with him, without knowing it…

The mortal underground of Rennes-le-Château

It is fair to argue that all researchers believe in the enigma of the tomb of the Lady of Hautpoul and its secret. Even the most critical researchers, like René Descadeilles, a former head of the library of Carcassonne, accept its existence. But even though it is so popular, it remains almost incredible to accept that almost no-one has tried to find out where this tomb was located. It is an interesting question: was the tomb near, attached to, or far from the church?
We know the “fake tomb” is linked with, somehow, the Ladies’ Crypt. Which is where? It is possible that this is a construction that is linked with the crypt of the Lords, which is underneath the church and which is part of the natural fault line that comes from the direction of the old castle and runs towards the presbytery of Saunière, the location which Saunière refused to abandon during his lifetime.
Finally, let us note that the original cemetery of Rennes-le-Château is not where it is now. In fact, Rennes-le-Château has had, in its lifetime, three cemeteries. We will enter in more detail in the following part.

Apart from Bigou’s notebook, extensive conversations with Pierrot, there is a third element that is at the foundation of this information. There is a “forgotten” branch of the Hautpoul family, that still lives in Italy. It was during the upheaval of the Revolution that this branch received certain documents from its French branch, some of which had to do with burial rights, etc. of the family in Rennes-le-Château. One member of the family still lives, as already mentioned, but we should note that this person is not intent on trying to lay claim to anything, if only because the Revolution has removed any legal validity for such claims. This individual also has no interest in becoming embroiled in the mystery of Rennes-le-Château. Nevertheless, during a visit to Italy in March 2006, he allowed us access to these family archives. From these documents, we thus learned that the “mystery” about the tombs of his family members does not involve one, or two, but three locations. He gave us confirmation that finally put the nail in the coffin… an apt expression for the mystery of the cemetery of Rennes-le-Château.

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André Douzet